We continued on beyond Tower Junction, where we saw many bison and elk up close. On the way back to the Mammoth Terraces we were treated to a Yellowstone Classic: a bison jam that took us 45 minutes to get through. The bison prefer to walk on the roads instead of through deep snow. One does not want to stress wild animals during the Winter as that will reduce their survival rate. Besides, who knows how they might react if one gave them a gentle nudge with the car! So one tries to act like a bison and squeeze slowly up through the herd as opportunities present themselves. The bison do seem to regard the car as one of the herd, but they do not like being passed and will speed up or move in front of the car to maintain order in the “herd.”

We stayed the first night in the Mammoth Lodge at the Mammoth Terraces.