Posted: 12/6/2015 11:46:16 AM EDT
| I've always wanted to go snowmobiling. Thinking of trying to go the week between Christmas and New Years. I'm in Kansas City, MO so that is probably out, where would be a go place to go to rent machines for a couple of days? The Blackhills in SD? Somewhere in Colorado? Looking for driving distance from KC. Any help is appreciated! |
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Minnesota or Wisconsin would be the places to do it. This. You're about 10 hrs from pretty much the snowmobiling capital of the world. https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Kansas+City,+MO/Eagle+River,+WI/data=!4m8!4m7!1m2!1m1!1s0x87c0f75eafe99997:0x558525e66aaa51a2!1m2!1m1!1s0x4d5437b46e67f3df:0xcc555572f17d4bd8!3e0 http://www.northwoodswisconsin.com/snowmobiling.htm But I'm sure there's plenty of other places closer. |
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Quoted: I've always wanted to go snowmobiling. Thinking of trying to go the week between Christmas and New Years. I'm in Kansas City, MO so that is probably out, where would be a go place to go to rent machines for a couple of days? The Blackhills in SD? Somewhere in Colorado? Looking for driving distance from KC. Any help is appreciated! McCall, Idaho has rentals, groomed trails all over town and the area, and lots of powder for off trail sledding. There's even a trail up over West Mountain past several hot-springs which have tubs in little shacks. It's on Forrest Service land so it's free public use. ETA: I just saw the driving distance stipulation.
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I live in NY. Some years are great and others lack snow. Just across the border into Ontario Canada draws a NY crowd for their better trail system. I'm sure it's the same due north of you. They're also more reliable on the snow pack. Tug hill and the ADK is awesome for snowmobiling. even cumhole does it
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mountain riding is wayyy different than what i think you may have in mind as snowmobiling. Mountain riding is what modern snowmobiles are designed for! I miss the days of the Muscle sleds. I had a '96 ZRT800 and that sled was a screamer! I miss triples. |
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Mountain riding and groomed trail riding are two completely different sports with very different machines, but both are awesome. Mountain riding is much more physical, is mostly done standing up, has a much lower average speed, and you want to be home by dark. Groomed trail riding has much higher speeds, and is done sitting most of the time, and you can ride all day and night, since you don't have to worry about hitting stuff in the snow and choosing your line. Some people like to bar hop on them, but be really careful if you choose to do that, because a rookie rider and alcohol is a recipe to end up in the statistic column on the DNR website.
You can rent 4-strokes at Yellowstone and tour some amazing scenery there, but that's more about the scenery than the ride (slow, heavy sleds). From your location and having zero experience, your best bet would be to head up to northern Wisconsin and rent some trail sleds. Be aware that the popular tourist destinations can get really busy on the weekend (places like Eagle River and Minoqua), so your best riding will be mid-week. If you decide to do it, I can give you a lot more tips on places to go and things to see. This is an El Nino winter, and so far it is being shitty for the northern midwest. One last warning: it's a very expensive hobby and very addictive. |
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Mountain riding is what modern snowmobiles are designed for! I miss the days of the Muscle sleds. I had a '96 ZRT800 and that sled was a screamer! I miss triples. Quoted:
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mountain riding is wayyy different than what i think you may have in mind as snowmobiling. Mountain riding is what modern snowmobiles are designed for! I miss the days of the Muscle sleds. I had a '96 ZRT800 and that sled was a screamer! I miss triples. Mountain sleds and trail sleds are still distinctly different. The only thing I miss about triples is the sound. My '15 Renegade has over 160 horse (more than a ZRT8), is about 100 pounds lighter, rides and handles a thousand times better, gets double the fuel economy, has a much more comfortable riding position, etc. I would quit snowmobiling rather than go back to those old school sleds. It would be like being married to a supermodel with a great personality for 10 years, and then having her replaced with Rosie Odonell. |
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No snow in mn or Wisconsin right now and none in the 10. Day. 50 degrees right now. It has to freeze first and that may not happen before Christmas this year Yep, it's off to a typical shitty El Nino winter. But even in the worst winters, there is always some period of riding in the north woods. It's just a lot more difficult for outsiders to plan a trip in advance, like the O.P. wants to do. I remember a couple of El Nino winters where the best riding showed up in March. |
| We are looking at possibly mid January before the trails will be good in upper and northern michigan. No meaningful snow on ground now, warm temps for next couple weeks, takes a couple weeks of snow and cold to build a good trail base, not looking great anytime soon. |
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Northern Wisconsin, around Cable, Clam Lake. The are cabins to rent around Lake Namakagon. Think you can rent sleds at the Lakewoods Resort. Great trails, great scenery. If you go during the week you don't see alot of traffic. To plan a trip in advance in an El Nino winter, it's best to plan it in the lake effect snowbelt, and the places you mentioned are not in it. Also, most places in WI run the trails across lakes, and in an El Nino winter, that can make it really difficult to get around in some areas (if the lakes aren't safe). In the U.P., they don't mark trails across lakes. If I were O.P., I'd plan it for somewhere around Mercer or Conover. Both are in the lake effect belt, and can access U.P. trails without crossing lakes (rentals should have a MI trail pass on them). The U.P. can get crazy busy when it's the only place with snow, but mid-week can still be good riding in the western half. When the U.P. is the only place with good snow, stay away from the eastern 1/3 of the U.P., even mid-week. Way too many people and not enough trails for the amount of riders. And if the O.P. gets lucky and the whole Midwest gets snow during his trip week, that U.P. and northern WI riding will be phenomenal, due to the low traffic. |
| It's probably been 30-35 years ago we went to West Yellowstone and went on a two day snowmobile trip. First day was spent in the park, and the second day was spent out in the woods and mountains. It was the only time I ever spent on a snowmobile. Brings back a great memory. At one point we were in the mountains above the Apline level and we had a white-out. We had bells to ring in case we got lost. |
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Unless you want to have a good time Quoted:
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Minnesota or Wisconsin would be the places to do it.
Unless you want to have a good time Yeah, don't come here, the riding is mediocre at best, honestly. The U.P. or out west is where you have fun. I sold my sled years ago and will never buy one again. Winters are really spotty snow wise, and typically too cold to enjoy anyway. |
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No snow in mn or Wisconsin right now and none in the 10. Day. 50 degrees right now. It has to freeze first and that may not happen before Christmas this year We have a little on the ground up here, but not enough to ride on yet. The lakes are starting to ice over but it's thin. And the forecast isn't looking too good for the next week. The good news. Where I live (Hurley WI area) we ALWAYS get rideable snow, sometimes it's a little late in coming and early to leave, but it comes. That's when it's nice to live here........... When the snow comes we can be on it at a moments notice instead of trying to plan a trip around what mother nature may or may not do. |
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Noooo...in Canada its called Skidoo-ing..........  Quoted:
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Don't you Southern Canadians call it snoow machining? Noooo...in Canada its called Skidoo-ing.......... It depends on the part of Canada, but in Ontario (where my mom is from), almost everyone calls it Skidooing (Doos are made in Quebec, next province over). It annoyed me when I was younger, but now it amuses me. In western Canada and AK, a lot of people say snowmachining. In the lower 48, it's usually snowmobiling or sledding. |
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Yeah, don't come here, the riding is mediocre at best, honestly. The U.P. or out west is where you have fun. I sold my sled years ago and will never buy one again. Winters are really spotty snow wise, and typically too cold to enjoy anyway. Quoted:
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Minnesota or Wisconsin would be the places to do it.
Unless you want to have a good time Yeah, don't come here, the riding is mediocre at best, honestly. The U.P. or out west is where you have fun. I sold my sled years ago and will never buy one again. Winters are really spotty snow wise, and typically too cold to enjoy anyway. Too cold to enjoy? You just need better clothing. It's never too cold to enjoy snowmobiling, and cold air makes more horsepower. 
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I've always wanted to go snowmobiling. Thinking of trying to go the week between Christmas and New Years. I'm in Kansas City, MO so that is probably out, where would be a go place to go to rent machines for a couple of days? The Blackhills in SD? Somewhere in Colorado? Looking for driving distance from KC. Any help is appreciated! I should have addressed that, too. For trail riding in the north woods, that is typically the busiest week of the year. It might not make a very good first impression on you, because it generally sucks. Too many people have off work that week. |
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I should have addressed that, too. For trail riding in the north woods, that is typically the busiest week of the year. It might not make a very good first impression on you, because it generally sucks. Too many people have off work that week. Quoted:
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I've always wanted to go snowmobiling. Thinking of trying to go the week between Christmas and New Years. I'm in Kansas City, MO so that is probably out, where would be a go place to go to rent machines for a couple of days? The Blackhills in SD? Somewhere in Colorado? Looking for driving distance from KC. Any help is appreciated! I should have addressed that, too. For trail riding in the north woods, that is typically the busiest week of the year. It might not make a very good first impression on you, because it generally sucks. Too many people have off work that week. In the Hurley area the trails get HAMMERED fast! Especially the ones that connect the bars and anything within 5 miles of town. Get outside of that area and it's not too horrible. After New Years day the riding usually gets better since most guys have blown their vacation wad and there is less traffic. I generally leave the weekends to the outsiders and ride mid week when the groomers have caught up, and the trails will hold a grooming longer. And if it's real cold >0F, there is a lot less traffic also. I don't ride as much as I used to. 
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If you want a truly memorable experience, I would highly recommend considering Wyoming, Colorado and Utah. The snow and the mountains are incredible. I am starting to think about a snowmobiling vacation in the Canadian Rockies around Revelstoke.
West Yelllowstone has a fantastic combination of groomed trails, mountain riding and amazing scenery. Some day I will do this trip again. 
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In the Hurley area the trails get HAMMERED fast! Especially the ones that connect the bars and anything within 5 miles of town. Get outside of that area and it's not too horrible. After New Years day the riding usually gets better since most guys have blown their vacation wad and there is less traffic. I generally leave the weekends to the outsiders and ride mid week when the groomers have caught up, and the trails will hold a grooming longer. And if it's real cold >0F, there is a lot less traffic also. I don't ride as much as I used to.
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I've always wanted to go snowmobiling. Thinking of trying to go the week between Christmas and New Years. I'm in Kansas City, MO so that is probably out, where would be a go place to go to rent machines for a couple of days? The Blackhills in SD? Somewhere in Colorado? Looking for driving distance from KC. Any help is appreciated! I should have addressed that, too. For trail riding in the north woods, that is typically the busiest week of the year. It might not make a very good first impression on you, because it generally sucks. Too many people have off work that week. In the Hurley area the trails get HAMMERED fast! Especially the ones that connect the bars and anything within 5 miles of town. Get outside of that area and it's not too horrible. After New Years day the riding usually gets better since most guys have blown their vacation wad and there is less traffic. I generally leave the weekends to the outsiders and ride mid week when the groomers have caught up, and the trails will hold a grooming longer. And if it's real cold >0F, there is a lot less traffic also. I don't ride as much as I used to.
I think you meant <0*F? But yeah, there can still be good riding found during that busy week (when so many people are off work due to company shutdowns), but you need to know what trails to ride, and a guy from MO is not going to have a clue where to go. Trail 17 or 2 might look like an interstate highway with 3-foot moguls, while one of the N/S trails that run parallel might be perfect. But one rule is always true: wider and straighter trails will stay smooth far longer, so avoid the twisty 8-foot logging trails when it's busy. Or head for the Ottawa NF and ride off-trail.
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Yep..all sorts of sledding..might start off with a nice trail ride op..just to see if you like it, then work your way into mountain riding..
A yearly sled ride from Tok AK. to Dawson Creek Canada(200 miles each way on sleds)... several hundred do the ride... 
mountains are a blast though.. 
Riding the deep days are the most fun..really test your abilities... 
I still think my favorite though is exploring and finding out whats over that next ridge, or around the next corner.. 
still gotta play some though.... 
busting into new country(headed to make an over night camp)...not a track for at least 50 miles...... 
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Fucking hate the vile machines, dad loves them. Give me a four wheeler with mattrax anyday.. Or one of my old rides at work 
<a href="http://s55.photobucket.com/user/zac_squatch/media/snocat_zpsce0aec40.jpg.html" target="_blank">http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g155/zac_squatch/snocat_zpsce0aec40.jpg</a> Four wheelers with tracks are not allowed on most snowmobile trails around here (WI and the U.P.), and they are really slow. They also suck in deep powder, compared to a sled. Why would you prefer that to a snowmobile? |
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Four wheelers with tracks are not allowed on most snowmobile trails around here (WI and the U.P.), and they are really slow. They also suck in deep powder, compared to a sled. Why would you prefer that to a snowmobile? Quoted:
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Fucking hate the vile machines, dad loves them. Give me a four wheeler with mattrax anyday.. Or one of my old rides at work
<a href="http://s55.photobucket.com/user/zac_squatch/media/snocat_zpsce0aec40.jpg.html" target="_blank">http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g155/zac_squatch/snocat_zpsce0aec40.jpg</a> Four wheelers with tracks are not allowed on most snowmobile trails around here (WI and the U.P.), and they are really slow. They also suck in deep powder, compared to a sled. Why would you prefer that to a snowmobile? 90% of my snow-go experience was on hard pack/wind swept frozen tundra, using them to haul sleds and skid equipment. The four wheelers and side-by-sides on tracks out performed them in that task. Powder hounding and hi marking are just not my bag. |