During the winter, Yellowstone National Park sees its sweeping greenery turn into a snowy landscape. Filmmaker Drew Simms traveled to the area, considered to be the first national park in the U.S., to document its oneiric beauty. As the home to the largest public herd of American bison in the United States, Simms focused his camera on these majestic animals, turning them into the main characters of this tale of endurance.
The result is a powerful short film titled -37F Winter in Yellowstone National Park. In his beautiful footage, Simms takes a poetic approach to capture how winter looks in the natural landscape. Tiny human figures contrast with the tall columns of the Old Faithful geyser as snowy trees dot the scene. Meanwhile, the steady bison make their way through the snow, flakes piling up on their rugged fur.
“I was lucky enough to spend just over a week around Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming last winter. Weather was brutal with temps reaching almost -40F!” Simms writes.”I spent time photographing and filming some of my all-time favorite wildlife experiences. Including frozen bison, multiple coyotes, mountain goats, big horn sheep, and many of the geysers around the park. Hands down one of my most memorable winter camping trips of my life.”
Simms conveys the allure of winter at Yellowstone with hypnotic visuals, and in doing so, captures the true heart of the park. And while it’s universally appealing, those who have experienced it firsthand commended the filmmaker’s work. “I’m a snowcoach driver/guide in the park. I take people in to see this stuff every single day. You did an incredible job capturing the beauty and quiet simplicity of this landscape in winter,” writes YouTube user @wattswildlifephoto. “Yellowstone is amazing year-round, but when 10 feet of snow meets boiling, steaming thermal energy from deep underground, the park becomes otherworldly.”
