While visiting Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks in the winter can feel like stepping into a Christmas card photo, staying in a nearby Forest Service cabin with no electricity or indoor plumbing isn’t always so picture perfect. In this episode, we talk about many of our experiences in these two parks during the magical winter season, as well as the thrills and challenges of staying in rustic Forest Service cabins when the temperature dips well below freezing. Spoiler alert: walking through the snow to a pit toilet in the middle of the night with only a headlamp to scare away the bears is both a thrill and a challenge. 
Some topics we discuss include:

Matt’s latest obsession with organizing all of our travel gear

Our experiences snowmobiling in Yellowstone National Park during the winter

How Karen’s desire to get into the holiday spirit created our new tradition of visiting national parks every December

How to find and rent a Forest Service cabin

What it was like staying in a Forest Service cabin near Yellowstone with no heat, electricity or indoor plumbing, in December

What activities are available in Glacier National Park in the winter

Spending a few days in a Forest Service cabin near Glacier National Park

Our snowshoe experiences in and around Glacier

Would we rent a Forest Service cabin in the winter again?

And in our mail bag segment, we answer a question about whether we ever practiced shooting our expired bear spray, and if so, what did we learn.

Links to more information:

Click here to see photos from our winter trips to Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks

Recreation.gov listing for Big Creek Cabin

Recreation.gov listing for Zips Place Cabin


Where to learn more about our books and travels


Join the conversation on Facebook - we want to hear from you!

Check out our Instagram account


Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices