Snowmobiling in Wyoming

Tom and I have been married now for 20 years.  For our 10th and 15th anniversary’s, we went snowmobiling in Wyoming.   We decided it was worth a third trip.  Our first two trips were to Togwotee Mountain Lodge.  Which is a great place.  This time we stayed at a guest ranch in Moran, Turpin Meadow Ranch.  It may not be a big as Togwotee, but it was much more intimate.

The staff actually got to know our names.  They were very accommodating.  With the time difference of two hours, Tom and I were up before most of the staff arrived at the main lodge.  They usually serve breakfast at 8:00 am.  They would serve us whenever we got in.  Which was usually 6:30 am.  Which was actually late by our internal time clocks.  But they were very understanding.

Our first day there was spend riding the Continental Divide Snowmobile Trail System.  They had not gotten enough snow in some of the areas, so they were unable to groom all the trails.  But we had 80 miles worth of fun.  Of course I found a really deep spot right of the bat.  Yup, I got stuck.  While I waited for Tom and Luke (our guide) to come dig me out, I took pictures.  The snow was up past my thighs.  You don’t realize the altitude difference until you have to dig a snowmobile out of 3 feet of snow.  You get winded very easily.  But Luke got the sled out and we were on our way.

The second day was spent in Yellowstone National Park.  Our guide was Casey.  You cannot ride in Yellowstone without a certified guide.  We did what is called the Loop Tour.  We stopped to take pictures of a herd of bison resting along Yellowstone Lake.  From there we rode up to the Lower Falls viewing area.  We saw coyote along the way.  Our last stop was Old Faithful.  The whole loop is approximately 150 miles.  It was a great ride, with spectacular scenery.  Unfortunately it was overcast and/or snowing most of the time so the pictures are not a good as they could have been.  But it’s defiantly a must see.

Our third and last day was spent riding the CD trail system.  They had more snow and more of the trails were groomed.  We did some powder riding.  This time I didn’t get stuck.  We saw a couple of bull moose.  We didn’t think they were going to get off the trail at first.   But they eventually moved.  You need to give them the right of way.  They are just to big to mess with.

The weather would go from bright sun to snow.  As we headed back to the ranch at the end of the day, the snow really started coming down.  I could hardly see  10 – 15 feet ahead of me.   In Wyoming, they use long poles to mark the trails.  I was driving from pole to pole.   I was glad I was on a snowmobile and not in a car.   On top of the poor visibility, the light was flat.  That means you cannot see the condition of the terrain.  I noticed a couple of dips a little to late.  But that’s snowmobiling in Wyoming.  I would do it again and again and again.

The snow they got was wetter than they usually get.  This gave some of the staff the opportunity to make a snowman.  Or should I say a snow cowboy.   It was a nice way to end our trip.

We did about 350 miles worth of riding in 3 days.  Great area, wonderful people.  Would I recommend snowmobiling in Wyoming?  Most definitely.  Would I recommend staying at Turpin Meadow Ranch?  Whole heartedly.

Thanks guys for a great time.

C

Click Here for a slide show our our trip