Mention a national park vacation, and many of us imagine a family loading up the minivan for a multiweek adventure over the summer holidays. And while summer may be a lovely time to explore many of these national treasures, there are some parks that hold another sort of promise during winter. Parks with climates that are less than ideal in summer--such as the Everglades or Death Valley--are still warm enough in winter to cure cold-weather blues. Others plagued by high-season crowds, like Grand Canyon, Yellowstone and Yosemite, transform into sparsely populated wonderlands for outdoor activity. Here is one of Mother Nature's choicest winter hideaways--Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. (For other great national parks to visit in winter, click on the following links: California's Death Valley and Yosemite, Hawaii's Volcanoes, Arizona's Grand Canyon, New Mexico's Carlsbad Caverns, Florida's Everglades, and St. Thomas and St. John's US Virgin Islands.)

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK: Winter travelers share Yellowstone's 2.2 million acres with about 125,000 other hardy souls, many of whom testify that this is the park's most magical season. Most park roads are closed to wheeled vehicles, so visitors tour on heated snowcoaches, snowmobiles and cross-country skis. In-park transportation isn't cheap, but it's worth it: Yellowstone's steaming hot springs, geysers, fumaroles and mud pots look even more spectral under a blanket of snow, and its record herds of bison and elk venture close to the roads. Ranger programs run all season; a winter Junior Ranger program debuted recently. Two lodges, Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel and Old Faithful Snow Lodge (307-344-7311), remain open, with discounted rates ($58 to $135 per night) and packages. Park entry is $20 per car. Call 307-344-7381.

Daytime temperatures: 20s to 30s.
Best bet for family fun: Cross-country skiing on the Lone Star Geyser trail at Old Faithful.

Rani M. Arbo is a frequent contributor to FAMILYFUN.

Please keep in mind that phone numbers, addresses, and prices are subject to change. Updated August 2005.