Imagine getting on a machine and heading back country through the mountains with snow all around you!!!!! This winter we headed all the way up to Lake Tahoe on the California/Nevada border for an unforgettable experience on a sled blazing deep through the forest. If you are someone who likes an adrenaline rush, back country snowmobile through the Sierra Nevada terrain will be your cup of tea for sure.
The combination of snow clad mountains and the vast wilderness around it, attracts most people and we are no different, and snowmobile is one of the adventure activities we always wanted to experience to get up close and personal with one of the most beautiful side of the nature.
Roaring on a sled through a powdery forest completely covered in snow is a journey that will stay with you forever.It was a journey that kept us on our toes and fully complemented the thrill seekers within both of us.
There are lot of options in terms of service providers for the snowmobile experience but we paired up with Lake Tahoe adventures and they took very good care of us throughout the experience. They also offer additional discounts for AAA members which worked well for us. After the initial registration and waivers are signed, hop on to the bus that takes you to the actual starting point of the journey. We started with a quick refresher course on how to start and stop the machines and within minutes we were on the trail.
As first time snowmobilers, we chose the relatively easy terrain of their 'Summit Snowmobile Tour' offering and we suggest all first timers to go for that only. They also offer the 'The Ultimate Snowmobile Ride' package mostly for the pro-s which has a much rugged terrain to master. The Summit Tour is the more popular one though and the trail head is in the beautiful Hope Valley at 7200 feet just south of lake Tahoe in the Alpine county, California. The trail climbs rapidly, quickly heading deep into the back country with the Sierra coast at nearly 10000 feet just west across the Faith Valley.
Throughout the journey, our guide made sure that the group was following along with stops at multiple picturesque spots for ample photograph opportunities and were also given nice hot chocolate break to our surprise with everyone taking time off to take a few snaps with the beautiful Sierra in the background.
As we neared the end of the journey back to the starting point, both of us felt that we did not have enough because of the sheer fun of the ride and wanted to ride along, however, we had to end this beautiful journey to travel to our next destination. All the inhibitions we had as the first time snowmobilers were replaced with beautiful memories by the time we finished our ride and we plan to do the next level of the terrain as part of our next snowmobile trip.
Here are few things to know before heading there:
1. You need to have a valid drivers license to rent out a snowmobile.
2. You have options of single,double and triple riders varying between the range of $160 to $270 and you can avail discount on top of that if you are a AAA member .
3. Try to choose a clear sunny day for this ultimate experience .
4. Make sure you layer up and dress wisely for the conditions, we highly recommend snow pants and boots along with eye gear and gloves, helmets are mandatory - all of these are provided on rent at the registration office but feel free to bring your own should you choose to.
5. There are only two windows for this activity one starting at 11AM and the other at 1 PM and these do get filled up pretty quick, so you may wanna check and book in advance to reserve your slot.