• Nearly all bears will be in dens by the end of the month, sleeping through the heart of the winter.
• Fall elk migrations are late this year and good numbers are just now showing up on the National Elk Refuge and other wintering grounds.  Winter closures to protect wildlife will go into effect in the park's Snake River bottom.
• Snow has also been late arriving in the valley this fall, but high elevations have significant depths already.  Many Teton Range bighorn sheep have moved to small patches of rugged winter range where sun and wind keep high elevation ridges relatively snow free.
• Bighorn sheep from the Gros Ventre population will move to lower elevations like Miller Butte on the National Elk Refuge, where they can often be seen from the refuge road.  

Photo credit: NPS

• Moose have begun congregating in areas where bitterbrush is abundant, such as the sagebrush flats near the JH airport and town of Kelly.
• Long-tailed weasels and snowshoe hares have traded in their brown summer coats for a more seasonally cryptic white fur.  The weasels maintain the black tip on their tail to help distract potential predators.
• As snow accumulates on the valley floor, sage grouse begin seeking out tall sagebrush for shelter and food.
• Resident waterfowl, such as mallard, goldeneye, bufflehead and trumpeter swans become confined to ice-free waters (thermal areas or moving streams and rivers).
• Rough-legged hawks, a close relative of the red-tailed hawk, will have arrived from their arctic nesting grounds.

Join a ranger for an educational and fun hike through the snow! Rangers offer guided snowshoe hikes from the Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center.  Programs begin on December 26th and run through mid-March, conditions permitting.  They are offered daily at 1:30 p.m. and last two hours, ending at 3:30 p.m.  

Reservations are accepted.  A $5 donation is suggested for the rental of snowshoes (provided during the ranger program), but the program is free. Please wear appropriate winter clothing (e.g. hat, gloves, snow/wind pants, boots, etc.) and don't forget your sunscreen and sunglasses.