{"id":10983,"date":"2015-08-27T18:40:25","date_gmt":"2015-08-28T00:40:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.yellowstonegate.com\/?p=10983"},"modified":"2015-08-27T19:23:08","modified_gmt":"2015-08-28T01:23:08","slug":"reservations-begin-for-self-guided-snowmobile-trips-to-yellowstone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yellowstonegate.com\/?p=10983","title":{"rendered":"Reservation period begins for self-guided Yellowstone snowmobile trips"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Two
Two people share a snowmobile during a January 2012 trip into Yellowstone National Park.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

CODY, WYO. \u2014 The week before Labor Day hardly seems like the ideal time for contemplating a winter trek through Yellowstone National Park. But Tuesday, Sept. 1 is a key date for anyone planning to travel through Yellowstone by snowmobile as part of a self-guided group. That’s the first day to submit applications online for the lottery system<\/a> that allocates spots in the self-guided tour program.<\/p>\n

Under a newly implemented winter-use plan, last winter was the first season since 2003 that allowed sledders to tour Yellowstone without a commercial guide. Despite relatively warmer temperatures and sparse snow, winter recreational visits park-wide increased by 14 percent over the previous year.<\/p>\n

Snowmobile traffic through the East Gate from Cody rose by 65 percent last winter compared to 2013-14, largely owing to self-guided trips. But with a total of 269 total snowmobile visitors for the season, traffic at the East Gate was scant compared to the more than 9,500 who entered by snowmobile from West Yellowstone, the busiest gate.<\/p>\n

Bert Miller was one of the hardy few who rode a snowmobile through the East Gate and over Sylvan Pass this past winter.<\/p>\n

\"Ice
Ice forms along sections of the Lower Falls in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River as seen in this 2012 file photo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“It was a beautiful trip through a real winter wonderland<\/a>,” said Miller, president of the Wyoming State Snowmobile Association<\/a>, a group that advocates for access to public lands.<\/p>\n

Miller and his wife toured the park with their two adult children, who had never before visited the park on snowmobiles.<\/p>\n

“It was a completely new experience for my children, and I had always wanted to get them to go through the park that way,” he said. “We have such wonderful views between the East Gate and Canyon, with the frozen waterfalls, it’s the most beautiful side of the park in the winter.”<\/p>\n