SnoWest Western Guide named the Snowy Range the #4 Trail in their annual Guide. The Article read:

"There are lots of words that conjure up the perfect setting for a snowmobile trip. Perhaps none more than the Snowy Range. That says it all. And SnoWest Readers are listening because once again they have voted the Snowies not only into the Top 15 but once again into the top five, an elite list indeed. The Snowy Range, No. 5 last year, swaps places with Cooke City on this year's list.

You know how good an area is for snowmobiling when it's painful to drive by it in the dead of winter and you can't stop and play. That happened to us twice last winter as we were on our way to different spots for work. We drove by the Snowies, mesmerized by the mountains and snow and all the memories that flooded back from previous rides. That's painful.

Painful because we know just how good the riding is and how incredible the snow can be. Nearly 300 inches of light, dry champagne powder fall in the Snowy Range. The snow is a magnet as the Snowies aren't just popular with out-of-staters. They're also the most popular riding area among Wyoming snowmobilers in a state where there's some pretty great riding.

According to the Wyoming Snowmobile Survey, prepared by nearby Laramie-based University of Wyoming for the Wyoming Department of State Parks and Historic Sites, 44 percent of Wyoming snowmobilers choose the Snowies as their favorite riding spot in the Cowboy state.

Riding starts about 7,000 feet and climbs to 11,000 feet (if you've got the horsepower and necessary nerve for the nether reaches of the mountains). The riding is challenging in some of the chutes and drainages that cover the Snowies, but there is an abundance of gentler riding spots where emerging riders can hone their skills on the way up to tackling the Widow Maker.

That's an important factoid for someone new to the sport or who is used to riding groomed trails with little elevation change. As we mentioned, the Snowies are immensely popular with out-of-staters, especially those sledders from the Midwest. For thos sledders taking the southern route (Interstate 80 as opposed to I 90) to the West, the Snowy Range would be the first big mountain range they come to. Some never make it any farther. They unload, find out how good it is and stay and ride the snowies. And they return again and again.

On one of our riding trips to the Snowies, we talked to one group of riders-seven in all-from Minnesota who were spending the entire week in the Snowies. And they couldn't have been happier.

There are plenty of trails-both groomed (166 miles) and ungroomed (136 miles)-to get you to the backcoutry if that's your wish, or you can explore the Snowies by just staying on the groomed and ungroomed trails.

We're ridden the Snowy Range on several occasions and found the same great conditions every time we've been there.

And it's not just that the snow is deep, it's that champagne light kind of dry powder that makes for great boondocking and tree riding and laying the sled down in the meadows kind of snow. Add to that Wyoming's notorious winds and there are some great wind drifts to jump all over the Snowies.

For hillclimbing, it's tought to beat the Widow Maker, which is near the tallest mountain in the Snowies. While the Widow Maker may be the most famous hillclimbing spot in the Snowies, there are plenty of others spread out across the band of mountains in the southeast Wyoming.

The most popular trail in the entire Snowy Range system is Highway 120, a scenic byway that cuts through the heart of the Snowies and is closed to vehicles in the winter due to the deep snow. The trail also serves as the main artery to access dozens of groomed and unfrooomed paths which shoot off in every direction.

The Snowy Range is part of the Medicine Bow Range and its centerpiece is the grand Medicine Bow Peak (12,013 feet), which can be seen from just about anywhere in the mountain range, or southeast Wyoming, for that matter. The Widow Maker is on the northeast side of Medicine Bow Peak.

The Snowies can be accessed from both sides of the range, via Highway 120 from the west and also from the east. The east side of the Snowies can also be reached by Highway 127/230."  

Wyoming is quiet literally a Rodeo on Snow

"No one seems to downplay or do away with the Cowboy State's tough and tumble image.

In fact, the state relishes in it.

It's that image that attracts visitor to the state, summer and winter.

Of course, we're partial to winter and we think snowmobiling in Wyoming is one big rodeo on snow. Yee haw.

The state is wide open and ready for exploring on a mechanical horse-the snowmobile. Unlike the real sport of rodeo, though, if you happen to get bucked off your mechanical pony, you're likely to land on light, dry powder. And lots of it.

It's obvious snowmobilers like that kind of a rodeo because Wyoming boasts of four spots on the Top 15 Trails in the West list and all of those are in the top 10. That's most of any western state. Now that's braggin' rights.

What snowmobilers have discovered in riding the Cowboy State is that it's the complete package when it comes to sledding. With more than 2,000 miles of groomed trails, some of the best hillclimbing anywhere to be found, plenty of snow, excellent boondocking in all kinds of terrain from the very easy to as tough as you can handle, the state appeals to anyone who wants to snowmobile. There's not much-if anything-not to like about snowmobiling in Wyoming.

The deep snow and steep mountains attract snowmobilers from all over the snowbelt, who go there to ride places with names familiar in snowmobile circles: the Snowy Range, the Big Horns, the Continental Divide Snowmobile Trail, Alpine and the Beartooths. Then there are Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. As SnoWest's Top 15 survey shows, Wyoming is a must-ride on most snowmobilers' lists.

Wyoming can also boast of having the largest single trail system in the West, the CDST, with its 600 plus miles of groomed trails.

For as many big name snowmobile riding areas as there are in Wyoming, there are dozens more off the beaten path that will appeal to snowmobilers of all riding abilities. These areas are somewhat off the beaten path (but not always), meaning they are ususally less crowded than the more popular spots."

Maverick Motorsports of Laramie, Wyoming encourages all of our friends and guests to enjoy Wyoming and all that it has to offer. We support local groups such as our local H.O.G.® chapters, Harley's Heroes, the Vietnam Vets M.C., and the Legacy Vets M.C. groups. Maverick Motorsports has donated goods and money to several organizations and has participated in several poker rides for various causes. If you would like a donation stop by the store to fill out the donation request form.