Montanajoe and other snow experts.....looking to plan a trip! I have a year to do so
Locust Fork
Member Posts: 32,001 ✭✭✭✭
We were talking this past Christmas about how we would like to get out somewhere and try snowmobiles....just getting to experience "big" snow sometime.
I found something that looked PERFECT.
They take you on a tour of Yellowstone. You can rent the gear, single or double rider snowmobiles. Its never all that cold down here for any length of time so our winter gear is limited to heavy jackets and long sleeves....so gear will be a must for our bunch. Imagining how beautiful the tour will be has me excited to go.
I have to admit the idea of snow is thrilling and terrifying all at the same time. Our state shuts down over 1 inch of snow, cars in ditches, tree limbs breaking and knocking the power out...its just a nightmare, but still some fun here when it snows.
I looked at reviews of other tour groups and this one didn't have the nonsense that some of the others had in their reviews and seemed a little more professional. I have no real idea what I'm looking at though.
I'll need a cabin....something with around 5 bedrooms to rent for 5 days or more too. I don't have a number of how many will be going, but hopefully I can get everyone on board for a once in a lifetime trip to experience something out of the ordinary. Either way, I'm planning it with expectations they will all be coming.
Where do I start to find a cabin near this outfit? Is there something better? What else should we do? Snowbus tour? The week before or after Christmas.....is this a good time to plan this sort of thing or is there a better time. I figure the Christmas decor in the towns would be gorgeous, snowy villages and all.
I'm excited!
Comments
I meant to put this in General....oops!
You're in for a grand time.
If you book the one for yellowstone/ old faithful , you can stay at the old faithful inn that is beautiful.
I believe the snow mobiles are right there at the inn.
Old Faithful Inn | Yellowstone National Park Lodges
You might consider Ogden, Utah. You can rent a VRBO, go snowmobiling, downhill or cross-country ski, ice fish, hike - and be back at your rental house every evening. At half the price of Yellowrocks or Jackson's Money Hole.
Clothing- dress in layers. shirt,sweater,heavy coat, zippered hood on coat is nice option.
long johns if you want. I prefer pants and bib coverall over that.
Gloves. Wear them for awhile so they are broke in and comfortable.
socks. Wool socks or double up on cotton sock
insulated boots, allow for thicker socks
suggest a ski mask while riding snow mobile
More than likely your flight will land in Bozeman/ Belgrade. That puts you 90 some odd miles from old faithful.
Reserve a ride on one of the shuttle buses, limo,ect. I suggest you do not rent a car and drive yourself.
Goggle some travel agencies, and have them work up a entire package for you.
travel agent for old faithful trip - Google Search
That is some good advice, right there. I have been to Yellowstone in October and the higher passes were already closed due to snow. The 12' tall stakes were already lining the main park roads to guide folks and keep them on the roads. The stakes need to be that tall so that they stick out of the top of the drifts. They do get a lot of snow and get it early, so if you are not used to driving in it, it is a chore best left to the experienced.
That being said, I think you guys would have a wonderful time. Not sure about the winter booking, but I know for the rest of the year it needs to be done faaarrr in advance so it is good you are thinking of making plans now. Bob
I dont live there, but have visited twice, once in the summer, once in the winter. So I can give a little advice from that perspective.
Start now conditioning your lungs. The altitude will have you out of breath walking 10 feet. Pack a tabletop humidifier for every bedroom. The air is DRY. For those of us who live in a high humidity climate the change is drastic. Take loads of chapstick/blistex (dry air).
The cold air is different there. A humid 35 in Alabama feels as cold as a low humidity 5 in the mountains.
Make sure the boots you take are comfortable for walking, have good tread for gripping and enough room to breathe with a thick pair of wool socks or two pair of cotton socks. You want your feet warm and dry. They will get sweaty while walking. Also, waterproof/repellent is a good idea.
Mittens are better than gloves.
Very good advice that I overlooked. Thanks for that, @susie
Two things for snowmobiling. Warm hands and warm feet. Once they get cold, you're done!!!! Also, make sure you get a full face helmet to wear. You will thank me later for that one. Upstate NY is the snowmobile capital of the East coast. At our place in PA, we have over 75 miles of snowmobile roads to ride. I'm heading up next weekend to go snowmobiling. We go bar hopping on them😉. I only drink Coke, so I'm good riding.
you can look at some helmets , boots, pants ect. here
www.scheels.com
just type in snowmobiling
Kasey,
If I were you, I would make a list of what you would like to do and what is realistic and then match those to the area and activities, then work from there.
Of course I am a proponent of western Wyoming. There are many guiding services that do snowmobile tours of Grand Teton National park, Yellowstone, and the Continental Divide trail and other groomed trails. They rent the necessary clothing for these outings.
Granite creek hot springs are not to be overlooked as is the sleigh ride amongst the elk on the National Elk refuge that borders the town of Jackson.
There are many outdoor opportunities to choose from.
You should quiz Susie extensively as I think she had a good visit albeit a little different from your wants.
My thoughts are for timing the week after new year’s, I think there is a slight lull in visitors .
There are many VBRO’s in the area if that’s the route you want to go.
Rental cars are a premium at Jackson airport, I would suggest that you fly into Salt Lake City, rent there and drive, you could fly out of Jackson and leave the vehicle there or the same at Bozeman and still see a savings I’m sure.
dont discount West Yellowstone, if touring the Park and snowmobiling on groomed trails is your desire, but it would effectively take GTNP and Jackson out of the equation unless some operators there have a package of agreement for overnighting .
Your trip will only be limited by your choices, your taste for adventure and of course the pocketbook.
Feel free to PM or email me with any questions, if I don’t have the answers, I will do my best to point you in the right direction to find the answers.
Mule
Thank you guys for all of the wonderful input. I'm sending links to my husband and daughter. I think we have a LOT to think about. Maybe three days in one location and three more in another???
Before buying snow mobile gear, check with where you decide to go. Many of the guided tours have full equipment rental available with the snow machine.
I did New Year's in Jackson. It was a sight to behold on New Year's Eve when the skiers put on a light show swooshing down the mountain in the dark with torches.
We were there almost a week. With the thin air and cold temps we did one activity per day. Spent the rest of the time eating and drinking.
We did the sleigh ride into the elk preserve which was awesome. Sleighs are pulled by Percherons. We did two windshield tours of different areas. The views were awesome. These can all be scheduled online. Give me a call or send a message if you want to pick my brain.
ETA: I didn't do anything that involved having to use two hands. It had only been three and a half weeks since I had full rotator cuff surgery. I was still in a sling and would be for another 3 weeks.
I took the all the photos with my Samsung Galaxy S-10 cellphone, to include the one directly above.
Those are elk in the background.
WOW!!!! That is incredible!!!! This is exactly what I want to do.
Snow is something I've always loved, but the older I've gotten the less friendly it has been to me. I think tours and such will be perfect for me. I think the younger people might want to try skiing and such if we can manuver it to work out for them to try it out. I'm going to bounce ideas around and get an idea of just who all is coming.....in March I'd like to have "the plan" laid out and reservations in place for the important things. These things seemed to be all booked up so far in advance from what I saw....even down here in Alabama they book up every cabin with a view well before the holiday months are near.
Sorry i keep adding stuff but it has been a year and I keep remembering things to add. We were able to book our sleigh ride and windshield tours while we were there.
Take a blanket if you do the sleigh ride. Even if you don't need it someone will, even a stranger sharing the ride might not be prepared and will become your best friend.
We stayed at a reasonably priced hotel. Rode the shuttle to and from the Jackson Airport. Everything in Jackson was within walking distance so we didn't worry about daily transportation around town.
Drink all the water you can consume. Again, the air is DRY and you will dehydrate easily. I believe I read somewhere that hydration helps with elevation sickness. I may have have made that up, not sure. 😆 If you have breathing issues such as asthma, elevation sickness is something to watch for so you don't end up in the hospital.
this is a pretty reputable outfit, we have a friend who has a couple houses booking through them.
you can also what they have in Teton valley, but that means driving the pass, and the ones in Alpine mean driving through the snake river canyon.
Mule
If you don't have to manipulate anything, mittens are warmer than gloves and many of the newer ones have a pocket in them for the little chemical hand warmers to fit in.
https://warmers.com/collections/hothands?gclid=CjwKCAiA8OmdBhAgEiwAShr408nvkECn7MJ14qnw_W5n4BHPGLsOpibIpLRtNuPj5GG2ZgjUdjQUlxoCn8MQAvD_BwE
Yep. Lots of places like that near Sandpoint Idaho too.
And fiery auto crashes
Some will die in hot pursuit
While sifting through my ashes
Some will fall in love with life
And drink it from a fountain
That is pouring like an avalanche
Coming down the mountain
Whatever ya choose Kasey, you WILL be required to post videos of your misadventures, and great times for our entertainment.🤣
Ooooo....looking at the link there is a house that sleeps 16 that I could get for a pretty good deal! I wish I could get everyone to go ahead and say "yes" they are IN on this trip so I knew exactly how big I needed to go with the lodging.