On the Beaten Track
Slow down and take in the view from Park City’s network of groomed trails.
Photography: Dan Campbell
With bluebird skies above and a golden retriever at my side, I snap into my cross-country skis and gaze out at the miles of groomed trails gently rising, falling, and stretching into the distance beneath the Wasatch peaks. A pair of skate skiers (with their cattle dogs keeping pace at an athletic clip) nod to me, remarking “beautiful day” as they zip around the loop. No, I’m not a rugged backcountry pioneer about to light out into the wilderness. In fact, I’m standing smack in the center of the 84060 zip code, sharing the solitude with a couple of moose.
With trails meandering through large swaths of protected open space, my destination for today, Round Valley, is merely one delightful dish served up by Park City, Snyderville Basin Special Recreation District, and Mountain Trails Foundation—part of an annually expanding smorgasbord of Nordic trails that is the direct result of close collaboration among the three entities. While the average trail user may not realize that Basin Recreation grooms the city-owned stretch of McLeod Creek or that Mountain Trails Foundation sets the track at Round Valley, the packed trailhead parking lots reveal that these efforts do not go unappreciated.
With a nod to the Scandinavians—and why not, since we claim skiing pioneer Stein Eriksen and many Swedish miners from days past as part of our heritage—we Parkites stick to the metric system when discussing Nordic trails. This winter, more than 50 kilometers of public groomed trails beckon. This snowy playground attracts all manner of adventure: cross-country skiing (classic and skate), snowshoeing, dog walking, and even winter running and mountain biking.
The Round Valley and Willow Creek trail systems are the two key hot spots, while smaller, satellite trail systems in the ’burbs as well as straightaway stretches along the Rail Trail and McLeod Creek are also popular. According to city trails coordinator Heinrich Deters, on a sunny weekend roughly 400 people take advantage of the trails. Basin Recreation’s Bob Radke likens the community feel of the trail system to the hub of town. “It is the new post office,” he says.
In theory, a skier could click into her bindings at Kimball Junction, swish her way alongside Highway 224 into the Willow Creek Park system, and continue through the McLeod Creek Trail all the way into Park City. Or if she happens to have a season pass to White Pine Nordic Center, she may pop through the underpass (sans canine companion) and continue into town on the private trail system. Similarly, a Silver Summit resident can hop onto the brand new Silver-Quinn Trail, skirt Highway 40, swoop through Round Valley, pass under Highway 248 onto the Rail Trail, and glide her way into Old Town.
“We’ve come around in a big way,” says Charlie Sturgis of Mountain Trails Foundation. According to Sturgis, until just recently the entire state of Utah couldn’t compare to the single resort town of Sun Valley in terms of Nordic skiing options. Today, Park City is giving its Idaho resort rival some serious Nordic competition. Basin Recreation’s Senta Beyer and Deters echo Sturgis’s sentiment, touting the expanded Nordic options as an enhancement of the town’s winter offerings.
If the public continues to approve funding to purchase trails and open space (county voters passed a $20 million open space and trails bond in November), the trail system may never end—don’t be surprised if a Nordic network crops up near Utah Olympic Park. As Basin Recreation’s Bonnie Park says, “The more we build, the more people get out there and use it.” My dog and I—and hundreds of Parkites and area visitors each year–are proof.
Freelance writer Jane Gendron is truly grateful for Park City’s miles upon miles of spectacular trails, where she can ski (i.e., glide for a bit, fall, dust herself off, laugh, and try again) to her heart’s content. Her dog Hayden concurs.
The Loops
Round Valley
Approximately 21 km of groomed, rolling terrain, this city-owned area has remarkable hilltop views of the Wasatch Mountains and serves as a home to moose, fox, deer, elk, and red-tailed hawks. Quinn’s trailhead, located near the Park City Ice Arena on Highway 248, has ample parking. For snowshoers, the Old Ranch Road and Cove trailheads offer access to ungroomed single track, which ultimately connects to the groomed system. With the new Silver-Quinn Trail skirting Highway 40 and opportunities to groom wider tracks on conservation easement land adjacent to Round Valley, the potential to spend hours looping through the network of intermediate trails is impressive. A quick ski through the Kearns underpass to the Rail Trail extends the skiing options to Old Town. About 5 km of the Rail Trail is groomed, from Bonanza Drive to the intersection of Highway 40 and Highway 248; those unopposed to forging their own tracks can continue all the way to the town of Echo, 48 km away.
Willow Creek
Located in Snyderville Basin, this area is ideal for beginning skiers because of its relatively flat terrain. Willow Creek Park offers a veritable winter carnival of activities to round out the snowy experience, such as kid-friendly sledding slopes and a popular ice-skating pond. Basin Recreation routinely grooms the approximately 3.2-km Willow Creek Loop (which includes classic tracks) as well as a network of area trails, including the beginner-friendly 2-km Miss Billy’s. These trails don’t undulate quite as much as those in the Round Valley system, but the pastoral setting affords glimpses of hawks and horses and dramatic views of Canyons resort. The Willow Creek system is also popular with advanced skiers and links into an approximately 8-km stretch of trail that runs from The Peaks Hotel in town to the Fieldhouse at Kimball Junction. Past Kimball Junction, Basin Recreation also maintains a couple of 2-km tracks, one adjacent to Ecker Hill and the other in the Woods at Parley’s Lane subdivision.
Public Meets Private
In town, public and private trails converge at the Highway 224 underpass, leading from the free McLeod Creek Trail toward McPolin Barn and the fee-accessed 22 km of meticulously groomed track operated by White Pine Nordic Center (the well-respected granddaddy of local Nordic skiing). No pups or pedestrians are permitted on the White Pine trails, but pass-holders can easily extend their skiing experience, crossing over the border like a traveler blessed with dual citizenship.
TIPS UP! {and down and all around}
Getting Started
Pick up a free Mountain Trails Foundation winter map (donations welcome) at a local sports store or coffee shop. Once you’re on the trail, don’t be afraid to ask a local for directions.
Canine Companions
Fido is welcome on all public trails, and “Mutt Mitts” for cleaning up after dogs are provided at every trailhead. Owners are urged to keep their four-legged friends under control for the safety and enjoyment of all users.
For a Pure Skiing Experience
For lessons, rentals, gear, expert advice, and 22 km of perfectly groomed trails for classic and skate skiers (free of dogs, snowshoers, bikers, and walkers), go to White Pine Nordic Center. A day pass costs $18; a season pass is $275.
Wee Ones and Beginners
Try the relatively flat, new trails on the Silver-Quinn Trail (the conservation easement near Round Valley), the Willow Creek trails (particularly Miss Billy’s), and the Rail Trail, or spring for a pass or lesson at White Pine Nordic Center.
Snowshoers
Hit Round Valley single-track (such as Rambler) or trails outside the groomed system such as Spiro (in the Thaynes neighborhood) or Sun Peak’s Rob’s Trail.
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