A Yellowstone trek
The story of a journey to Old Faithful, with winter visitors from the East Coast of the United States and across the sea
Welcome sign: Visitors are sure to love this vibrant tourist destination. —Photo courtesy of Jack Welch
I joined a trek into Yellowstone National Park by snowmobile with two United Kingdom visitors and four visitors from Connecticut. The two Brits were Laura Slater and Mark Garner from Birmingham, England. The four from the East Coast were Kevin and Tracey Wilkins from Avon, Connecticut, Linda Burrows from Westport, Connecticut and Jackie Piechowski from Ellington, Connecticut. These six folks made the trip from England and Connecticut to visit Yellowstone Park by snowmobile and experience downhill skiing. Our guide was Joe Meeks from Wyoming Adventures, one of the commercial adventure providers from Jackson, Wyoming.
We left Jackson, WY and headed north by van to start our trek at Flagg Ranch, just outside the south gate of Yellowstone National Park. The destination for the day was the Old Faithful area. At Old Faithful we planned on seeing the geyser and having lunch. On the trek we hoped to see wildlife, Yellowstone's many thermal features, and the natural beauty of winter in our first National Park! The whole trip was one hundred miles by snowmobile and would provide a great adventure.
Getting a head start
The first order of the day was a short safety talk by our guide, who covered the operation of the Arctic Cat four-stroke machines and the hand signals we would use as we toured the park. My six companions had never snowmobiled before; however, they all claimed to be fast learners. By lunch all the riders had gotten the feel of how the snowmobile provides a great form of transportation to visit Yellowstone in winter.
After the safety talk, we set out for our first stop, the Yellowstone Park South Gate. This is a very popular stop because of the large Yellowstone entrance sign, a great place for group pictures. With only a few miles under their belts, the Brits and East Coasters really looked forward to riding the Arctic Cat four strokes, and the guide and I wanted to make sure they had a great experience on the trek. I also wanted to explain the history of the winter access issue and snowmobiling in the park.
The weather was cool with light snow falling; the trail was, of course, the groomed summer highway and it was smooth. As we headed for our next stop, Lewis Falls, the riders got their first taste of the beautiful scenic vistas as we travelled along the rim of the Lewis River Canyon. They also saw evidence of the historic 1988 Yellowstone fires. At the falls, the new riders commented that snowmobiling was a great way to experience the park, and they looked forward to the rest of the day. In addition, one of the riders asked why the snowmobiles had restrictors on the throttles? I explained the park’s speed limit is only 45 miles per hour, and these Arctic Cats without restrictors would go much faster. I also pointed out to the group that the snowmobile is just one of the forms of transport in Yellowstone for winter access. The group commented that this trip in the park would be the major highlight of their week-long stay in the Jackson Wyoming area.
We continued on to the Old Faithful area with a short stop near the West Thumb area to look out at Yellowstone Lake. During our stop near West Thumb, the new riders got to see their first Snow Coach and asked about how it fit into the Yellowstone transportation system. I explained that it was another form of access to the park. The new riders commented they liked the snowmobile better.
A timely arrival
We reached Old Faithful with only 20 minutes to spare before the geyser went off. In other words, our timing was great. We watched Old Faithful erupt and lots of pictures were taken. After viewing the geyser we ate lunch in the Geyser Grill, where I was asked why anti groups want to eliminate access via snowmobile to Yellowstone. I explained the issues, and how the snowmobile community had solved the problems presented.
The Brits commented that they “thought others from the United Kingdom would enjoy an outing to Yellowstone by snowmobile and…it was wrong to limit the choices on access to the park in the winter.”
The four riders from Connecticut agreed that what they had heard about “Yellowstone and the snowmobile issue and the true fact of snowmobiles damaging the park resource was a lie.” They continued to say that, “snowmobiles are just a form of transportation and should remain.”
After viewing the thermal areas on the road to Madison Junction, we had the opportunity to encounter a bison herd on the groomed road. The new riders really liked the experience of being up front and personnel with those “big beasts!”
It was getting late, and we started back to Flagg Ranch, arriving at 4:45 p.m. After filling the Arctic Cats with fuel we exchanged contact information, and the Brits and Connecticut folks agreed that “closing snowmobile access to Yellowstone would just not be right,” because they felt that the snowmobile provided the “best form of transportation to see the natural wonders of Yellowstone Park.” They also asked me how they could help by writing letters, requesting to keep snowmobile access to Yellowstone National Park.
As we said our goodbyes, they stated that they would be back in Yellowstone next year, for another winter snowmobile adventure. If you are interested in a Yellowstone adventure, contact Wyoming Adventures at 307-733-2300. For up-to-date information on the Yellowstone Snowmobile access issue, go to BlueRibbon website of www.saveyellowstonepark.com