Still, Utah is not without strong support for the riding community by the Utah Division of Parks and Recreation. The state runs 12 groomers routinely over roughly 1,200 miles of designated trails in Utah.

Eggett said the lodge grooms roughly 35 miles of trails "three to four times a week. Riders, especially first-time riders, prefer a smooth trail. It makes for a much more enjoyable experience."

Trails groomed by Daniels Summit interconnect with those groomed by the state in the Strawberry Complex. And, as noted, the trail system reaches south to Soldier Summit and north to an area near Kamas, where it is possible to link up with the Mirror Lake/Mill Hollow Complex, which has a groomed-trail system reaching up into Wyoming.

This season, the DPR expects to put roughly 28,000 miles on the 12 groomers tending the nine complexes — Hardware Ranch near Logan, Wasatch Mountain near Midway, Mirror Lake out of Kamas, Uinta Basin north of Vernal, Scofield/Skyline Drive west of Price, Ephraim/Manti to the east of the two towns, Fish Lake east of Richfield, Cedar Mountain east of Cedar City, and Strawberry.

At an average speed of about six miles per hour, about 50 miles of trails can be smoothed and manicured in a day.

While the number of registered machines may be down, consensus is that the overall number of riders may be up as a result of increased rental opportunities.

One thing that has made renting and riding out of the lodge more popular these days, explained Eggett, is the opportunity for riders, even first-time riders, to enjoy self-guided tours as opposed to organized group rides.

"We give people instructions and a map showing the well-marked trails and let them go off on their own, if they choose. They're able to go wherever they want, when they want," he added.

There are, however, certain guidelines all riders are encouraged to follow, said Rossum.

They are:

• Be certain of the weather and avalanche conditions.

"The snowmobiles of today are so much better than they were, so people are able to go so many more places. What this means is they need to be especially aware of weather and avalanche conditions," he offered.

• People need to go out with a plan. That is, they need to let people know where they will be riding and when they expect to return. And, they should never ride alone.

Rossum said he carries a cell phone, Global Positioning System and two-way radios, "So we're constantly in communication with others in our party."

• Riders should always carry survival equipment to include such things as candy bars, water, change of sox and gloves, matches and fire starter, signaling device and space blanket.