Where To Go Snowmobiling in Colorado

Jump Ahead:

• Steamboat Springs: Thunderstruck Adventures
• Grand Lake: Grand Adventures
• Leadville: Leadville ATV Tours
• Aspen: T-Lazy-7 Ranch
• 3 Clinics for Getting Better at Snowmobiling
• 3 Spots for Snowmobiling Outside Colorado
• 3 Full-Day Snowmobiling Excursions in Colorado

Read More: The Best Winter Hikes Near Denver

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Thunderstruck Adventures in Steamboat Springs

What:

Thunderstruck Adventures’ Half-Day Intro to Pro Ride

When:

Twice a day, at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m., December 20 to April 1

Duration:

Three hours

Cost:

$395/driver

Take Note:

Riders must be 15 or older; a complimentary shuttle is available to pick riders up at their hotels.

Side Trip:

Last season, Steamboat Ski Resort added 650 acres of glade skiing and steep cliffs at Mahogany Ridge and Fish Creek Canyon. Replenish lost calories back in town with year-old Brass Kitchen & Bar’s old-fashioned soda fountain drinks, including a spiked root beer float.

I’m attempting to defy gravity. As I throttle my Polaris 850 RMK Matryx Slash snowmobile with my right thumb, I shift to stand with both feet on the left running board of the sled, a move I pray will keep the machine upright while I make a wide circle in a meadow of fluffy powder. We’re well off the trail, and the heavy snowmobile needs the right distribution of weight to turn without tipping sideways and knocking me off.

Across the way, Clay Hockel, my guide, is throwing wheelies and carving through the snow with little thought for Sir Isaac Newton’s discovery. The 27-year-old owner of Thunderstruck Adventures is a former professional snowmobile rider from Minnesota; he spent five years hucking cliffs and riding chutes in extreme backcountry snowmobiling films before launching his outfitting service in 2019. “I wanted to get people into the backcountry and give them the experience,” he says, “not just watch it in a movie.” The new-in-2023, half-day backcountry tour I signed up for is a taste of what he calls “real snowmobiling.”

I’m doing my best to follow his coaching, but maneuvering the 420-pound sled while also steering and trying to maintain consistent pressure on the throttle is more challenging than I’d anticipated. Sometimes, as I shift my body to one side, I accidentally release the gas and my upper body jerks into the handlebars. I can already tell I’m going to be sore in the morning.

Soon, though, I start to find a rhythm. At least, when I turn left. Circling to the right—an endeavor that puts more of my weight near my throttle thumb and makes me feel less coordinated—continues to vex me. But I hoot loudly as I climb a hill, rotate the sled in an arc (to the left), and fly back across the meadow. I feel a sense of freedom as I speed over the terrain and hop from side to side. I’m sure it’s all happening in much slower motion than it is in my mind, but for a few minutes, I feel like I’ve mastered the machine.

My friend and I had started our morning outing a couple of hours earlier at Thunderstruck’s Steamboat Springs shop, where we outfitted ourselves in boots, teal-and-black snowsuits, and helmets before being shuttled to the trailhead about 30 minutes west of town. We had 12 miles of groomed but bumpy trail to get comfortable on the snowmobiles before turning onto the private mountain Hockel leases to joyride in pristine meadows.

By the time we leave the spruce- and aspen-lined pasture, the snow-covered trail feels more comfortable. Still, it’s a welcome break when we reach a panoramic viewpoint overlooking Steamboat Ski Resort and Buffalo Pass. My palms and thumbs are aching.

As we work our way back to the shuttles, Hockel asks if we want to briefly explore another meadow. We eagerly say yes, feeling confident. That’s when gravity finally catches up with me. As I crest the hill and move my body to make another turn, the sled tilts too far to the side and deposits me into pillowy softness up to my knees. I take a few moments to admire the clouds and then pop up to try again. —Daliah Singer

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Grand Adventures in Grand Lake

What:

Grand Adventures’ Guided 1 Hour Trailblazers Tour—Electric Snowmobile

When:

Three times per day on Mondays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays

Duration:

Two hours for the full experience, including gearing up and the one-hour tour

Cost:

Starting at $175

Take Note:

Helmets are included with your tour, plus the electric sleds have heated handlebars; full-body snowsuits and snow boots are available for rent.

Side Trip:

Besides a hot tub, almost nothing is better after a day on the trails than tacos and beer. Terrain Taco, a taqueria and cocktail bar that shares space with Unravel Cafe & Bar at Gravity Haus in downtown Winter Park, opened in February 2024.

I push the start button on my Ski-Doo Grand Touring sled and am met with silence. I go to push it again, thinking my machine isn’t working, then realize: The silence is the point. “It’s kind of like a sailboat compared to a motorboat,” my guide, Jake Regehr with Grand Adventures, says of the electric version of a classic snowmobile I’m riding.

We’re in a lot just past the tubing hill in Fraser. Grand Lake, about 30 miles down the highway, is known as the Snowmobiling Capital of Colorado, but I’ve come to the area seeking not deeper powder, but deeper knowledge about an environmentally friendly way to snowmobile.

Despite the undeniable fun they offer, the noisy machines have been found to disturb wildlife and release toxic emissions. These new electric Ski-Doos are a potential antidote to those concerns, and Grand Adventures is one of just two Colorado outfitters that offer riders the chance to try out the machines.

Our small group sets out on a ride along trails that snake across Arapaho National Forest. Once we’re on the move, the sled sounds a bit like a struggling lawn mower—revving, but gently. Although Jake relies on hand motions to communicate when we need to slow down or make a sharp turn, as the first person in our caravan I am actually able to hear his voice over the motor when he speaks, an impossibility on a traditional sled.

One thing these babies do have in common with gas-powered machines: My ride is still a 500-pound motorized monster that demands my attention. As soon as I hit a patch of powder, I swerve slightly, feeling like I’m driving a car with bald tires. It takes a bit of practice to figure out how to keep the skis centered and maintain control of the handlebars. But as we zoom along, I find a groove. At the top of a hill, we pause to snap photos of Winter Park Resort, the Continental Divide, and the Never Summer Mountains.

The Grand Adventures team is still experimenting with how far the sleds can go before they need to be recharged; the cold weather affects battery life. As a precaution, these tours are limited to one hour, but we finish our journey without incident, having used just one-third of the available juice.

Also to conserve energy, each of our sleds has a device that limits how fast we can accelerate. I’ll admit that the pace (capped at 25 mph for the tour) disappoints me at first. But then we begin the drive down the hill through a dense stand of aspens, and I forget all about my need for speed. The view is quintessential Colorado. And being able to travel through it without the loud roaring of a vehicle—one that can damage the beauty that surrounds me—feels like the right way to ride. —DS

Read More: Try a New Spin on Winter Touring with an Electric Snowmobile

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Leadville ATV Tours in Leadville

What:

Leadville ATV Tours, Six-Seat Machine

When:

9 a.m., noon, and 3 p.m. daily, year-round

Duration:

Two hours

Cost:

From $250 for up to four adults and two kids

Take Note:

Riders must be 42 inches tall; if there are five or more riders, there’s a weight limit of 700 pounds per UTV. Anyone 21 years or older with a license can drive.

Side Trip:

Especially with kids, the nearly two-hour drive to Leadville makes for a long day, so book an overnight stay at the 139-year-old, recently renovated Delaware Hotel. The refreshed lobby has board games, a bar, and a hidden candy room.

“Mommy! It has tracks!” my toddler shouts with glee as we approach our ride: a UTV (utility task vehicle, aka side-by-side) that’s not entirely unlike a snowmobile, in that it’s a powered way to explore powder-covered trails. What makes it different—and ideal for anyone who might be physically unable or simply not inclined to mount an open-air steed capable of doing 100 mph—is that it is enclosed, heated, and drives more like a go-kart than a motorcycle. It’s also safe for anyone 42 inches or taller, meaning that family members from three to 103 can go on Leadville ATV Tours’ two-hour trips deep into the fourteener-rich landscape surrounding North America’s highest incorporated city.

After picking out helmets and receiving safety and operating instructions in the three-year-old outfitter’s headquarters on the southern end of downtown, we cross the street to where the UTVs are parked. Each group (up to six people) gets its own vehicle, and while the guide shows everyone how to use the two-way radios and hook up their own music, I buckle my son into the middle seat of the front bench. With my husband behind the wheel, the tour gets off to a slow start—literally, as speeds on the tour max out around 25 mph, and figuratively, as we make our way through the less-than-scenic outskirts of town.

Soon, however, we reach a steep berm meant to stop most vehicles from proceeding and giggle as our UTV’s tracks carry us up and over the hump. From there, backcountry views you normally have to work very hard to reach on skis or snowshoes unfurl in every direction. Our guide points out old mine shafts and structures, significant peaks, and even an abandoned pickup truck.

On the first of several planned stops, we snap photos and have a snowball fight, postholing in the deep powder along the groomed track. Another young couple on the tour tells us they’re visiting from Austin, Texas. They’d spent most of their time in Denver but wanted to catch some classic Rocky Mountain vistas, so they’d booked this trip for the woman’s birthday. It was her first time experiencing snow.

I drive the next stretch, quickly getting comfortable steering the massive machine in the tracks of the UTV ahead of us and pushing the pedal to the floor when we hit an open field. It’s not the same adrenaline rush I get carving down a blue run, but every time my three-year-old gasps in delight or points out an interesting evergreen, I’m glad to be sharing this adventure with him, even if it’s a relatively tame one.

The last stop features an overlook of downtown Leadville and nearly 60 miles of undulating forest beyond it. Our guide pulls out a mug of steaming hot cocoa for us to enjoy while he offers to take more pictures of the group. The woman from Austin jumps on her boyfriend’s back, and they pose with arms outstretched; my son makes snow angels nearby. The scene could be an advertisement for accessibility to Colorado’s backcountry—and we’re all thrilled to be a part of it. —Jessica LaRusso

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T-Lazy-7 Ranch in Aspen

What:

T-Lazy-7 Ranch’s Maroon Bells Tour

When:

Tuesday through Saturday, November to April, at 9 a.m., 11:30 a.m., and 2:30 p.m.

Duration:

Two hours

Cost:

$275 for a single rider, $375 for a double (T-Lazy-7 offers a 20 percent discount for the 1.5-hour Pyramid Peak trip)

Take Note:

Passengers must be at least four years old, and the driver (18 or older) needs a valid driver’s license.

Side Trip:

Just 4.3 miles from the ranch, bed down at the ultra-luxurious, year-old Mollie Aspen, where a rooftop spa pool awaits.

The standing water in the parking lot was not a good sign. Neither was the clacking sound of snowmobile tracks rubbing on bare pavement. While I can’t be blamed for Mother Nature’s handiwork, I had erred in my scheduling: I’d booked my trip to Aspen’s T-Lazy-7 Ranch for late March, and an early spring was quickly turning my hoped-for winter wonderland into a sloppy mess. The snowpack was too unstable to embark on the two-hour tour I had originally booked to see the iconic Maroon Bells from a fresh perspective: the seat of a snowmobile. I’d never viewed their postcard-worthy grandeur with a snowy backdrop and had been giddy with excitement on my drive west.

Now, I was frustrated with the change of plans. The ranch was offering a shorter excursion instead, which would at least mean I hadn’t wasted the gas money to get here, but I was seeking epic beauty, not a trail ride. My mood lifted when the perky woman at the registration window smiled at me and said, “It’s a great day for snowmobiling. Pyramid Peak is beautiful!”

After getting fit for a helmet and buying hand warmers from the gift shop, I joined my group, which was crowded around six Arctic Cat snowmobiles for the requisite safety talk from T-Lazy-7 owner Rick Deane. Deane started running the snowmobile tours here in 1968. The rides traverse both private and national forest trails—routes that Deane knows well. His great-grandfather, Josiah Deane, was one of Aspen’s founding fathers. (Dean Street in downtown Aspen is named after him, despite the misspelling.) And it was Deane’s father who had, in 1938, purchased the 420 acres I was about to zoom across.

On the Maroon Bells trip, guests throttle up aspen-lined trails before being treated to hot chocolate and the eye candy that is Maroon Lake, nestled at the base of 14,022-foot North Maroon Peak and 14,163-foot Maroon Peak. Fortunately, in Colorado, there’s always another peak to discover.

My rerouted ride started with some free-flowing fun. The T-Lazy-7 guides led us along a long, flat straightaway that allowed the group to get a feel for the machines before we found ourselves on a network of undulating paths that wound through the pines. Having never been on a snowmobile, I wasn’t prepared for the speed or the rollercoaster-style belly somersaults I experienced as the vehicle navigated the up-and-down terrain. I let out more than a few whoops.

While the forested trails were lovely, I’d come to see big mountains. Following the tracks in front of me, I exited the tree-lined trails and slipped onto Maroon Creek Road, which isn’t plowed during the winter. We sped southwest, past cross-country skiers and snowshoers with dogs, until the lead guide slowed to a crawl. I wanted to go faster, not brake. But then I looked up, and there it was: 14,029-foot Pyramid Peak in all its wintertime glory. It wasn’t the Bells, but the unmistakable pointy fourteener was frosted with snow and standing sentinel over the valley against a cobalt sky. The lady at the window had been right: It was a beautiful day for snowmobiling. —Lindsey B. King

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3 Clinics for Getting Better at Snowmobiling

1. Powder Pro Lab in Leadville

An AIARE-certified avalanche safety training program, Powder also offers a variety of backcountry snowmobiling clinics, from beginner to advanced levels.

2. Mercier’s Mountain Riding School in Tabernash

At Mercier’s, committed riders with their own sleds can join small-group development clinics, avalanche training, and even an advanced Pow Day class that’s held only when the right storm blows through.

3. Mountain Skillz in South Fork

Professional snowmobiler Matt Entz leads two- and three-day workshops focused on skill development and avalanche safety. Mountain Skillz also offers a ladies-only clinic.

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3 Spots for Snowmobiling Outside Colorado

1. Spearfish, South Dakota

• Odometer: 395 miles (or 60 miles from Rapid City’s airport)
• Stoke Factor: This basecamp town connects riders to a network of more than 300 miles of trails—generally groomed from mid-December through March—primarily in the western swath of Black Hills National Forest. Ride through pine forests, canyons, and summitable hills before braking for a snack in the warming shelters spread throughout the area.

2. Alpine, Wyoming

• Odometer: 521 miles (or a one-hour drive from Jackson Hole’s airport)
• Stoke Factor: For a true powder experience (three to 12 feet deep, on average) with big mountain views, head to the Wyoming Range. The high-elevation area encompasses nearly 350 miles of trails, both groomed and natural, which are open from mid-December to mid-March. It’s long been a favorite shooting location for snowsport filmmakers.

3. West Yellowstone, Montana

• Odometer: 638 miles or a direct flight to Yellowstone Airport (Bozeman, another nonstop option, is about 90 miles away)
• Stoke Factor: Thanks to 160 inches of average annual snowfall, West Yellowstone is a top pick for serious riders, who can ply more than 400 miles of groomed trails straight from town into three national forests. Sledders can even ride to the top of the Continental Divide on the Two Top Mountain Trail.

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3 Full-Day Snowmobiling Excursions in Colorado

1. Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad Snowmobile Adventure Package

Forget driving to the trailhead: Hop on the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad to enjoy its Snowmobile Adventure Package (from $335). The tracks lead to Cascade Canyon. There, Ice Pirates Backcountry Adventures will take over for a two-hour guided excursion around 10,910-foot Molas Pass. Book through the railroad or the outfitter.

2. Sunlight to Powderhorn Trail

The direct, groomed Sunlight to Powderhorn Trail, which stretches between the two namesake ski resorts, from Glenwood Springs to Mesa, is 120 miles long. Another 180 miles of side trails offer fresh tracks and a snowy playground for experienced riders and newbies alike. Overnight at the Sunlight Inn or Electric Mountain Lodge so you can explore the next day, too.

3. Sheepshead Cabins

Nestled into the rugged San Juan Mountains, Sheepshead Cabins is a destination for advanced riders. This snowmobile-accessed pair of lodges lives in the snowiest region of the state and requires riders to have experience with high-elevation navigation and deep powder sledding. (Wolf Creek Ski Area is only 10 miles away.) Explore 13,000-foot peaks and 40 acres of private land before bedding down in one of the eight-person backcountry cabins, for which you’ll need to bring in your own food and water.

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Snowmobile Etiquette

• Many groomed snowmobile trails share space with snowshoers and cross-country skiers. Slow down when approaching or passing, and give uphill riders right-of-way.
• Ride single file.
• Stay on the right side of the trail.
• Only ride on trails that allow for motorized access.
• Do not take your snowmobile on trails when there’s a lack of snow; it can harm soil and vegetation.
• Turn off your engine if you’re stopping for an extended period to cut down on noise pollution and unnecessary emissions.
• It can be difficult to hear other people when the sleds are running. Learn common hand signals, such as raising your arm, bent at the elbow with palm open, to indicate when those behind you should stop.
• Wear a snowsuit, moisture-wicking layers, goggles, full-face helmet, gloves (not mittens) for dexterity, warm socks, and snow boots.
• Bring a face mask or balaclava, extra clothing, water, and avalanche equipment.

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Snowmobile Lingo

• Sled: colloquial name for a snowmobile
• Skis: the blades at the bottom of the snowmobile that glide along the snow and steer the vehicle
• Throttle thumb: pain that develops from holding down a sled’s throttle for a long time; adjust where your hand sits on the handlebar and take breaks to stretch to help ease the discomfort (the more you ride, the less this should happen)

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Environmental Impact of Snowmobiling

Whether we trample a flower or disturb a herd of deer, there are repercussions to all outdoor fun. But experts say snowmobiles can deliver outsize harms.

Research has shown that pollutants—like carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons—released in snowmobile emissions accumulate in the snow and can lead to the deaths of aquatic insects and amphibians. Other data suggests sleds’ heavy weights can lead to soil erosion. Wildlife, reports say, is also affected. “Future populations of deer and elk and moose and bighorn sheep are at stake,” says Hilary Eisen, policy director at Winter Wildlands Alliance, a national conservation nonprofit based in Idaho. “Pregnant females are more likely to lose their calves or not be able to nurse them into yearlings if they’ve been stressed throughout the winter [by noise and displacement].”

That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take a joyride, though. Staying on trails, sticking to designated over-snow vehicle (OSV) routes, riding where there’s adequate snow cover, and abiding by closures can mitigate many potential problems, Eisen says. Electric OSVs are better when it comes to air quality impacts and noise, though they can make it harder for wildlife to sense approaching vehicles.

So far, White River National Forest is the only Colorado region to create an official OSV use map, but the Rio Grande National Forest is starting the process. And more electric options coming online soon should help Coloradans protect wildlands and give everyone ample opportunities to enjoy them, too.

Read More:

• Try a New Spin on Winter Touring with an Electric Snowmobile
• What the Heck Is a MoonBike?
• Want a Different Way To Charge the Pow? Check Out a Ski Bike.