Snowmobilers can get ready to hit the fields of Yellowstone National Park this winter season, as applications for the 2024-2025 non-commercially guided snowmobile access program will open in August. Permit holders are considered non-commercial guides and must be at least 18 years old on the first day of their trip, according to a Yellowstone National Park press release. All snowmobile operators must possess a state-issued driver’s license and successfully complete the free online Yellowstone Snowmobile Education Certification program , the release states.
This will be the 10th year of the program, according to Backcountry Adventures Owner Jerry Johnson. Backcountry Adventure offers services including snowmobile rentals and tours in and around Yellowstone. “It’s by gate, so if you draw a permit for the West Gate, you have to go in through the west gate, and at the end of your time, you have to come out the West Gate,” Johnson said.
Trips can be for a maximum of three days in length, and permits cost $40 per day with a $6 application fee, according to the Yellowstone Public Affairs Office. All snowmobiles must meet the park’s New Best Available Technology standard. Johnson said most applicants for the program come in from the five-state surrounding region that includes Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, North Dakota, and South Dakota.
“It’s a lottery, so you know your odds are [related to] how many people are putting in for the date you’re putting in for,” Johnson said. “It’s tougher to get it if you’re trying it for Christmas week, less tough if you’re trying it for a week in the middle of January, but it’s something where you put in for a specific period that you want to go for.” The application period will run from Aug.
1-31 on www.recreation.gov , and successful applicants will receive notification in early September.
Unclaimed tickets will become available Oct. 1 on a first-come, first-served basis..
