My Favorite Places for Backcountry Skiing in Utah

If there were a poster child for skiing in Utah, Mount Superior would be it. For those who’ve skied at Alta or Snowbird it’s impossible not to draw an eye on Superior with its steep, white encased mass towering 3000’ above the Little Cottonwood Highway. The skiing is really good here. In fact, it’s skiable on all sides, which are comprised of steep, expert terrain where conditions need to be optimal before approaching anywhere near it. The two main faces for descents are Cardiac Bowl and the South Face. From the Alta trailhead, follow the Cardiff Pass route. Cardiac Bowl and Chutes can be gained after some demanding skinning along the ridge line, which commands concentration and experience. From the bowl, you can ski to the south side and finish the ascent up the to the summit. If you’re looking for something a little crazier…you can mountaineer up the South Face, but do so with a guide. There’s little margin for error out there.

When looking west from Snowbird it’s hard to miss the mass of peaks, ridges and chutes choking the skyline. Much of this terrain comprises the Lone Peak Wilderness Area, more specifically Hogum Fork. The terrain here is generally big, steep and above treeline with plenty of diverse options to choose. Compared to other areas, access here requires a good deal of effort and a big day but the reward of solitude and plethora of five star terrain is unbeatable. This is a place best suited for experienced backcountry travelers in very good fitness. It is also a location where the right snow and avalanche conditions are essential for safe travel.

If you’re looking for an abundance of dry powder, thousands of acres of terrain AND backcountry access, the Alta ski area is the perfect place for you. One good thing to know about Alta: the resort doesn’t mind backcountry skiers using its snowcat route for backcountry access. A little inbounds to get out of bounds isn’t a problem. If you’re looking for slackcountry access, the Supreme lift will deliver you to the goods. On snow days, when the resort skiers are doing their thing it’s the perfect time to check out backcountry options.

An excellent starting point is Grizzly Gulch, which only requires a short skin and delivers quickly on skiable pow – great for beginners. Catherine’s Pass (via Grizzly Gulch) is reachable by skinning or lift and offers fantastic bowl skiing with further access to the trio of Sunset Peak, Mount Tuscarora and Pioneer Peak – all of which offer chutes, couloirs, bowls and trees of their own. Another option for the area is Flagstaff Mountain and Upper Days Fork, which can be tracked out fairly quickly, but is still worth getting up early for to hit skiable chutes, bowls and trees. All of these options and more are attainable with skins. No resort pass required. Not bad.

Don’t be lulled into a false sense of security due to all of the other skiers in the backcountry, more people means greater attention must be paid to snowpack and weather conditions. When in doubt, hire a guide to show you the best the area has to offer.

Believe the hype! Also, don’t let the hype get to you. Snowbird routinely ranks as a best resort and its surrounding area ranks as a backcountry skiing paradise because there’s ample, varied and steep terrain everywhere you look. While there’s plenty for families to do here while on vacation, the advanced and expert skiers here will have plenty of terrain to carve and shred, both on- and off-piste. It’s not on everybody’s bucket list only because of its name.

Snowbird provides slackcountry access to White Pine Fork, where, from the Gad 2 Backcountry Gate, you can make a short hike to the west to Temptation Ridge and shred the Temptation Chutes, or traverse up the ridge line and head for Birthday Chutes and Tri Chutes. In upper White Pine there’s the spectacular Glacier Bowl and the West Pass. This area is also accessible via the White Pine Trailhead, if you’re not based out of the resort. And if you feel like springing for it, there’s heli-skiing if you want that hard to reach pow.

There are few touring areas that provide as varied terrain as Mill D. Long known for its easy access aspen glade skiing, Mill D has a bit of everything, including plenty of advanced options. The drainage there also acts as a relative safe harbor when avalanche hazard is elevated. It should be noted that there are plenty of approaches to diverse terrain regardless of hazard conditions. Mill D is a great stomping ground for new users but it also draws experienced folks due to its diversity and the forgiving nature of its terrain

The name says it all. Long considered a local’s locale, Solitude is far less crowded than its neighbors and offers plenty of Utah’s famous powder. Simply put, it’s a gem of a ski vacation destination where there’s plenty of skiable lines available after it’s more famous neighbors get tracked out. There’s a lot of family options and the resort itself has done much to bolster its standing amongst its other more frequented neighbors.

The resort offers sidecountry access to challenging terrain in Honeycomb Canyon, where skiers can discover chutes and wide open powderfields in Wolverine Cirque. For even more of an adrenaline rush, there’s Fantasy Ridge which requires a hike over very exposed terrain that leads to narrow shoots and other technical delights – all of which is just a short trek from the resort. You can also skip the resort, too, and find access to Silver Fork Canyon and Honeycomb by parking at the lower Solitude lot and skinning/bootpacking up to Silver Fork for runs like Silver Spoon, Meadow Chutes and Brad’s Line. Also attainable from the Solitude lot is is USA Bowl, which has good tree skiing, with other options further beyond, like South Monitor and Scott Hill.

As the first ski resort in Utah, Brighton has something for everybody: there’s family-friendly trails, lots of night skiing and amazing slackcountry and backcountry terrain. Just off of the Great Western Lift is Hidden Canyon which offers runs lasting days for days after a storm. On the other side, the lines off of Mt. Millicent provide runs that will take you all the way to Alta and Snowbird. And just beyond Millicent is the Wolverine Cirque, with insanely steep chutes. What makes Brighton so special is it is a perfect place for regular resort skiers to get a taste of the backcountry. Oh, yeah, it’s a world famous destination for snowboarders too, so, if you’ve got one in your group (or your family), there’ll be something for everyone.

Within Park City, the Park City Mountain Resort is the largest ski area in the United States which means there’s tons of paths and activities to choose from, whether you’re an adventure seeker, luxury traveler or going on a family vacation. More important, though, are the backcountry runs available both within and without the resort, collectively known as the Park City Ridgeline. While you can get to the ridgeline directly from the resort, the terrain and its bowls and treelines are attainable from outside the resort, mostly on the Solitude and Brighton side of Big Cottonwood Canyon. Regardless, if you’re not too proud to take PCMR’s giant lift, the 9990, explore the southern half of the ridgeline and ski the classic Monitor Bowls or No Name bowl, all of which offer steep and sustained runs. They’re also huge. On the northside of the Ridgeline consider Dutchess Draw and McDonalds Draw each with big, each skiable and mega on powder days.

Sure, whenever ‘skiing’ and ‘Utah’ are spoken together in a sentence, it’s the Wasatch Mountain Range that comes to mind for most. But, there’s another truly great location, definitely off the beaten path, that bears mentioning as a serious destination for any backcountry skier: La Sal Mountains, just outside of Moab!

While the majority of people who know Moab may think of it primarily as a hiking and mountain biking locale, more people are reconsidering it’s 12+ 12,000’ mountains for backcountry skiing objectives. Whether you want to find powder stashes in the Corkscrew Glades or shred the vertical on Mount Tukuhnikivatz (Mount Tuk, as it’s affectionately known to locals), the access for most lines and runs is straightforward thanks to Moab being solid spring and summer recreation destination: there’s paths everywhere and lots of trailhead options. One of the easier runs is Haystack Mountain, which, with its south and east facing aspects, serves up plenty of corn come spring. For the backcountry skier looking for something more challenging, be sure to check out Mount Mellenthin. The summit ascent requires a lot of care and preparation (cliffs! avalanches! beware!), but there’s high angle chutes and bowls waiting for you on its north face.

So, while the 3.5hr drive from SLC may not be on the top of everyone’s weekend ski list, those of you who decide to make the journey will soon find yourselves planning on coming back before you know it.