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WG6 WESTERN GUIDE TO SNOWMOBILING Western Guide To Snowmobiling 2. West Yellowstone, Montana e self-described Snowmobile Capital of the World, West Yellowstone has the goods to back up its claim. West Yellowstone had been No. 1 in the Top 15 until a couple of years ago and still has more No. 1 titles than any other western riding area. 3. Island Park, Idaho You want trails? Five hundred miles of groomed and likely double that of unmarked should do the trick. You like powder? It's easy to find that up-to-your-armpits fluff from December through March. Looking for terrain? You can find everything from flat to vertical—with or without trees. 4. Snowy Range, Wyoming e Snowy Range—or Snowies for short—is just what you get when you ride this corner of southeast Wyoming. Riding in the Snowies—a perennial top five-finisher—begins 7,000 feet and climbs to 11,000 feet. 5. Alpine, Wyoming is small western Wyoming town is virtually surrounded by mountains that just about shoot straight up from the valley floor. One of the best parts of riding this area is that you're in the backcountry within minutes of sledding from town. 6. Cooke City, Montana Cooke City, located on the Montana/Wyoming border adjacent to Yellowstone National Park, is wedged between two mountain ranges and Wilderness areas—the Absaroka and Beartooth. It sits at 7,560 feet with the surrounding mountains climbing up to well over 10,000 feet … well, make that about 10,017 feet during the winter when you account for all the snow. 7. Big Horns, Wyoming Wyoming's Big Horn Mountains rise dramatically from the surrounding high desert to elevations of up to 13,175 feet. e Big Horns stretch about 100 miles north to south and are about 60-70 miles wide. 8. Rabbit Ears, Colorado Named for the distinctive Rabbit Ears Peak (10,654 feet), which is north of U.S. Highway 40, this riding area is on Rab- bit Ears Pass, which straddles the Continental Divide between Steamboat Springs and where Colorado Highway 14 from Walden dumps into U.S. Highway 40. 9. Black Hills, South Dakota For anyone coming from the Midwest, the Black Hills represent the front line of mountains as they head west. It's a popular winter destination among sledders from North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa and Minnesota. 10. Grand Lake, Colorado is snowmobiler-friendly town is tucked away deep in the mountains of northcentral Colorado just south of the Con- tinental Divide. Normal snowfall totals push past 200 or so inches every winter in the surrounding mountains with nearly 144 inches falling in town. 11. Cache Valley, Utah is popular riding area covers the northern reaches of Utah between U.S. Highway 91 and Bear Lake. e riding is along the Wasatch Range, just one of the major mountain ranges in Utah, which is rugged up in these parts, softened somewhat by the nearly 400 inches of snow that falls. 12. Baker/ Union Counties, Oregon is is a two-for-one snowmobiling deal in the Blue Moun- tains of northeast Oregon, courtesy of a massive—nearly 700 miles in all—groomed trail system spread across the two coun- ties. Riding goes up to about 8,000 feet. 13. Stanley, Idaho If you're up for a drive and don't mind a few cold temps, then Stanley is the ticket. Located in the heart of central Idaho at the base of the rugged Sawtooth Mountains, Stanley offers picture postcard scenery and more than 200 plus inches of snow each winter. 14. McCall, Idaho e small town of McCall is nestled next to some of the West's premier snowmobiling opportunities. With about 500 miles of groomed trails, and the opportunity to jump off the trail about anywhere along the way, there is unlimited riding potential in this area. 15. Diamond Lake, Oregon Diamond Lake is easily one of the most popular snowmo- biling spots in Oregon and a big reason for that is it gets a lot of snow, which makes for a long season. ere are also 300 miles of well-groomed trails and magnificent scenery, including nearby Crater Lake National Park. d With 608 miles of groomed trails and hundreds more ungroomed, the Continental Divide Snowmobile Trail is the granddaddy of systems in the West and includes such famous riding spots as Togwotee, Dubois and Pinedale.