Two Top Yellowstone Winter Tours
The Ride of a Lifetime
With bubbling geysers, active wildlife and unmatched scenery, Yellowstone Park is one of the most beautiful areas in the lower 48—and the best way to experience it all is riding on a snowmobile. That’s exactly what Two Top Yellowstone Winter Tours has been facilitating for nearly 50 years. Since 1966, they’ve been helping guests enjoy the wonder and beauty of America’s first national park in the most intimate way possible. Howard McCray established Two Top Snowmobile Rentals in 1969, when he decided to supplement the slow season at Richardson’s Motel – an establishment he owned and operated from 1962 until 1986 – by renting out a few sleds: three, to be exact. But his supplemental income proved anything but.“I lost my shirt,” remarked Howard in a 1986 interview with The West Yellowstone News,“but I had to take a chance because I was already losing my shirt in the dealership business.” One of the earliest dealers in West, Howard came to the unfortunate realization that those who came to test-drive most often merely borrowed and returned. “I started the rentals in self defense,” quipped Howard. The move proved advantageous and his fleet of three grew to 20 by the early 1970s. In 1979, the fleet had grown to 40 and Howard’s son David joined the business. “My father bought his first snowmobile in ‘64 and really got into the rental business by ‘69,” says David, who, along with his brother Randy, assumed ownership of Two Top from his father in 1986. “It was a real mom-and-pop operation. And by 1980, we’d become a full-fledged rental company. We’ve grown every single year since.” That continuous growth has positioned Two Top as the single largest snowmobile company in West.
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Montana Historian
Through the years, the company rode the wave of changes enacted by the Park Service, including restrictions on guides, permits and allowable types of snowmobiles. Thankfully, by working to find compromises with the Park, things have turned out for the best: with the award of a ten-year contract this spring by the Park Service, Two Top will be able to take up to 100 snowmobiles into the Park on any given day by the 2015-16 season. “It’s a very exciting time to visit Yellowstone in the winter” David remarks. Whether an expert or a beginner, every guest can ride a clean-burning, Park-compliant four-stroke snowmobile over well-marked, groomed trails beginning right out the front door. With hundreds of miles of snowmobile trails in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming, there’s almost no limit to what guests could experience.“We still rent snowmobiles for self-guided tours on the Gallatin and Targhee National Forests, but all Yellowstone National Park winter tours are guided, and our staff are all in West Yellowstone because they love it,” says David.“The knowledge they have is really amazing.” “We have clients that come out every season. They’ll bring their kids and, years later, their kids will come with families of their own,” says David with a smile.“It’s real fun to see the same familiar faces year after year.” A family business firmly and happily entrenched in family, David and the staff at Two Top pride themselves on customized care.“Clients aren’t just customers here,” David explains.“They’re guests in a unique corner of the world, at an incredible time of the year, invited to share in a very special, once-in-a-lifetime experience.” To schedule an unparalleled experience, check out twotopsnowmobile.com.