Yellowstone is quiet right now. Its hibernators have denned and many of its birds have flown away. Its roads, except for the one between the North and Northeast Entrance, are empty. The park and its visitors are waiting. They aren’t waiting for the traffic to unsnarl or for a storm to pass. They’re waiting for a change—for the season’s slow buildup of snow to transform the roads from what they’ve been to what they will be. What they’ve been are the familiar asphalt surfaces suitable for vehicles with standard tires. What they will become is a snow surface—packed, smoothed, and groomed—suited for track-driven vehicles.
This takes time.
Come mid-December, the roads will reopen to over-snow-vehicle travel. Yellowstone will hum, albeit softly, with the voices of skiers and snowshoers in the backcountry and the murmur of motors along the road. Yellowstone’s winter visitors anticipate the change.
We’ve entered a season—the season—of reminding. Advent has begun, reminding us that we are waiting. Christmas is coming, reminding us of just who we are waiting for. Epiphany is coming, too, reminding us not just to wait, but to watch and seek. Because we’re doing more than waiting. We’re living.
We’ve been promised something: life in Jesus’ name. And that life doesn’t begin after the wait. It isn’t for later. That life—that transformation—begins here. It’s for now.
🧭 Ponder this: Where is your focus–waiting for later or living in Jesus name today?
take heart & happy trails ~ Natalie 🥾
p.s. If you’d like to watch Yellowstone’s snow pile up for yourself, check out their live webcam page. While my favorite is the Old Faithful live stream, you can actually see the slow accumulation of snow at the West Entrance.
Additional Resources
- Information about planning a visit to Yellowstone can be found here.
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