Okanogan County invites folks to explore its backcountry, travel its groomed trails and explore the county from the seat of a snowmobile.

With more than a dozen Sno-Parks, the county offers nearly 400 miles of groomed trails across a wide variety of terrain.

About half the trails can be reached from the Methow Valley.

One of the most popular rides is from the Boulder Creek SnoPark near Winthrop over to the town of Conconully, which allows snowmobiles on its streets during the winter. There are numerous trails in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest right from town.

The Mountain Trail Grooming Association maintains 175 miles of groomed trails in the Methow Valley. Most of them are inter-connected, so riders can go all day or take multiple days to explore them. Local riders say trails from the Eightmile, Boulder Creek and Mazama Sno-Parks offer some of the best riding.

The Goat Creek Sno-Park near Mazama offers backcountry riding, including to Hart’s Pass with its stunning views of the Cascade Mountains.

Elsewhere in the county, the Black Canyon Sno-Park west of Pateros has trails to Lake Chelan. And the Crawfish Sno-Park and trail system east of Omak is considered to be one of the county’s best kept secrets.

The best source of all things snowmobiling in Okanogan County is the Washington State Park’s Web site, which includes directions, locations of Sno-Parks and maps of groomed snowmobile trails, along with grooming schedules and any closures or problems with trails.

All Sno-Parks require a parking permit.