Replete with stunning hydrothermal and geologic features and thriving wildlife across 2.2 million acres, Yellowstone National Park is a national treasure. It’s also America’s first national park; former president Ulysses S. Grant made it official on March 1, 1972.
The national park maintains its beauty with a stringent set of environmental regulations that places the welfare of the park front and center. For example, during the winter months only certain kinds of vehicles and snowmobiles are allowed on the groomed trails, and they must meet the park’s Best Available Technology (BAT) standard for emissions. Only one snowmobile brand currently meets the criteria: Ski-Doo.
Snowmobile restrictions and regulations in Yellowstone
In 2023, Yellowstone National Park attracted 4.5 million visitors. Summer is the busiest time for Yellowstone, when kids are out of school and families are taking road trips across the country. Winter, however, is more tranquil and quieter. The bears are hibernating, the skies alternate between gray and a surreally saturated blue, and snow blankets the park with perfect crystalline snowflakes.
To navigate the trails once the snow falls, a limited number of snowmobiles and snowcoaches (vans or other vehicles fitted with giant snow tires) are allowed to operate inside the park. Snowmobiles were first permitted inside the gates in 1963 to boost winter attendance, as visitors could see more of the park than they could on foot or cross-country skis; the machines also enabled those with physical limitations. That went on until 1997, when animal rights organization Fund for Animals filed a lawsuit to ban snow grooming on paved roads in the park. Since snowmobiles were only permitted on groomed roads, the ban would have effectively eliminated snowmobile use as well.
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Ultimately, snowmobiles remained, but with new safeguards in…
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