The Skinny on Where to Cross-Country Ski

Park City’s commitment to trails in general and cross-country skiing in particular has resulted in a network of trails and trail systems scattered in and out of town. In town, White Pine Touring offers two options: From the company’s rental center, you can head to the three- and five-kilometer loops that ramble across the Park City Municipal Golf Course off Highway 224 near Kearns Boulevard, or opt for the more demanding 10+-kilometer track at “the Farm” found just north of town off Highway 224. All are groomed for skate and classic skiing.

While the first two options are best for quick outings or to get acclimated to Park City’s 7,000-foot elevation, the latter, which can be reached via a groom-ed track leading north from the five-kilometer loop, offers a fair challenge of your stamina and skiing ability. The 10+ kilometers run past the historic McPolin Barn, along pastures and through trees. The climbing and descending hills are guaranteed to boost your heart rate and test your balance and endurance.

The Mountain Trails Foundation maintains a number of options for cross-country skiing. The historic Union Pacific Rail Trail is groomed by the organization, on occasion all the way to Wanship if snow allows. The Snyderville Basin Recreation District, meanwhile, grooms the East 224 Connector Trail from the Field House at Kimball Junction all the way south into Park City, as well as tracks at Ecker Hill Middle School and Willow Creek Park off Old Ranch Road.

Not far south of Park City in Midway, aspiring Olympians and weekend warriors alike can challenge themselves at Soldier Hollow, the Nordic venue for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. With more than 30 kilometers of trail, Soldier Hollow offers gently rolling courses, such as the two-kilometer-long “Snow and Easy” or three-kilometer “Heber Valley Express,” along with highly demanding Olympic routes such as “Roller Coaster.”

For the accomplished skier, one looking for a good day’s workout, the solution lies within the Wasatch-Cache National Forest, just 15.5 miles east of Park City. There you will find the Mirror Lake Scenic Byway that, with its slow, undulating climb toward 10,715 feet at Bald Mountain Pass, is winter’s perfect stress test for Nordic skiers, particularly those who prefer to skate rather than kick-and-glide.

While the highway runs 65 miles from Kamas, Utah, to Evanston, Wyoming, come winter, the U.S. Forest Service closes the road at the cutoff to Soapstone Basin, roughly 14 miles east of Kamas, and lets the snow pile up. And it can pile up! Once winter firmly takes hold, the highway from the Soapstone Basin cutoff east is groomed twice a week for snowmobiling, but the resulting surface is a skate skier’s dream. You could ski all the way to Wyoming and back if you had the time — not to mention legs, arms and lungs — to get the job done. Check with the Forest Service’s Kamas Ranger District (435.783.4338) for the grooming schedule and, if you’re determined, you could get out on the fresh corduroy track before the snowmobilers.

Of course, few skiers make the 15-mile journey all the way to the pass, as the route becomes increasingly steep. From Soapstone Basin to Bald Mountain Pass, you gain nearly 3,000 feet. But that’s not the point of heading to the highway. Rather, it’s to traverse an avenue lined with towering Douglas fir, pines and aspens, to glide past banded cliffs rising over meadows, or to hopefully glimpse a moose. The beauty of this ski, aside from the incredible scenery, is the downhill return which requires minimal effort, allowing you to savor the easy trip back to your rig.

Diagonal-stride skiers aren’t ignored along the Mirror Lake Highway, either. They too can head up the highway or ski off-road down one of the many trails or dirt roads that curl off from the byway. The Beaver Creek Trail parallels the highway, but from a distance, running 6.5 miles from the Yellow Pine Trailhead. This trail, which offers a gentle grade through aspen, can also be accessed from several points along the Mirror Lake Highway. Newcomers to skate skiing can find their comfort zone on the Pine Valley Beginner Loop found near the North Fork parking area. Just 1.5 miles in length, the loop isn’t intended to be an all-day affair, but rather to help new skiers become comfortable enough to head down the highway.

When not writing for Audubon, Hemispheres and National Wildlife, Kurt Repanshek tries to log as many skate-skiing miles as possible along the Mirror Lake Highway.

Trail reports can be found at www.soldierhollow.com, www.mountaintrails.org, and www.basinrecreation.com/TrailReport.html.