A dry December might have left Wyoming snowmobilers and lodge owners feelinga little anxious, but January has been bringing a bounty of fresh powder to mountain ranges across the state.
“We have 2 ½ feet of fresh powder up here today. So far, it’s looking even better than last year,” Bennett DeBlieck, manager of the Wyoming High Country Lodge near Lovell, told Cowboy State Daily this week.
Ryan Brandt of Rock Springs likes to ride with friends and family in the Wyoming Range mountains and elsewhere in western Wyoming.
“It was a slow start in December, but at the end of December and the beginning of January, we got several feet of fresh snow in the mountains,” he said.
Midwestern Sledders Love Wyoming
Wyoming has its share of resident powder hounds but also draws sledders from far and wide.
The Bighorn Mountains and Snowy Range Mountains are a huge draw for Midwesterners. They’re the first big mountain ranges that snowmobilers headed from there will hit along the interstate highways.
And both mountain ranges offer a good mix of trails through timber and wide-open, high-altitude parks and meadows for snowmobilers to enjoy.
Clint Wittlief — along with his wife Amy and their adult sons Eric and Wyatt — recently reopened the legendary Deer Haven Lodge in the Bighorn Mountains near Ten Sleep.
They’re originally from Minnesota, so they know how the Wyoming mountains are a magnet for Midwestern snowmobilers.
The Bighorns are a day’s drive from states like Minnesota and Wisconsin, he said. So, he’s been trying to spread word to Wyomingites and Midwesterners alike that Deer Haven is open for business and the snow’s looking good.
“We opened on the fourth of January, and we had ridable snow then,” he said. “Since then, we’ve gotten 2 to 3 feet of fresh snow, probably closer to three feet.”
The Bear Bottom Bar and Grill in Centennial at the base of the Snowy Range was starting to see more sledders this week, including from out of state, employee Phil Bolton told Cowboy State Daily.
“It seems mellow so far this year. The season is getting here, but it’s taking its time,” he said. “We’ve been seeing our usual guys from Iowa, and there’s been some coming in from Minnesota too.”
Bolton said he hadn’t been up in the mountains yet himself, but patrons have been showing him pictures from their snowmobiling adventures, which indicate that there’s plenty of snow to play in.
‘A Gateway To Jackson’
The Wyoming Range, Wind River Range and other mountains in western Wyoming don’t get as many out-of-state snowmobilers. But for Wyoming sledders, they’re heaven, Brandt said.
“There’s snowmobiling from Kemmerer all the way up to the Hoback,” he said. “It’s a cool area. It’s a gateway to Jackson.”
“It’s very pretty. It’s a different style of riding, more technical. With steeper mountains, but less rock,” Brandt added.
“It’s kind of a hidden gem, it doesn’t get hit as hard,” he said.
Contact Mark Heinz at mark@cowboystatedaily.com
After a dry start to winter, Wyoming snowmobilers are enjoying a bounty of fresh powder in the mountains. (Courtesy Ryan Brandt) 
After a dry start to winter, Wyoming snowmobilers are enjoying a bounty of fresh powder in the mountains. (Courtesy Ryan Brandt) 
Cohen Bateman makes the most of fresh snow in the mountains of western Wyoming. (Courtesy Ryan Brandt)
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
