Snowmobiling has started
Sandy Sletten carves a turn while sledding in the Horse Creek area of the Wyoming Range on Saturday. You have to go up high, but early bird snowmobiling enthusiasts can find 2-3 feet of powder snow for sledding. Photo by Gary Neely, Bucky's Outdoors.
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We're Snowmobiling!
Stephen Wight, Kurt Cordingly and Sandy Sletten enjoy early season snowmobiling in the Horse Creek area of the Wyoming Range on Saturday. Photo by Gary Neely, Bucky's Outdoors.
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We’re Snowmobiling!
2-3 feet up high in the Wyoming Range
November 14, 2005
The die-hard snowmobiling enthusiasts have been sledding for two weeks now, thanks to a series of storms that have dropped fresh powder in the nearby mountains. "It was great!," said Gary Neely, owner of Bucky’s Outdoors-the local Polaris dealership. Gary and crew with the Pinedale Snow Explorers Snowmobile Club have been out the past two weekends finding snow high up in the Horse Creek drainages of the Wyoming Range.
"Where we were sledding, there’s plenty of snow," he said. They have been going into the head end of Mule and Chair Creeks in the Horse Creek area. As of last Saturday, they had to drive in about a mile and a half above the main snowmobile parking lot in order to get to snow to begin sledding.
Neely reports about 2-3 foot of snow for sledding two weekends ago, which settled, then another 2 foot of new powder over this last weekend. Monday’s storm brought even more snow, which may have brought the snow level access down to the parking area as of today, he said.
Blind Bull Summit SNOTEL reported 16.8 inches of snow in the Wyoming Range as of Monday morning. "For every inch of snow Blind Bull reports, the area we’re sledding gets twice that," Neely said.
So far, that is about the only area open to early season snowmobiling. The Continental Divide Trail and Wyoming Range trails won’t be regularly groomed until more snow depth base builds, usually sometime in December.
Snowmobilers who just can’t wait to get on the snow should be alert for rocks and obstacles that are not yet covered by snow in the areas they go to sled.
Snow Depth Reports:
Blind Bull Summit SNOTEL: 16.8 inches
Big Sandy Opening SNOTEL: 4.8 inches
Snider Basin SNOTEL: 8.8 inches
White Pine Ski Area – Top: 8-12 inches
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