The National Park Service is pleased to announce the availability of the Yellowstone Snowmobile Education Certification course. Certification under this free online course will be required for all members of the public who operate snowmobiles in the park under the new Non-commercially Guided Snowmobile Access Program. This program permits members of the public to guide private parties of up to five Best Available Technology snowmobiles into the park. There will be one group per oversnow entrance per day and permits can be for up to three days.

The Yellowstone Snowmobile Education Certification course focuses on rider safety and resource protection. Participants will learn how to plan for their trip, operate snowmobiles in Yellowstone’s unique conditions, and the best practices for sharing roadways with wildlife, among other topics.

The course can be accessed at http://eppley.org/elearning/yellowstone-snowmobile-education-certificate, where participants can sign up for the free training.

Park staff members have worked with course development experts at the Eppley Institute to develop the course, which will feature videos, text, interactive graphics and a final assessment for certification. Certification will be valid for two years.

Superintendent Dan Wenk noted the important support from the State of Wyoming and Governor Matthew Mead; the Wyoming Trails Program awarded a grant to develop the course and provide technical assistance. “I appreciate the work of the Wyoming Trails Program and the National Park  Service in developing this new online course,” Governor Mead said. “Now more people will have the chance to experience the majesty of Yellowstone in winter.”

Non-commercially Guided Snowmobile Access Permits are awarded through an initial lottery process, which ran the first week of October. Permits not yet spoken for will be available at recreation.gov beginning on November 3rd. Permits will also become available due to cancellations, so interested parties are encouraged to check recreation.gov throughout the season.

For questions regarding this program, please contact Alicia Murphy at alicia_murphy@nps.gov. For more information on the Yellowstone Winter Use issue visit our website www.saveyellowstonepark.com.