Yellowstone ready for winter tourism

POWELL, Wyo. -- Advance bookings for winter trips into Yellowstone National Park through the park's East Entrance are up from last year, according to two tour business owners.

Jon Sowerwine, owner of High Country Adventures, which offers snowcoach tours into the park via Sylvan Pass, estimated winter reservations are up 30 percent from this time last year.

"We've had really good bookings, actually," he said.

Sowerwine said he expects to do more business this season than last winter, even though Yellowstone's 2005-06 winter season started Wednesday, one week later than last year's. It runs through March 12, 2006.

Advance bookings for Yellowstone snowmobile tours at Rimrock Ranch are also looking good, considering the confusion over snowmobile regulations the past few years, said Dede Fales, ranch owner.

Rimrock is the East Entrance's only sled provider.

"We're looking fairly steady," said Fales, who manages sled rentals with her husband, Gary. "Reservations over Christmas are looking really good and we're starting to fill up January. Of course, we're still wishing those who own their own snowmobiles could go in themselves. It's a shame."

Yellowstone is currently operating under temporary winter use rules while the National Park Service prepares a new long-term winter use plan. There was much confusion last winter about snowmobile use in the park because of competing court rulings.

The temporary rules, in place through 2007, allow a maximum of 720 guided best-available-technology snowmobiles in the park each day, including a limited number through the East Entrance.