“No one is going to brand you here,” my Yellowstone tour guide Cody said with a smile. As we walked around the National Park’s erupting mud puddles and hot springs, we talked about the differences between the TV version of Yellowstone and the real Yellowstone. The conclusion? They’re really not all that similar.
For one thing, the Paramount Network show may be named “Yellowstone,” but the scenes all take place in Darby, MT – a casual 265 miles away from the park itself. And though Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) had a scary encounter with a pack of wolves and John Dutton (Kevin Costner) squared up to a grizzly bear, the wildlife in Yellowstone during my time there was actually pretty chill.
Because I visited in the winter during the park’s shoulder season, we didn’t have any encounters with bears or wolves, but we did see many bison and coyotes – some I was only an arm’s length away from. They minded their business, we minded ours, and really, they were more cute than anything.
Of course in the series, the Duttons and cowboys ride around on their horses, but when I went exploring Yellowstone, my method of transportation was a Ski-Doo, the only snowmobile brand allowed inside of the park because of its low emission rate. And if I may flex for a second, riding a Ski-Doo through Yellowstone felt like I was already a part of the Dutton fam.
While I may not have been wrangling livestock or defending my family’s legacy, driving through the snowy terrain on my Ski-Doo still made me feel as rugged and tough as a Dutton. If Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser) ever traded in his cowboy hat for a helmet, I’m pretty sure he’d agree.
How I Channeled My Inner Dutton on a Ski-Doo Ride Through Yellowstone
In order to channel my inner Dutton, I tried to eat like one during my time in Yellowstone, which is meat, meat, and more meat. Because I don’t want to have heart problems before the age of 40, I took it easy on the red meat and opted for the local fish most meals. That said, I did eat a bison filet, which felt very appropriate. I don’t think I’d do it again, however: the taste wasn’t worth the shame I experienced for eating what felt like the National Park’s sweet pet dog. As the Duttons would say, that’s just the way of the world, I guess.
Next up: the whiskey. I considered drinking like the Duttons do, but shooting whiskey right before operating a Ski-Doo didn’t sound like the smartest idea. Plus, if I drank whiskey like Beth, my tour guide would’ve found me passed out somewhere between Old Faithful and a different geyser. Even by the time we were finished and I got back to the hotel, I was too tired to even consider alcohol. (Clearly, I couldn’t hang.)
Because I went to Yellowstone in the winter, I cared more about staying warm than dressing like a Dutton – but I did attempt to rock Beth’s Western chic aesthetic. Fortunately for me, the Ski-Doo ski pants and jackets were both stylish and warm. And when we visited restaurants after visiting the park all day, I made sure to pull out my cowboy boots.
The fictional ranch and the real park seem to echo the same truth: some things are worth protecting at all costs.
To wrap up my time as a Dutton in Yellowstone, I intentionally tried to see the park through the eyes of a Dutton. On TV, the Duttons spend basically every episode fighting to protect their ranch from outsiders. It’s their home base, a place that fills them with loyalty and pride. In the park, the land itself feels just as sacred. For all their differences, both the fictional ranch and the real park seem to echo the same truth: some things are worth protecting at all costs.
By the end of my trip, I wasn’t quite ready to trade in my snow gear for a cowboy hat. (I just can’t seem to pull it off!) But I did leave with a new appreciation of Yellowstone. Sure, I wasn’t fending off corporate villains and defending my land, but for a brief moment, I thought I could hold my own on the Dutton ranch. Maybe being branded by a Dutton wouldn’t be so bad, after all.
Travel and expenses for the author were provided by Ski-Doo for the purpose of writing this story.
Taylor Andrews (she/her) is the balance editor at PS, specializing in topics relating to sex, relationships, dating, sexual health, mental health, travel, and more. With seven years of editorial experience, Taylor has a strong background in content creation and storytelling. Prior to joining PS in 2021, she worked at Cosmopolitan.
