Scenes from Russ Finley's "Winter in Yellowstone" written by Marcia Hall To Order Call (800) 345-6707
Winter in Yellowstone appears to follow the wily and gregarious coyotes in their nomadic wanderings, but the story is about Yellowstone itself. We observe and learn about the animals who make our oldest national park their home during the long, frozen months. Beginning in the fall, with winter preparations, we trace yellowstone's residents through the harsh and ruthless winter, finally emerging in spring. Along the way, we are witness to the incredible natural wonders, found only in Yellowstone, where winter's harsh and uncompromising conditions play out against a fragile, ethereal beauty. Yellowstone is a reminder of the real rules of the game.

Winter achieves a balance with the surplus of summer and this is part of the story. The weary bison wallow through deep drifts, slowly sweeping the snow with their heavy heads, searching for the meager forage available. In dramatic footage, coyotes fight over those who do not survive.


Herds of majestic elk delicately pick their way along Yellowstone's snowy river banks, the water still open, warmed by geothermal run-off. Elegant trumpeter swans paddle along the Madison, white birds blending into the white, all white, background of snow and ice.


On bright days, coyotes leap and lunge in a series of balletic moves, hunting the mice and voles who navigate beneath the blanket of snow. Nimble otters cavort and frolic in and along the Yellowstone River; slip-sliding along their frozen runway, then neatly diving through a hole to disappear under the ice. A pair of bald eagles quietly survey the frozen land beneath them from the top of "eagle tree" in Hayden Valley. Old Faithful explodes into the frigid air of 42 below zero, sending steam columns hundreds of feet high into a brilliant blue sky. Geothermal mists clothe trees in ghostly shrouds, as frosty bison appear, seemingly as statues, on the heated ground of the geyser basins.