Yellowstone Opens Lottery for DIY Snowmobile Trips This Winter

Millions of visitors will pile through Yellowstone National Park this summer. Roads get clogged and parking lots overflow. Popular attractions feel like Disney World, with tourists packing the walkways and visitor centers.

Winter in Yellowstone is an entirely different experience, and if riding a snowmobile through YNP has always been on your bucket list, here's your chance to make it happen without paying for, or participating in, a commercial guided tour.

brown and black wolf on snow covered ground — Photo by Federico Di Dio photography on Unsplash

The permit lottery opens August 1.

Beginning Saturday, August 1, Yellowstone National Park will open its annual lottery for the 2026-27 Non-Commercially Guided Snowmobile Access Program. The lottery runs through August 31, allowing adventurous riders to score one of the coveted permits to explore the park during the winter season.

The program, in place since 2013, allows permit holders to lead their own group of up to five snowmobilers into Yellowstone for trips lasting up to three days. It's a unique option for experienced riders who want to enjoy the park at their own pace while still following Yellowstone's strict winter travel rules.

Applications are submitted through Recreation.gov.

Successful applicants will be notified in early September. Any permits that aren't claimed or become available due to cancellations will be released on a first-come, first-served basis beginning October 1.

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There isn't a waiting list, so if you miss out in the lottery, it's worth checking back throughout the winter as plans inevitably change.

Permits cost $40 per day, plus a $6 application fee.

The permit holder must be at least 18 years old and serves as the group's non-commercial guide. Every snowmobile operator needs a valid driver's license and must complete Yellowstone's free online Snowmobile Education Certification course before entering the park.

In addition, all machines must meet Yellowstone's "New Best Available Technology" emissions and sound standards. Those aftermarket pipes on your sled probably don't qualify. If you've been looking for an excuse to experience the park in its quietest season, this lottery might be your ticket.

Yellowstone Wildfire of 1988

The fires in 1988 burned 793,800 acres, 39% of Yellowstone's 2.2 million acres. After 30 years most of the parks lodgepole pines destroyed in 1988 have regenerated and are thriving.