Cheap Travel Guide

Snowmobiles are not as common as cars in Vermont but sometimes it seems like they are. The Vermont snowmobile season got a late start this year but it is fully underway now. There are options for people to rent or operate their own snowmobile.

If you don’t own a snowmobile or can’t bring yours with you, here are two rental outfits (note: there are more but I’ll just mention two now and write another entry about some others at a later date):

High Country Snowmobile Tours , located in the town of Wilmington in southern Vermont, has many types of tours including a two hour, evening, half day, full day, private, corporate, snowmobile safety course, and an introductory course. Prices range from $55 to $285.

Snowmobile Vermont has new or late model snowmobiles, helmets, and boots. The tours run every day, conditions permitting, at Killington, Okemo, both in central VT, and Stowe in northern VT. I took a two hour ride at the Stowe location a few years ago and had a great time. This is a very well run operation and the tour went deep into a beautiful forest. Note: this is real back country snowmobiling, not just plodding around a flat field. We had some guests at our inn who mostly enjoyed themselves on this tour but they were surprised at and intimidated by the rugged terrain. They were not the outdoors type, let us say, so keep in mind that these tours are not ideal for shy and hesitant people. The tour is conducted at a reasonable speed and with safety in mind but it is not for everyone. If memory serves, a two hour tour for two people on a snowmobile is about $160.

Note: both companies take a credit card and place a hefty deposit on it in case you damage the equipment. This is returned to you at the end of the tour. And both operations will take walk-ins but it’s better to reserve ahead of time.

If you own your own snowmobile, you should take a look at the Vermont Association of Snow Travelers (VAST), a huge organization made up of some 140 snowmobile clubs around the state. VAST operates more than 5,000 miles (!) of snowmobile trails in Vermont. There is an annual fee of $95 for out of state residents ($65 for Vermont residents) to ride the trails plus a required local membership of $5 to $15 depending upon which club you purchase a membership from. You must show registration and proof of insurance. The VAST website has full details for joining as well as map ordering and other information.

(c) 2007 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus

grunberghaus.com