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Yellowstone Opening to more Sleds


Turbo Doo

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We rode that in Jan '02, and aboot got runned over by a cpl hundred Buffalo after dark.

 

They released a few weeks or so ago that they were done with their research, but I had no idea that they would open it back up!

WOW!

 

Now one thing that I am sure that they will still keep in effect is that they have been limiting sleds to "best technology".

Which for the most part has meant 4 strokes.

Now in the days of direct injection, doo the newer 2 strokes count?

 

Back in the day they used to actually have the chicken coups pressurized with fresh air as the cold 2 strokes would smoke up a storm waiting in line to get through.

They still may be purged with all the busses and whatnot all summer, but the pics of those coups on a cold morning were real.

 

In case anyone doesn't realize this - you can only ride snowmachine on what is actually US hwys (20, 6 and whatever else) that run through the park.

You cannot get off the trail at all with charges of trespassing on fed land - which you may as well just shoot yourself now...

And you can actually take roads in the summer that you cannot in the winter.

It is just basically the loop that runs around the inside of the park, and back out to a few staging areas - including of course the town of West Yellerstone.

 

If you wunna play, you can ride outside the park, and that is a very popular area for mtn riding. (never been)

But the park ride is basically a way for you to see the features of the park from your snowmachine rather than the busy of the summer terrorists. 

I recommend it once, but not much reason IMO to doo it 2wice.

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On 12/30/2021 at 10:14 PM, Ox said:

We rode that in Jan '02, and aboot got runned over by a cpl hundred Buffalo after dark.

 

They released a few weeks or so ago that they were done with their research, but I had no idea that they would open it back up!

WOW!

 

Now one thing that I am sure that they will still keep in effect is that they have been limiting sleds to "best technology".

Which for the most part has meant 4 strokes.

Now in the days of direct injection, doo the newer 2 strokes count?

 

Back in the day they used to actually have the chicken coups pressurized with fresh air as the cold 2 strokes would smoke up a storm waiting in line to get through.

They still may be purged with all the busses and whatnot all summer, but the pics of those coups on a cold morning were real.

 

In case anyone doesn't realize this - you can only ride snowmachine on what is actually US hwys (20, 6 and whatever else) that run through the park.

You cannot get off the trail at all with charges of trespassing on fed land - which you may as well just shoot yourself now...

And you can actually take roads in the summer that you cannot in the winter.

It is just basically the loop that runs around the inside of the park, and back out to a few staging areas - including of course the town of West Yellerstone.

 

If you wunna play, you can ride outside the park, and that is a very popular area for mtn riding. (never been)

But the park ride is basically a way for you to see the features of the park from your snowmachine rather than the busy of the summer terrorists. 

I recommend it once, but not much reason IMO to doo it 2wice.

 

Quite a bit has changed since I first rode in Yellowstone back in 1973.  My buddies and I stayed at the north entrance for 3 days and rode from the campground which has been built up into Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel/Cabins.  Living free in modified vans/RV's, we were chased out after a snow groomer came out of the park and saw us running the road south towards Old Faithful.  We had been stopped by the deep snow as we went up into the mountains going south.  The groomer with a sled on the back looked like it had come from Antarctica.  It pushed through blizzard conditions and we could barely see through the windows.  Apparently camping was not allowed, but we did not know and had to leave after the rangers showed up the next day.  There was no manned booth at that entrance because nobody ever was there in the winter.  We drove right up there in the night from Gardiner, Montana.  We were running low on fuel by then and we had never gotten more than about 40 miles into the park before getting stuck and turning back.  My brand new '73 El-Tigre 440 Cat was not running well as I never knew how much of a difference the altitude would make.  I found that there were no leaner jets available at any dealers in Bozeman, Billings, West Yellowstone, or Idaho Falls after the races held the previous week in West Yellowstone.  All I could do is take the air screws out of both carbs and as I went over the mountains near Two Tops, the machine would just gargle if the throttle was opened too far.

 

Once moved to our new home in the parking lot of the laundry mat in W. Yellowstone which cost $10/night and offered a bathroom and a warm place with folding tables, we spent 10 days running out to Old Faithful after signing in at the tool booth (no charge to ride out there) but if you did not come back they would come looking.  We usually did that starting Early in the morning and then were back to explore west of the park.  Could not get off the roads in the park nor could these sleds do well in really deep snow.  Following the trails over the mountains to Island Park, Idaho and thus riding in Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho almost every day.  

 

Commenting on Ox's best technology and not all 4-strokes qualify............

I saw 2 couples drive a big motorhome pulling a nice trailer from New York State with 4 new Yamaha sleds about 12 years ago while on a more recent trip.  They had planned to ride to Old Faithfull and stay at the Inn knowing they had purchased new sleds considered to be cleanest technology.  What they found was that you need to get the sleds to the testing center in Casper, Wyoming to be certified and then they mail the certificate to the registered address of the sleds within a few weeks.  The rental sled companies had it all figured out so only guided rental sleds could ever get into the Park. 

 

Did find some great off trail riding last time I flew out and rented real mountain sleds............

Accidentally got lost and saw we were on the wrong side of the Park Markers which are planted every so often.  I had to go after one of my friends to get him back to the Montana side.  If caught on the park side of the markers it is a Federal Offense with huge fines and possible jail time.  The markers are sometimes under the snow or hard to see in the brush.  No excuses though.  While watching the news that night, a group had been caught inside the park boundary and the 4 sleds had been impounded and the riders were in jail waiting a court hearing.  Nothing to mess with and the boundary is not a straight line.  We were really trying to find our way through the trees and brush to get back to a trail and due to the mountains had to again enter the park just to get through a pass and then turn west again.  It was a scary ride that day and never went near the park again. 

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