Togwotee, West Yellowstone, Island Park, and McCall all come to mind as huge areas with all sorts of terrain and excellent snow as well as close airports and numerous lodging options. There are some tourists at all these locations, especially West Yellowstone, but its easy to get away from all that, most people are there for deep pow and hills.
IF you and your riding group spend plenty of time off trail back east you will probably be just fine in Alpine. If you mostly ride trails and are dreaming of deep powder and pow turns there are better options for beginners. There just aren’t alot of flat areas and open rolling hills around the Star Valley to learn the basics. Just something to consider.
Agree to disagree. I've ridden all of those places mentioned except McCall. Island Park has changed a bunch in the last 30 years and is extremely crowded. Sawtelle and Jefferson are just as steep as the terrain around Alpine. I have friends with cabins in I.P. yet they still come to Alpine to ride. Half of the rideable terrain in West Yellowstone is in the National Park and Two Top has very little character. Lions head is one of the most avalanche prone canyons I have ever ridden and is still very advanced. Togwotee is a great place, but like most, you will eventually get bored with it, it all looks the same and doesn't have much character. The snow is typically deep due to it's high elevation but it gets tracked up quick due to the large number of people. If you hit it in a snow storm it is a very easy place to get turned around and or lost, and the depth perception is poor due to the lack of trees.
That being said, Alpine is one of the easiest places to self guide that there is. I don't think many areas have much on Alpine, if any. If you choose to ride the Greys River, the trail system follows the river for about 50 miles. All of the drainages lead to the river. The river runs to Alpine. There are services, gas and lunch, 28 miles up the river at the box y. The little greys 16 miles up has great intermediate riding.
In my opinion, some of the best riding is West of Alpine in Idaho. You can be climbing poker peak 7 miles from Alpine, which is also great intermediate riding. Although Alpine is known for having some epic steep and deep, it also has plenty of great terrain for newer riders. I can go on and on. Here is a picture from yesterday of one of the meadows that I had my 20 year old daughter and 16 year old nephew, who is on his 7th snowmobile ride in his life. We rode directly west from the Rockin' M Ranch cabins. Tons of great untouched powder meadows with very little avalanche danger.
From Alpine: Idaho Falls Airport 72 miles, Jackson Airport 50.
