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NEWS & OPINION
Yellowstone National Park opens to winter visitors on December 20!
Posted: 11/13/2006
Yellowstone opens soon for winter fun
The West Gate of Yellowstone National Park will swing open to winter visitors at 8 a.m. on Dec. 20. The West Yellowstone Chamber of Commerce will mark the occasion with a ribbon-cutting ceremony which will also commemorate 51 years of officially welcoming winter guests to the park. Most of Yellowstone is closed to all wheeled vehicles during the winter season, but the park welcomes all over-the-snow visitors Dec. 20 - March 12.
The West Yellowstone Chamber encourages visitors to participate in the many winter activities in and around Yellowstone National Park this season such as snowcoach tours, snowmobiling, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing.
"Magical, breathtaking and stunning are all words I've heard over and over from folks who come to explore Yellowstone in winter; it's truly a magical time," said Mary Phillips, mayor of West Yellowstone. "If you've never given yourself this treat, it's time to start planning. Every year locals and visitors alike are eager for the opening." Kay Mathews, president of the West Yellowstone Chamber of Commerce noted, "For just over a half-century, most of the folks who've had the good fortune to visit during the winter months have declared winter as the best season to visit."
This year 400 snowmobiles, all approved for sound and emissions by the National Park Service, can enter into the park daily from the west entrance. Nearly 30 snowcoaches and over-the-snow vehicles with the capacity to hold 10 to 25 passengers also have daily access. In addition, West Yellowstone has superb snowmobile and snowcoach guides that add knowledge and lore to each person's adventure. The snowmobile and snowcoach guides participate yearly in an intense, mandatory training provided by the Park Service prior to the winter opening.
"What is particularly beneficial to our visitors is that guides return year after year," said Scott Carsley, chamber member. "The guides love the park, and pass their enthusiasm on to our guests," he said. "While we certainly want everyone to spend at least a day in Yellowstone, we also want to remind visitors that we've got fantastic cross-country ski and snowmobile trails outside of the park too," said Carsley.
West Yellowstone has a 40-kilometer, world-renowned Rendezvous Ski Trail system and nearly 150 miles of groomed snowmobile trails in the Gallatin National Forest that interconnect with hundreds of more miles in Idaho. Cross-country skiers nationwide look to West Yellowstone each year for their "first tracks" of the season.
The West Yellowstone Visitor Center can provide a list of favorite trails. "Added to all of the groomed trails available, there's simply no end to the backcountry skiing and snowmobile riding," Carsley concluded. "As a matter of fact, between the cross-country skiing, snowcoaching, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, dog sledding and alpine skiing just 45 miles away, we're convinced that when winter comes to play, it comes to West Yellowstone," added Mathews.
For information on lodging, tours of Yellowstone and recreation outside of the park, contact West Yellowstone Chamber of Commerce at 406.646.7701 or visit www.destinationyellowstone.com.
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