Thursday, September 3, 2009

TOP TEN PLACES TO SNOWMOBILE


1. West Yellowstone, Montana
West Yellowstone has earned a reputation among sled enthusiasts as the "Snowmobiling Capital of the World." Powder aplenty! Averaging over 150 inches of the white stuff each year, West offers a consistently radical snow experience. Few places in North America can match the quality of snow available in West Yellowstone and the surrounding areas. Experience the great Montana snowmobiling adverture.

2. Stanley, Idaho
The Stanley Basin trail system is surrounded by three beautiful mountain ranges: the White Clouds on the East, the Salmon River Range on the North and the majestic jagged Sawtooths (Northern Rockies) on the West and South. These mountain ranges contain over 40 peaks of 10,000 feet and higher with breathtaking views in every direction. This creates the perfect backdrop for winter fun. With over 220 inches of snow annually, 185 miles of groomed trails and the availability of unlimited off-trail riding.

3. Eagle River, Wisconsin
Wisconsin snowmobiling at its best. The first snowmobiles were built in Wisconsin. And over the past twenty-five years, the state has developed a trail system second to none! More than 25,000 miles of top-quality trails now link every corner of the state. Trails are well-marked and methodically groomed by hundreds of local snowmobile clubs.

4. Jackson Hole, Wyoming
The area provides incredible access to the wonders of nature. For the powder hound, Togwotee Pass offers hundreds of miles of trails through picturesque mountains, forests and abundant open bowls. Gros Ventre River area provides a great wildlife viewing trip. Granite Creek has a gorgeous hot spring pool fed by the towering Gros Venture peaks. The Grey's River provides abundant snow and miles of trail much like Togwotee Pass.

5. Newberry, Michigan
Snowmobilers can venture North out of Newberry to the majestic winter ice sculptures of Tahquamenon Falls and the frozen "waves" found along the shoreline at Whitefish Point. From there you can head west towards Grand Marais and Pictured Rocks area. Newberry area offers over 210 miles of groomed trails that connect with other area groomed trails. The extensive trail system is in the heart of the Lake Effect snow belt. Winter to winter, the trails north of Newberry receive some of the heaviest accumulations of snow in all of Michigan.

6. Northern Maine The best snowmobile trail riding experience in the eastern United States. Some trails in Aroostook are converted railroad beds, while others may traverse a power line up and over large rolling hills that capture the picturesque beauty of the landscape. Summer roads, abandoned logging roads and other club trails lead the snowmobiler to spectacular sites of snow-laden spruce maple and birch forests. You can snowmobile over the crest of a hill and look out at the variety of terrain "The County" has to offer. The snowmobile clubs in Aroostook County develop and maintain their trails with the latest equipment. The responsibility for maintaining over 1,600 miles of trails is shared among 42 snowmobile clubs!

7. Petersville, AK
Alaska snowmobiling is breathtaking. Breathtaking is the word most used as snowmobilers sit on a snow covered knoll, shadowed by Mount McKinley/Denali, watching the Northern Lights dance across the sky. It's not just Mount McKinley/Denali it's also Mount Foraker and Mount Hunter, two of the largest mountain peaks in the Alaska range. Between the three mountains, the view is unmatched!

8. Mammoth Lakes, CA
This area has beautiful mountain scenery, pristine forests, amazing wildlife and vast snowy expanses and its endless horizon of untracked powder. Mammoth Lakes has 80 miles of groomed trails and 75,000 acres of open expanse. Take an exciting ride to Lookout Mountain, the Inyo Craters or Bald Mountain. Each year Mammoth Lakes receives some of the deepest snowfall in the west. The abundance of snow creates plenty of opportunity for snowmobiling in the area. Gas, food and lodging are available in the town of Mammoth Lakes.

9. Seeley Lake, MT
From the Mission Mountains overlooking the 10-mile wide Seeley Swan Valley to the Swan Front bordering the Bob Marshall Wilderness, snowmobiling is at its best here with facilities for all your needs--snowmobile dealerships and service in Seeley Lake, lodging in modern motels or rustic cabins from Condon to Seeley, resorts, restaurants and lounges. 300+ miles of groomed trails are maintained by the groomer committee of the Seeley Lake Driftriders' Club, one of the most active clubs anywhere. Trail maps describing 16 different main trails, from easiest to most difficult, are available, during season, from various businesses.

10. Grand Lake, CO
With more than 150 miles of trails, Grand Lake has one of the largest snowmobile trail systems in Colorado. It rightly deserves the title of "Snowmobile Capital of the Colorado" and was voted by Sno West Riders as Colorado snowmobiling's best and one of the top ten places in the region to snowmobile.