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Travel
Yellowstone, Montana
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By Sandy Katz |
 Montana has been nicknamed “The Land of Shining Mountains,” “The Treasure State” and “Big Sky Country.” Each name tells part of the story about this land of majestic alpine vistas, rich mineral deposits and seemingly endless skies arching over miles of forests, farm lands, prairies, rivers, lakes and badlands. West Yellowstone is billed as the
“Snowmobile Capital of the World.” It lives up to its name. When
wheeled vehicles are stopped by snow, the roads convert to snowmobile
trails. Trails begin in town, where cars and sleds share city streets.
You can choose from 200 miles of groomed trails inside Yellowstone
National Park and more than 400 miles outside. Established on March 1, 1872, Yellowstone National
Park is the first and oldest national park in the world. Preserved
within Yellowstone are Old Faithful Geyser and some 10,000 hot springs
and geysers, the majority of the planet’s total. These geothermal
wonders are evidence of one of the world’s largest active volcanoes.
Its last eruption created a crater or caldera that spans almost half
of the park. Yellowstone is home of the grizzly bear and the wolf,
as well as free-range herds of bison and elk. It is the core of the
greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, one of the largest intact temperate
zone ecosystems remaining on the planet. West Yellowstone is a rustic mountain town nestled
between National Forest lands and Yellowstone national Park. The area
is filled with watchable wildlife, breathtaking views and activities
for people of all ages. Restored gold mining towns, the fascinating
1959 Earthquake area and two National forests provide backdrop for
even more fun. Season runs Thanksgiving through April. Yellowstone
National Park season runs mid-December through mid-March. Dates vary
with snow conditions. The World Snowmobile expo, held annually in
March, serves up the world’s most exciting racing action and all
that’s new in the world of snowmobiling. Yellowstone National Park is larger than Rhode Island
and Delaware combined. Three percent is in Montana with 96% in Wyoming
and 1% in Idaho. West Yellowstone is located in Southwestern Montana
just one and a half miles from Wyoming and eight miles from Idaho.
West Yellowstone is the park’s only west gateway. West Yellowstone
considers itself to be the “Hub of Yellowstone Country” because of
their excellent location to all the wonders of Yellowstone National
Park with the added benefit of all there is to explore and do in West
of Yellowstone. Our group stayed in West Yellowstone as our base at
the Best Western Desert Inn. It is one of West Yellowstone’s newest
additions. When we weren’t snowmobiling, we were riding in
heated snow coaches guided along groomed paths for a
once-in-a-lifetime adventure. We put on our cross-country skis and
went right out the front door of the inn. The Rendezvous trails
provided hours of skiing enjoyment on groomed trails that we also used
for snowmobiling. We were constantly surrounded by the wildlife and
beauty of the area. Our first night we enjoyed a lovely dinner at Oregon
Short Line Restaurant in the Holiday Inn/Sunspree Resort. Heading the
favorites on the menu were elk and bison specialties. The barbecue
ribs are the signature item. |