Winter in West: Snowmobiling on forest trails down, but use of cross-country ski trails up

By SCOTT McMILLION Chronicle Staff Writer

WEST YELLOWSTONE -- The number of snowmobilers using U.S. Forest Service trails here has dropped, as confusion and controversy continues over the status of nearby Yellowstone National Park.

Unless people are assured that they can gain entrance to the park, some will regard West Yellowstone a "just one more area to snowmobile in," said Mary Sue Costello, director of the West Yellowstone Chamber of Commerce.

West Yellowstone bills itself as "the snowmobile capital of the world," and offers scores of miles of groomed trails that draw people from many states, many of whom arrive towing their own machines.

However, there is lots of good snow all over the Rockies and the Midwest this year, and that could be keeping people closer to home as well, Costello said.

Electronic counters click off every passage of a snowmobile on four trails leading from town.

So far this year, the number of trips on Forest Service trails is down 10 percent from last winter, said Claude Coffin, of the Gallatin National Forest's West Yellowstone office.

When compared to figures from the winter of 2001-02, this year's numbers drop 22 percent, Coffin said.

On key weekends, national forest trails saw even bigger dips compared to last year: 34 percent for the President's Day weekend and 28 percent for the Martin Luther King Day weekend.

"I don't offer up any explanations," Coffin said. "The numbers are what they are."

Meanwhile, use of one popular cross-country ski trail has nearly tripled from last year.

The Rendezvous Ski Trail, about 15 kilometers of which is regularly groomed, saw 10,023 skier days as of Jan. 14 of this year, compared to 3,683 in the same period last year.

However, there is also some contradictory data: fees paid to use that trail are up only one third, even though rates are higher this year.

Coffin said he is reluctant to draw any firm conclusions from the incomplete and apparently contradictory data.

"It's accurate to say the use of the Rendezvous trail has increased," he said. "And it's accurate to say the use of the snowmobile trails is down."

Unlike in the park, there are no limits on the number of people allowed to use the national forest trails.

Things are quieter in town, too.

Costello said she had recently drove by a motel and saw only one snowmobile trailer parked there.

"Normally, the street would have been lined up with trailers," she said.

The increased numbers of skiers hasn't yet translated into a big jump in business said Melissa Buller, co-owner of Freeheel and Wheel, a ski shop.

"We haven't noticed really an increase in skiing," she said. "The same uncertainty exists for skiers that exists for snowmobilers."

Plus, the abundant snow across much of Montana and Idaho means Nordic skiers are staying closer to home, she said.

"Typically, we draw lots of business when those places lack snow," Buller said.

Inside the park, the decline has been even more drastic, although traffic appears to be rising somewhat.

Snowmobile entries at West Yellowstone dropped by 66 percent between January 2003 and January 2004.

From Feb. 1 to Feb. 22 of this year, the most recent data available, the park's west gate admitted 5,705 people on 4,383 sleds, an average of 259 people per day. That's an increase of 15 people daily, compared to January.

Snowcoach traffic has climbed more noticeably, from an average of 11 coaches a day carrying 77 people in January, to an average of 16 coaches a day carrying 111 people in February.

At nearby Island Park, Idaho, snowmobile traffic is down, too, said Robin Jenkins, of the Targhee National Forest.

Counters there show declines of about 20 to 25 percent, he estimated.

Part of that could be due to snow conditions around the country.

"This year, there's snow in Minnesota," Jenkins said. "We usually get more snowmobilers when there's no snow in other places."

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