Sledding Greater Yellowstone: West Yellowstone, Island Park, Cooke City and Togwotee
Montana, Idaho and Wyoming meet on the west side of Yellowstone National Park, and the snowmobile country around that corner ranks with the best in North America. You can unload in West Yellowstone, ride into Idaho for lunch and look across at the Tetons in Wyoming from the top of the Continental Divide, all on groomed trail. This guide covers the four bases that matter: West Yellowstone, Island Park, Cooke City and Togwotee Pass.
West Yellowstone, Montana
West Yellowstone lets you ride straight from your motel. More than 400 miles of groomed snowmobile trail start at the edge of town, and the town lets sleds use most of its streets. Park your truck on a side street and leave the sled at your door.
The Two Top Loop is the ride everybody does. It runs about 30 miles from town, climbs 2,000 feet to the Continental Divide, and shows you the Tetons, Idaho's Centennial Mountains, the Lionhead range and Yellowstone from the top. Wind plasters rime ice on the summit trees and turns them into the famous "snow ghosts." Go later in the day if fog sits on the top in the morning.
For more, take the Lionhead trail, which follows the Continental Divide and switchbacks to over 10,000 feet, with bowls to play in along the way. The Big Sky Trail heads north toward Bozeman. Groomers only cover the first stretch, then it turns into deep, ungroomed powder with big hillclimbs, so leave it to strong riders on mountain sleds.
You can also ride into Yellowstone itself, but only with a commercial guide on the park's approved sleds. Book a tour if you want to see Old Faithful in winter.
Island Park, Idaho
Island Park sits just across the Idaho line, between the Centennial Mountains and the Yellowstone Plateau. It adds another 500 miles of groomed trail and gets around 250 inches of light snow a year. Its network ties into West Yellowstone through Two Top and the Continental Divide Snowmobile Trail, so you can base in either town and ride both. Island Park runs quieter than West, and you'll find more open meadows and fewer sleds on a weekday.
Cooke City, Montana
Cooke City sits at Yellowstone's northeast entrance at the end of a dead-end road in winter. East of town, the Beartooth Highway closes to cars and becomes a sled route, and a few lodges in the area can only be reached by snowmobile. Riders come for a deep, reliable snowpack that often lasts from November into June, around 60 miles of groomed trail, and big, steep terrain off it.
Cooke City is advanced country. The terrain that makes it famous also slides, and the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center forecasts the area daily through the season. Local shops, including Cooke City Motorsports, Bearclaw Sales and Service, and Hi-Mark Rentals at the Cooke City Exxon, rent sleds and sell gear.
Togwotee Pass, Wyoming
Togwotee Pass sits northeast of Jackson on US-26, between the Tetons and the Wind River Range. Togwotee Mountain Lodge, nine miles west of the pass, anchors the area with log cabins, a gas station, a store and sled rentals out the front door. The lodge claims 600 miles of groomed trail and hundreds of inches of snow a year. The northern Continental Divide Snowmobile Trail runs through here on its way from Lander to Yellowstone, with Dubois as another gateway on the east side.
Peak crowds run from Christmas to Presidents' Day. Aim for a mid-January weekday if you want full grooming, a deep base and room in the parking lot.
After the ride
West Yellowstone. The Buffalo Bar on Highway 20 serves big Western plates under old-West decor, and it's a local favourite. The Slippery Otter Pub pours close to 30 regional and international beers alongside elk and bison burgers and jalapeno wontons with Montana huckleberry sauce. Madison Crossing Lounge handles the cocktail crowd.
Island Park. The Last Chance Bar and Grill at TroutHunter and the Shotgun Bar give you a quieter, local end to the day.
Togwotee. You won't need to leave the lodge. The Grizzly Grill handles dinner and the Red Fox Saloon handles the rest.
Rentals. West Yellowstone has several rental shops, including Yellowstone Adventures with a Ski-Doo fleet. Togwotee Mountain Lodge rents trail and deep-snow sleds by the half or full day, and Cooke City's shops rent new Polaris and Ski-Doo machines.
Where to stay. West Yellowstone has more sled-friendly motels than anywhere else in the region, and most let you park at your door. Island Park has cabins and lodges scattered along Highway 20. Cooke City keeps a handful of motels and cabins open all winter. At Togwotee, lodge-and-sled packages often cost less than booking a room and rentals separately.
Permits
Each state runs its own system. Montana requires a trail pass to ride groomed trails, and non-residents buy an annual temporary use pass. Idaho requires a snowmobile registration sticker. Wyoming requires a State Trails permit, and Togwotee Mountain Lodge sells them at the front desk. If you plan to cross state lines, buy all the permits you need before the trip.
Avalanches
This region's snowpack builds deep but can hold weak layers for weeks. Last season, on February 22, a snowmobiler died in a human-triggered avalanche in the Centennial Mountains near Island Park, Idaho's first avalanche death of the winter. In January, another snowmobiler died in an avalanche in western Wyoming's LaBarge Creek area.
Read the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center forecast for West Yellowstone, Island Park and Cooke City, and the Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center forecast for Togwotee. Ride with a partner, expose one rider at a time on steep slopes, and carry a transceiver, shovel and probe every day, even on trail days.
Carrying your gear
The powder around Two Top, Lionhead and Togwotee pulls in more sled-skiers every year. A tunnel rack like the Port Tack Racks Patrol Rack carries skis or a board on each side, with room in the middle for fuel and gear on long days between gas stops.
FAQ
Can I ride from West Yellowstone to Island Park?
Yes. The two trail networks connect through Two Top and the Continental Divide Snowmobile Trail.
Can I snowmobile in Yellowstone National Park on my own?
No. You need to ride with a commercial guide on a park-approved sled, or go through the park's limited non-commercial guided program.
Where should a first-timer start?
West Yellowstone. The Two Top Loop is groomed, scenic and manageable, and the town is built around snowmobilers.
Which area has the most challenging terrain?
Cooke City. The terrain gets big fast, so ride there only with avalanche training and gear, or hire a guide.
When is the best time to go?
Mid-January through February for depth and grooming. Weekdays beat weekends everywhere in the region.