Upper Green Snowmobile Trail grooming report
Original post December 13, 2018 | Updated December 14, 2018
Thursday, December 13, 6:15AM – Report provided by Jeremy Kunzman
Half of the Upper Green snowmobile trails have been groomed. The trail to GRL and the S Trail to Union Pass. Still not enough snow to groom Moose-Gyp or the CD trail to Pinyon Ridge. Snow coverage is still very low off trail, but trail riding should be very smooth.
Funding for grooming and machinery is paid for by snowmobile sticker sales and the Wyoming State Trails Program. Machine operators are provided by the Pinedale Ranger District of the Bridger-Teton National Forest.
Please no wheeled vehicles on the groomed snowmobile trails.
Snowmobile trail information and maps are available at the Forest Service ranger station offices (Bridger-Teton National Forest https://www.fs.usda.gov/btnf/) and from Bucky’s Outdoors and DJ. They can also be downloaded for free off of the Wyoming state trails website. The maps are geo referenced so you can use them on your smart phone even without cell service. Avenza is the phone app that runs these maps. It’s also a free download.
They will be putting in the Blind Bull connector trail from Horse Creek as soon as we get a little more snow, hopefully before Christmas.
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Information below from the Wyoming State Parks Snowmobile page. Downloadable PDFS are available for the trail systems here
Continental Divide Trail
This trail system is maintained through cooperative efforts of the Wyoming Department of State Parks & Cultural Resources Division of State Parks, Historic Sites and Trails; the U.S. Forest Service; the Bureau of Land Management and local snowmobile clubs.
The Continental Divide Area follows the Wind River Range and includes trail systems in the Lander, Pinedale, Dubois, Togwotee Pass and Gros Ventre areas. The Continental Divide Snowmobile Trail (CDST) runs from Lander (the southeast end) to West Yellowstone (the northwest end). It generally parallels the Continental Divide and actually crosses the divide four times. The variety of terrain, trail, snow and scenery is unequaled anywhere else.
You have two options for travel in this area. One option is to proceed west into Idaho, and then north to West Yellowstone, Montana. This section of the trail is 95 miles, making the total distance between Lander, Wyoming and West Yellowstone, Montana a total of 365 miles. Or, you can proceed north through Yellowstone National Park via Old Faithful and into West Yellowstone. This route is 74 miles.
The Lander area has 75 miles of trails through scenic-forested mountains. Excellent ice fishing can be enjoyed in beautiful mountain lakes along the trails. Average snow depth runs from three to six feet. Complete services and facilities are available in Lander and gas, food and lodging are available in the South Pass area.
The trail between Lander and Pinedale is extremely varied. Expect high mountains with scenic views. Visibility up to 150 miles is possible. Dense forest trails with snow-covered trees take riders from one huge open play area to another with six to eight feet of snow depth. The trail from Irish Canyon Trailhead to Pinedale (approximately 30 miles) is in the highway right-of-way, but even this section is beautiful and fun to ride. Low snow conditions are possible in the Boulder to Pinedale section. It is another 12 miles into Pinedale. The longest stretch between fuel stops is between the Lander trailheads and Boulder (approximately 90 miles). Snowmobiling is allowed in Pinedale with the restriction that you can cross Main Street but cannot ride down the street.
From Pinedale north to the Upper Green River Trailhead, the CDST is in the highway right-of-way again for about 30 miles. The Pinedale area trail system has 135 miles of trail through some of the most scenic country in the West. The snow at the higher elevations can be six to eight feet deep. All services are available in Pinedale and gas, food, lodging, rentals and guides are found close to the Upper Green River Trailhead.
The Dubois area boasts of some of the best and most scenic riding in the world on 150 miles of beautiful trails and thousands of acres of off-trail riding. Snow conditions are good with a snow depth of from one to ten feet and one of the longest seasons. All services can be found in Dubois as well as gas, food, lodging, rentals and guides along the CDST north of Dubois.
The Gros Ventre area has approximately 70 miles of groomed trail and is located just east of the Tetons. This trail system provides easy access to the Togwotee, Dubois and Pinedale areas from Jackson. The parking area at Lower Slide Lake is 20 miles from Jackson. Snowmobiling is restricted to the trail in most places because this is a very sensitive wildlife area. Please note and obey restrictions as posted on the trail. The Gros Ventre Valley is very special with spectacular views of the Tetons and the possibility of seeing elk, moose, deer, mountain sheep, coyotes and bobcats. The lower end of the trail can experience low snow conditions. At higher elevations, it can reach five feet.
Wyoming Range Trails
The Wyoming Range trail system is maintained through cooperative efforts of the Wyoming Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources/Division of State Parks, Historic Sites and Trails, the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, Lincoln County and local snowmobile clubs.
The Wyoming Range is the area between Alpine and Kemmerer. This area has approximately 337 miles of trails. The main trails are groomed every week and the secondary trails are groomed every other week or as needed. Snowmobiling is allowed in Alpine, Afton and Kemmerer, Pinedale, Big Piney and LaBarge all offer access to trailheads on the east side of the range. This area offers deep snow, beautiful scenery and fantastic off-trail riding. Rentals are available in Pinedale, Alpine and Thayne. Snow depths run from 3 feet to 12 feet.
Elevations: 6,000 feet to 10,000 feet
Season: December 15 through March 15: WEATHER PERMITTING
Season temperatures: +30 degrees F to -30 degrees F
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