For better or worse, just about everybody in the world of snowmobiling has heard of West Yellowstone, MT.
That's probably not exactly how you would expect a story to begin when touting the snowmobiling in a particular area. Especially if it's an area that is particularly good for sledding.
Let us explain.
As you might know, West Yellowstone is joined at the hip-quite literally-with Yellowstone National Park.
For the most part, that's good, as Yellowstone National Park is one of the most amazing and unique places on earth. But in some rare instances, being associated with Yellowstone National Park can be a drag. With all the hullabaloo going on with snowmobiling in the Park and the rancorous debate, some folks think the only snowmobiling available in the area is in the Park. Wrong. Some of the best snowmobiling in the West is around "West" (as the locals call this tiny town).
And even if some people can make the distinction between snowmobiling inside the Park and outside it and know there is a big difference, when snowmobiling takes such a beating as it does in some circles, it tends to dampen the enthusiasm for snowmobiling in the entire area.
We may not be the only experts on snowmobiling around West but we've ridden there much of our lives and we know what the snowmobiling is like. We've listened to and even participated in the debate on snowmobiling in Yellowstone National Park (for the record, we think it should be open to snowmobiling with certain restrictions) and know the effect it has on the town.