Snowmobiles give an intimate view to Yellowstone's winter beauty

POWELL - Having previously toured Yellowstone National Park in summer numerous times, Will Schnorr was excited to schedule a business trip to the region last week. 

All he had to do was add a couple vacation days to his scheduled stop to give him the opportunity to see the park during late fall. He was lucky, arriving just after the park opened for over-snow travel Dec. 15. He was hoping to get through the East Entrance; the closest to his business call. 

The West Entrance has the most over-snow guided trip providers with five vendors. There are another five vendors between the North and South entrances. 

But Gary Fales Outfitting of Rimrock Ranch is the only approved vendor on the east side of heaven. 

Schnorr had seen the forecast, but wasn't deterred. He may currently reside in California, but he's from Pittsburgh. On average the Iron City has a pitiful 160 sunny days per year. He fully understands winter. 

That said, he wasn't able to fit the proper clothing for sledding at 35 mph through the frozen mountainous terrain in his carry-on bag. He found the outfitter had him covered - literally from head to toe - with high quality cold weather gear. 

"It was surprising to me how I never really got cold even though we're out in, you know, near zero temperature and cruising at about 35 miles an hour," he said. 

His tour, consisting of nine riders and guide Terry Dolan, headed out from Pahaska Tepee on park-approved sleds just before sunrise. 

The first stop was at Yellowstone Lake. A bald eagle flew alongside the sleds for the length of a football field, coming to its perch nearby as the group parked. 

Then, they found a small herd of bison making its way through the deep snow looking for breakfast near Fishing Bridge. The species has the ability to use its large head and massive neck and shoulder muscles as snowplows to forage in snow as deep as 4 feet, according to the National Park Service. 

Ten minutes later down the trail, their great adventure turned magical. 

The group found the Wapiti Lake wolf pack on both sides of the trail as they headed into Hayden Valley. Half of the pack of 20 was on a hill above the road in plain view as they inspected a herd of bison who had huddled together tightly in a defensive posture. 

The other half of the pack were out of sight, howling and yelping news across the road and thrilling those within earshot. 

Seeing his first wild wolves while they were setting up for a hunt made Schnorr's lifetime highlight reel. 

"I've always been a big fan of wolves. They're an incredible species - their durability and grace - I thought that was pretty cool," he said. 

By the time the convoy reached Canyon Village, they were greeted by four frisky river otters porpoising through the open sections of the Yellowstone River and romping playfully across pristine ice shelves. 

Otters aren't the most rare wildlife encounter in the park, but the few who have watched them play should count themselves lucky. The species is seen most often at twilight (a trait called crepuscular), which makes it hard to make great photographs of their antics. 

The beautiful landscape and charismatic critters were more thrilling than he could have hoped. 

The group doubled up on the thrills seeing all four of the species, plus a couple wily coyotes, on the return trip. But it was the moments seemingly alone in a park that draws about 4 million visits a year that inspired him. 

"There was nobody there," he said. "The other times that I've been to Yellowstone, obviously, the natural beauty was there, but it gets so congested. It's almost uncomfortable. But everywhere we went on this trip, we were the only ones there." 

Cody resident Amber Shier wasn't on her first sled adventure through the park. 

She doesn't take having the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem in her backyard for granted. 

"We have a pretty amazing backyard. To know that I am able to experience Yellowstone on that level, where a lot of people can't, makes me really grateful," she said. 

Four Chinese tourists were along for the tour. 

Shier was inspired by the monumental effort it took them to travel thousands of miles to visit the park at its coldest. 

"For them to come from China to be able to experience the park in winter, it kind of puts how lucky I am in perspective - how amazing it is to be able to just drive a few minutes, get on a snowmobile and go into the park when others are traveling thousands of miles to be here." 

Shier concurs with Schnorr in his absolute appreciation for time in the park without looking at bumpers. The feeling of being alone in the wilderness is addictive, she said. 

"It's just so quiet when you're up there in the winter. It's pretty great." 

The tour returned to Pahaska just after sunset, making the tour a nine-hour adventure including suiting up and lunch at the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.

The tour isn't cheap, but Schnorr said considering the equipment required, the amount of time on the sled and the world-class destination, it was extremely reasonable. 

"I've paid more for a guided fly fishing trip," he quipped. 

Gary Fales Outfitting offers trips from one to three days into the park, ranging in price from $400 to about $3,500 for the three-day trips. Schnorr said he spent about $500, including tipping the guide (optional), $30 for the pass into the park and filling the tank on the snowmobile. 

List of Yellowstone National Park over-snow outfitters: nps. gov/yell/planyourvisit/snowmobiles-snowcoaches.htm.