Snowmobiling Yellostone
As the world’s first national park, Yellowstone should be your “first” idea for winter recreation, with snowmobiling, snowcoaches, cross-country skiing and wildlife viewing available. Open year-round, the beauty and wonder of Yellowstone truly becomes apparent with the stillness of snowflakes, the howl of a wolf or the rush of an eruption from Old Faithful.
The parks 2.2 million acres of natural wonders presents a diversity of activities, attractions and lodging, waiting to be re-discovered in its secret season. Explore Yellowstone from one of four entrances from the three states that form this unique landscape, Wyoming, Montana and Idaho.
From each entrance, choose your activity. Snowmobile tours, led by guides, using environmentally-friendly machines take you on daily or multi-day excursions for the ride of your life! Snowcoach tours use heated vehicles that traverse the snow, allowing young and young-at-heart to travel in comfort with a bird’s-eye view of the wildlife and landscape of Yellowstone. As always, wildlife watching occurs in nature’s playground, where wolves, elk and bison are the majority and man the minority. Combine crisp air with spectacular beauty and you’ll see why they call this home.
To get the most out of your snowmobile experience, be sure to plan ahead. Below are some guidelines to help you understand the snowmobiling regulations in Yellowstone National Park.
- All recreational snowmobiles operating in the park must meet Best Available Technology (BAT) requirements. Most, but not all, four-stroke snowmobiles satisfy this requirement.
All snowmobilers in the park must travel with a commercial guide. For a list of approved snowmobile operators/guides, click here. Snowmobiles allowed (per day) from park entrances include:
- 160 from the West (West Yellowstone, MT) Entrance
- 114 from the South (Moran, WY) Entrance
- 20 from the East (Cody, WY) Entrance
- 12 from the North (Gardiner, MT) Entrance
- 12 from Old Faithful (within the park; riders must arrange for oversnow transportation to Old Faithful)
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No more than 11 snowmobiles are permitted per group (this includes the commercial guide’s sled).
- Snowmobile operators must possess a valid motor vehicle operator's license.
For more information on the new Winter Use Plan Completed for Yellowstone, click here.
The entrance fee into the park is $20 per snowmobile (typically separate from your sled rental fee). This fee provides the visitor with a 7-day entrance permit for both Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. Remember to keep your admission receipt in order to re-enter the parks. The America the Beautiful Pass and Yellowstone & Grand Teton Annual Pass are possible alternatives to the above fee. For more info on park fees, click here.
Snowmobiling opens in the park on December 15, 2009, weather permitting for the West and South entrances. The East Entrance opens on December 22, 2009. The North to Northeast Entrance is open year-round to wheeled vehicles. All roads will be opened to oversnow vehicles (except the North to Northeast Entrance with its wheeled vehicles.) This date is subject to change depending on the winter use plan.
Snowmobiling closes in the park on the following schedule as spring plowing begins. Roads close at 9:00 p.m. on the days listed below. NOTE: These dates are all weather-dependent. For the most updated info, visit the National Park Service website.
- Monday, March 1, 2010 - East Entrance (Sylvan Pass)
- Monday, March 8, 2010 - Mammoth to Norris Junction
- Wednesday, March 10, 2010 - Norris Junction to Madison Junction and Norris Junction to Canyon Roads close.
- Monday, March 15, 2010 - All groomed roads in the park are closed.
Don’t forget to explore the world-class trails right outside of the park. You’ll find more than 1,000 miles of trails in Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana just beyond the park's boundaries.
