West Yellowstone, MT – For those wanting to get out and explore a larger area than you could cover hiking, riding ATV’s is an option where allowed and also lots of fun. It is important to note that you cannot ride ATV’s in Yellowstone National Park. However, from West Yellowstone you can easily access the Gallatin National Forest in Montana and Caribou Targee National Forest in Idaho. We rented two ATV’s from Yellowstone Adventures located at 131 Dunraven Street, West Yellowstone, Montana. They also rent snowmobiles in the winter. We chose to do a full day rental which allows you to pick up your ATV at 9am and drop it off at 5pm. They also offer half day options and rent side by sides. Full day rental for a single rider costs $169 and a half day costs $139 per ATV. They also charge $15 per ATV for insurance. The rental price includes use of a helmet. There is a small storage compartment on back. They lent us 2 bungee cords each to attach our backpacks to rear racks on the ATV’s.
A view along the trail in the Gallatin National Forest
In Montana, it is legal to ride ATV’s in the street as long as you meet the following criteria:
- Your ATV or Dirt Bike must be street legal including mirror, horn, headlight, and brake lights.
- Register your ATV or Dirt Bike as a motor vehicle and display a motor vehicle license plate.
- Have a valid driver’s license in your possession.
The rental ATV’s from Yellowstone Adventures meet these criteria, so we were able to leave from their store to access the National Forest. Trails depart from the west side of town near Madison Avenue. The staff were very helpful with orienting us to their ATV and providing trail recommendations and a map. We chose to do a loop trail that takes you past Mount Two Top and to drive around Hebgen Lake to the top of Horse Butte.
Our trails left from West Yellowstone
When riding ATV’s it is recommended that you wear sturdy footwear, long pants, helmet, protective eyewear and something to cover your nose/mouth when it is dry and dusty. Luckily we had our winter goggles in the RV and these worked fine. For covering our nose/mouth, I had a Tough Headwear buff that can be worn in many ways and looks like a stretch cloth tube. It can be worn as a single layer or doubled depending on dustiness. Mike picked up a traditional bandana which Yellowstone Adventures sells for a little under $4. After trying both, we felt the buff was easier to work with.
Our gear included our goggles, map, and buffs to cover our nose/mouth
The first part of our tour, the loop trail past Mount Two Top traveled through forest and up into the surrounding mountains. Most of the trail was narrow forest roads. There was an ATV only section (50 inches or less) that was more narrow, rocky, and difficult. The junctions were well marked for the entire loop. We stopped along the South Fork of the Madison River to enjoy our packed lunch.
Gallatin National Forest view
We rented two single ATV’s
Much of the trail was on forest service roads
View of Mount Two Top
We ate our packed lunch along the South Fork of the Madison River
The second part of the tour up to and around Hebgen Lake was completely on Forest Service Roads. Much of this area had full sun exposure and was getting warm in the afternoon. It was also quite dusty. The views of Hebgen Lake were great. We drove up Horse Butte for an overlook of the region. Unfortunately the region’s forest fire haze limited the distance of views.
Hebgen Lake from Horse Butte
We had a great time riding ATV’s and look forward to our next opportunity. We had no problems completing the two trails in time to return by 5pm. We were actually back early. Once back in town, we did need to stop and fill the gas tanks at the station next door to Yellowstone Adventures before returning the ATV’s. We would also like to return to West Yellowstone for snowmobiling some winter. For this trip we were staying at the Grizzly RV Park in West Yellowstone. We also visited the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone, and did some wildlife watching and hiking in Yellowstone National Park.
