Does anyone fly out west to sled?

I

indiana

New member
A buddy and I have been toying with the idea of going west this year. We have never been and do not own sleds. We got to looking at flights from Louisville to Jackson and they are around 300 round trip which is doable.

Has anyone else ever flown and rented sleds? It does not have be the Jackson area per say, it was just a starting point for researching flights.

Anyone have any pointers on where to go? We would fly one day, rent sleds for two and fly home the fourth day. I guess we could drive too but I was just curious if anyone has any advise on flying/accommodations/renting etc. I would probably be march. Does anyone have even a rough ball park figure what it might cost to do all this?

Thanks!
 
Last edited:
F

Firecatguy

New member
indiana said:
I would like to research where you fly into and who you rent from if you don't mind me asking lol.
Click to expand...

if your looking for a awesome time Togwotee lodge will pick you up at Jackson airport and bring you to lodge,then rent ya a sled give you a guide then feed ya when its over!!!!!!Rock star treatment
 
P

polarisrider1

New member
Fly into Jackson and they (driver from Tog.) pick you up from the airport and drive you to the Togwotee lodge. When you get to the airport drink the free mimosas and look for a guy holding a sign with your name on it. He is your driver. Have him take you into town for a booze/cigar (Jack and Cohibas) run and then to Tog. like "Rock Stars". it is the best way to do it! Just the thought makes my heart pound!!!!
 
I

indiana

New member
Thanks for all the feedback! I like the idea of Tog since they shuttle so no need for rental car. I don't have much experience booking flights so are there any tips for getting a good deal on air fare...just keep checking?

Can any trail riding at night night be done weather permitting or is that a no no?

I did not see anything pertaining to rates on their website so I guess Ill have to call them.

thanks!
 
H

Hoosier

Well-known member
I am also from Indiana.

We did this about 4 years ago. We intended to go to Togwotee, but went to Turpin Meadow Lodge instead because Tog was booked. Turpin is 8 miles from Tog, which means they are neighbors. We flew into Jackson Hole, they picked us up, took us the grocery store and liquor store. We stayed there, ate there, rented sleds from there, used their guides. Had an incredible time. Would do again for sure.

At Turpin at least, they won't let the sleds back out at night. While we mainly rode off-trail, I did enjoy the trail riding also. But I can see why they don't want you and their sleds out at night. Too much trouble to get into if you miss a turn. Plus you'll be too tired from riding all day to want to go at night, if you do it right during the day.

The only thing I would do differently is to take snacks with to eat lunch with, rather than going to the various lodge's for lunch. Just takes too much time out of the day for me.
 
B

blob

Member
Riding out west is a whole different world than in the midwest. I have not been to Togwotee, but most places I have been you are lucky to have an outhouse at the trailhead, and rarely see more than a few dozen riders in a day. Even sticking to the trails you are likely to be miles from any services if something unfortunate happens. I would definitely recommend going with someone that has experience or a guide if you do go. More than 50 people (not all snowmobile related) died in avalanches in 2008/2009 season. Out west the mountains are as dangerous as alcohol as speed are in Michigan. Riding at night in the west is not a good idea.

If you are going to experience the mountains in the winter as much as snowmobiling, West Yellowstone might be a spot to check out. It is more touristy than most places, but has plenty of places to stay and things to do besides riding. You can still take a guided tour into the park as far as I know, but most of the riding is done outside the park. We took a guided tour in a SUV several winters ago, and it is something everyone should get to experience. I liked it much better than snowmobiling in the park, as the guide was a wealth of information. It was great to be able to listen to him as we passed wildlife, or ask to stop if we saw something interesting.

Do your research and be prepared and you will have a ball. There is nothing else like riding in the mountains. Rooms in resort areas are slightly more expensive than in most cities, sled rental will be $150 or more per day each. I would budget about $1,000 each. Have a great time.
 
I

indiana

New member
blob said:
Riding out west is a whole different world than in the midwest. I have not been to Togwotee, but most places I have been you are lucky to have an outhouse at the trailhead, and rarely see more than a few dozen riders in a day. Even sticking to the trails you are likely to be miles from any services if something unfortunate happens. I would definitely recommend going with someone that has experience or a guide if you do go. More than 50 people (not all snowmobile related) died in avalanches in 2008/2009 season. Out west the mountains are as dangerous as alcohol as speed are in Michigan. Riding at night in the west is not a good idea.

If you are going to experience the mountains in the winter as much as snowmobiling, West Yellowstone might be a spot to check out. It is more touristy than most places, but has plenty of places to stay and things to do besides riding. You can still take a guided tour into the park as far as I know, but most of the riding is done outside the park. We took a guided tour in a SUV several winters ago, and it is something everyone should get to experience. I liked it much better than snowmobiling in the park, as the guide was a wealth of information. It was great to be able to listen to him as we passed wildlife, or ask to stop if we saw something interesting.

Do your research and be prepared and you will have a ball. There is nothing else like riding in the mountains. Rooms in resort areas are slightly more expensive than in most cities, sled rental will be $150 or more per day each. I would budget about $1,000 each. Have a great time.
Click to expand...

Cool. Yeah I was hoping to do 3 nights 2 days sledding for around 1000. Thanks for the feedback!
 
S

SPOR

New member
I've never done it, but I did read some posts in the past about others doing it, and their experiences. And I believe someone said that if you plan on using your own gear (helmet, jacket, pants), have it shipped out there (UPS, Fed X), don't take it on the plane in case they loose it, like they do with luggage. Just a thought!
 
D

D.B. Cooper

Active member
Yellowstone

indiana said:
A buddy and I have been toying with the idea of going west this year. We have never been and do not own sleds. We got to looking at flights from Louisville to Jackson and they are around 300 round trip which is doable.

Has anyone else ever flown and rented sleds? It does not have be the Jackson area per say, it was just a starting point for researching flights.

Anyone have any pointers on where to go? We would fly one day, rent sleds for two and fly home the fourth day. I guess we could drive too but I was just curious if anyone has any advise on flying/accommodations/renting etc. I would probably be march. Does anyone have even a rough ball park figure what it might cost to do all this?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

I'm from the Midwest as well, and have been sledding since 1985

I've been to YELLOWSTONE 4 X, we drove 3 x, and flew out 1x.

We love it, scenery is second to none,

Last time we were there (2005) you still had to fly into BOZEMAN, Montana, and take the shuttle bus right from the airport (1 1/2 hour drive) to West Yellowstone, Montana. Once in WEST YELLOWSTONE, it's a small tourist town, we walked everywhere, approx 20 or so Restaurants, sleds legally ride all the streets in town except for the 2 main routes.

When in YELLOWSTONE park, (You'll realize how small and "flick-able" your sled is as you get closer to the Bison) we rented sleds from POLARIS WEST located in town, same owner also owns the Days Inn across the street, they offer guides as well, approx $120 a day.

Short track rental sleds were approx $135.00 per day with oil and 1st tank of gas included.

There was a dealer in town that let you keep the sleds OVERNIGHT, as long as it was a multi-day rental, can't remember if it was POLARIS WEST or another place, all the other rentals in town were DAY-TIME ONLY as posted above.

We prefer to ride during the day to take in all the scenery, however we did ride at night, but as stated above it's a little risky, drop-offs, bison, restaurants and fuel stops close early, etc.......

In 2005, we stayed for 5 days of riding, in 2004 we were there for 8 full days of riding.

We're long overdue for a trip out West!
 
Last edited:
M

mjkaliszak

New member
I have been dreaming about this for a few years now. My son ( my youngest is 13 ) and he is just of renting age @ Tog ? Can anyone confirm that ? I ran into problems when looking into this a few years back with the 16yr old age limit. Every place I called was 16 and not budging.... I even tried to convince them he was a better rider than me. Which he is... hard to admit but the truth. He's safer, more agile, better reaction time ect....
How about the age thing ? any input ?
 
P

polarisrider1

New member
mjkaliszak said:
I have been dreaming about this for a few years now. My son ( my youngest is 13 ) and he is just of renting age @ Tog ? Can anyone confirm that ? I ran into problems when looking into this a few years back with the 16yr old age limit. Every place I called was 16 and not budging.... I even tried to convince them he was a better rider than me. Which he is... hard to admit but the truth. He's safer, more agile, better reaction time ect....
How about the age thing ? any input ?
Click to expand...
tog will not budge. Call them.
 
D

D.B. Cooper

Active member
mjkaliszak said:
I have been dreaming about this for a few years now. My son ( my youngest is 13 ) and he is just of renting age @ Tog ? Can anyone confirm that ? I ran into problems when looking into this a few years back with the 16yr old age limit. Every place I called was 16 and not budging.... I even tried to convince them he was a better rider than me. Which he is... hard to admit but the truth. He's safer, more agile, better reaction time ect....
How about the age thing ? any input ?
Click to expand...

They say you need a valid driver's license to enter the Park, outside the park nobody checks, but regarding the rental, Call the owner of POLARIS WEST, Gale Archer and ask.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top