Winter hikes through Bryce Canyon National Park contrast the red-rock with the snow and pines/Kurt Repanshek
Though the summer months are the peak travel seasons for national parks in the Rocky Mountain region, the winter months with their snow and cold...and often crystalline skies...are perfect for a retreat to the Rockies. Here's a handful of parks worthy of your consideration.
Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah
For snow conditions: 435-834-5322
Whether you enjoy cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, or simply admiring the dazzling contrast of white snow and red-rock, Bryce Canyon will sate your appetite. And once the sun goes down, you'll be star struck by some of the nation's darkest skies, skies that are flecked with twinkling stars.
For skiers, the 18-mile-long rim road offers a long out-and-back ski for those in shape and adapted to the thinner air at 8,000 feet. For a less arduous tour, follow the Rim Trail that runs from Fairyland Point to Bryce Point.
For snowshoers, the Navajo Loop Trail is a must-do experience. Head out shortly before dawn and when the sun comes up you'll be painted in orange as the glow off the hoodoos envelops you.
Coincide your trip with the full moon so you can join a ranger for a night-time snowshoe hike. Check the park's website for dates of this winter's snowshoe hikes.
Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
For snow conditions: 307-739-3399
Accessibility via U.S. 191/89/26 that runs through the park is generally unimpeded during the winter, and from that highway you can make incursions into Grand Teton for snowshoeing or skiing.
Favorites with the locals include trails along the Moose-Wilson Road and around Colter Bay. First-timers will enjoy the Teton Park Road, which offers 15 miles of skiing or snowshoeing terrain.
Because some areas of the park offer key winter habitat for wildlife, check with the staff at the Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center at Moose for any closures. The staff also can tell you when any ranger-led snowshoe hikes are scheduled.
Great Basin National Park, Nevada
For snow conditions: (775) 234-7510
Already one of the less-visited parks in the system in summer, Great Basin draws even fewer visitors in winter. Which makes it a perfect time to explore the park, whether you choose to cross-country ski, snowshoe, or trek to the top of Wheeler Peak (if you have the stamina for the 4.5-mile hike that gains 3,300 feet in elevation).
Park officials say it generally takes two days to hike from the Upper Lehman Creek Campground to the summit of the 13,159-foot peak and back down. 'The first day (you) hike up the Lehman Creek Trail and camp at the Wheeler Peak Campground. The second day is spent climbing the summit and returning back down the Lehman Creek Trail,' the park notes.
As for skiing and snowshoeing, 'Novice skiers can find gentle slopes for touring or experienced ski mountaineers can challenge their skills on steep and deep backcountry runs. Visitors must bring all of their own equipment. Trails and roads in the park are not groomed, though some routes are flagged with tape.'
Skiers, snowshoers, and snowmobilers all can warm up in the West Thumb warming cabin in Yellowstone/Kurt Repanshek
Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming/Montana/Idaho
For snow conditions: (307) 344-7381
Scenes from Dr. Zhivago could have been filmed in Yellowstone, where winter can bring temperatures 20 degrees below zero and drifts of waist-deep snow. There are even coaches ' granted, snowcoaches ' to get around the world's first national park.
Whether you ski, snowshoe, or tour by snowmobile or snowcoach, Yellowstone won't leave you disappointed. Much of the Grand Loop Road is groomed for oversnow travel (both motorized and muscle- powered), and summer's hiking trails make wonderful snowshoe trails.
The geyser basins, of course, operate 24/7 and in winter offer fascinating imagery if you can bear the bitterly cold temperatures. Wildlife ' bison, elk, trumpeter swans ' congregate in the river valleys, so head for the Firehole, Madison, Gibbon, and Lamar rivers for your fill.
Maps and trail brochures for snowshoers and skiers are available for the Mammoth, Tower, Northeast, and West Yellowstone/ Gallatin areas. These trails range from easy to difficult, so be sure to gauge your experience honestly and take a map.
Other options:
Cedar Breaks National Monument, Utah: Though often cast as a runner-up to nearby Zion and Bryce Canyon national parks, this gem offers great snowshoeing and cross-country skiing with views of the monument's colorful amphitheater.
Glacier National Park, Montana: Though park accessibility in winter is limited, snowshoers and cross-country skiers can explore from Apgar to Lake McDonald, as well as in the Two Medicine and St. Mary areas.
Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado: The Bear Lake area is ground zero for families with youngsters looking for some tubing fun. Cross-country skiers can head up the Trail Ridge Road, while snowshoers will generally find deeper snows in the forests on the western side of the park.
Traveler's choice: Bryce Canyon, with its sprawling ranks of orange titans, deep green forests, and brilliant blankets of snow, is an unforgettable winter fairyland.
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