When better than in the middle of a long, hot summer to plan your winter vacation to Yellowstone National Park? The Yellowstone Association Institute just published its winter course list to help you begin planning your getaway.

Institute Field Seminars are multi-day courses taught by experts focusing on topics such as wildlife, geology, history and more. This coming winter's lineup features 28 programs, including ten new ones. Courses range from one to seven days and are based at the historic Lamar Buffalo Ranch, where simple and comfortable log cabins are available for $30 per person per night, or in Gardiner, Montana.

There are many new classes that focus on topics such as photographic composition, astronomy, pine martens, and cougars. A new series, Lamar Valley Wolf Week, includes catered meals, wolf-watching excursions, evening speakers, and afternoon snowshoe forays into the field.

To enroll in any of these courses or to request a free catalog that includes a full description of all summer courses, please contact the Yellowstone Association Institute at 406-848-2400 or write to P.O. Box 117, Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190. Complete information is also available at www.YellowstoneAssociation.org Yellowstone Association members receive a $10 discount on all courses, and family memberships begin at just $35 per year.

If winter is too far off to think about, then perhaps fall? The institute and Yellowstone concessionaire Xanterra Parks & Resorts are collaborating to offer Essential Yellowstone, a program that combines educational programs with lodging accommodations.

These "lodging and learning programs" are designed for visitors who want to explore the park by day and stay in comfortable hotels at night.

A five-night program is offered in the spring and fall. It features instruction by an Institute naturalist-guide, five nights of accommodations at the Old Faithful Snow Lodge, breakfast and box lunch each day, dinner on the last night of the program, in-park transportation and optional evening programs.

The fall programs are offered starting Sept. 19 and 26 and Oct. 3, 10 and 17, 2010. Class sizes are limited to 12, and the minimum age is 12. Rates per person, not including tax or utility fees, are $1,049 for double occupancy and $1,542 for single occupancy.

Activities will include hikes up to three miles per day with elevation gains of up to 250 feet. Some off-trail hiking is possible. Participants enjoy wildlife watching in the Hayden Valley, walking along the rim of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River and touring the heart of the Yellowstone volcano.

Reservations for Essential Yellowstone and other Lodging & Learning programs can be made by calling 1-866-439-7375.

“The best Yellowstone experience is one where people walk away with a deeper understanding and appreciation of the park,” said Jeff Brown, director of education for the Yellowstone Association. “Fall is a particularly good time to visit because it is a very active time for many wildlife species.”