If you have never been to Yellowstone Park in the winter, I would definitely add it to the ‘to do’ list. The place is beautiful and, although it seems at times that there are a lot of snowmobiles, it pales in comparison to the number of cars and people in the summer time. Seeing things covered in snow just adds a whole different dimension to the already spectacular scenery in Yellowstone.
I arranged my tour with a company called Yellowstone Vacation Tours. There are a handful of companies that have permits to conduct snowmobile tours inside the park but I chose this company somewhat at random and was very happy. They ran a very efficient operation and I thought the guide was great. You can rent complete snowmobile outfits (suit (goes right over your clothes), boots, gloves and helmet) for $25 and virtually all of the sleds were capable of carrying two people.
No experience is required driving a snowmobile but you need a valid driver’s license and a Yellowstone Park pass. The controls for the snowmobiles are pretty straightforward. They lay down some pretty strict guidelines and take it fairly easy in the morning but by the afternoon we were whipping along doing 40 mph.
If you dress adequately and have a snowmobile suit you keep plenty warm. Each guide has a group of about 10 to 12 sleds and, although they operate along the same route, they operate fairly independently as far as timing and stopping.
We left the base in West Yellowstone about 8:45 a.m. and returned around 3:30 p.m. It’s about a 60-mile round trip to Old Faithful and return. We probably spent about 3 full hours riding and the rest of the time stopping to take pictures, look at the scenery, watch Old Faithful, eat lunch and even did a couple of walks out on the snowy boardwalks to get a closer look at some of the thermal features. We saw bald eagles, tons of bison, two coyotes and a lot of spectacular scenery.
For those who might not be into zooming along on a snowmobile, they do have snow coaches, some of which resemble ‘monster trucks’, that you can sit inside all toasty and warm and watch the scenery as they drive around. For me, however, a snowmobile is the way to go. It’s like riding my Harley – it just adds to the experience.
I would definitely do it again. My daughter has expressed interest in doing it and one of my friends is interested. It would definitely be fun to organize a group ‘winter fest’ in Montana to snowmobile and ski but it would take a bunch of advance planning.
I think if you get 6 to 9 sleds (12 to 18 people assuming every sled has two people) you can get your own guide and have your own group. I know that snowmobile and accommodation reservations sell out well in advance. We’ll see. In any case, here are a few of the pictures I took on the trip. Enjoy!
