It’s the most wonderful time of the year! No, it is. The holiday period can’t hold a candle to this. Rocks are buried by the deep snowpack, the daylight hours are long, and for the most part, the notion of powder panic has evaporated until October when the diehards once again start champing at the bit the moment the mercury starts to dip. It’s like locals’ season 2.0, except the skiing is truly good this time without the ever-present threat of detonating one’s skis and knees on a post-Thanksgiving rock. It’s either late-season powder or some corn-snow-ripping fun in the sun, so keep those skis waxed and don’t lose the bug just yet.
But wait there’s more. Not only is it prime time on the slopes, but spring brings the best of après and on-mountain festivities. We’ll start at Park City Mountain, where the annual Spring Grüv gets underway for 16 days of après, live music and more. On-hill entertainment in the middle of your ski or snowboard day includes live tunes from DJ Velvet on the Public House Deck at Park City’s Mid-Mountain Lodge—by far the best lodge in Park City—every Saturday, starting March 2.
End each Saturday at Canyons Village, where live music on the main stage is the focal point of a ski beach bash. Highlights include a performance from roots-rock and southern soul maestro Anderson East with special guests Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds on March 30. Shows are free for everyone, so even if you didn’t hit the slopes you can still take the Cabriolet in your finest retro-ski regalia to join in the fun.
Music may be the defining element of Spring Grüv, but the annual highlight is the Pond Skim Competition, which this season takes place on April 6. If you have the gumption, sign up for the competition, pack your most creative costume, wax your skis or board for maximum velocity and take on the 100-foot crossing yourself. Those who prefer staying dry or desperately want to maintain their dignity can come to watch from the sidelines to enjoy the successful crossings, the spectacular wipeouts and everything in between.
Deer Valley perhaps has a reputation for being slightly more buttoned up, but they know how to après luxuriously. The resort is hosting a series of post-ski festivities including Fire and Ice Après-Ski on March 9 and 10 with Moët Hennessy and the High West Whiskey Lounge March 15-17 out of a retrofitted Airstream—both at Silver Lake Lodge—and every Saturday Brews and Tunes Après at Snow Park Lodge with live music and a rotating selection of brewery hosts. Snowboarders are welcome to join the party, even if they’re not allowed on the slopes.
As I said, it’s the most wonderful time of the year, so don’t go chasing sand and sun in the desert. Full event calendars are available on Park City’s and Deer Valley’s websites. parkcitymountain.com, deervalley.com
Undoubtedly, the alpine skiingopportunities within 30 minutes of Salt Lake rank evenly with the best winter resorts in the world. And I, like hundreds of thousands of Wasatch Front residents, try to soak up as much resort skiing as I can during Utah’s short but sweet ski season. That said, for one winter weekend, I hang up my alpine skis, load my snowshoes and cross-country skis into the car and beat it to Bryce Canyon National Park. There, among red rock spires, campy small towns, scenic trails and glorious cross-country ski tracks, I treat myself to a much-needed, nature-infused recharge.
Bryce Canyon National Park Rangers lead guided snowshoe excursions along the rim of Bryce Canyon. Photo Courtesy of Bryce Canyon National Park.
1. Stay
Lodging rates in the Bryce Canyon area are a steal in winter. Ruby’s Inn, located in Bryce Canyon City, offers clean, pleasant and dog-friendly hotel rooms with lots of on-site amenities. In nearby Tropic, Bryce Canyon Pines features standard hotel rooms and a three-bedroom family suite with a full kitchen. Or rent a home through Vrbo or AirBnB (like this cute two-bedroom house 12 miles from BCNP in Cannonville at vrbo.com/719925). rubysinn.com, bcpines.com
2. Glide
Ruby’s Inn sets more than 30 kilometers of cross-country skiing track for both classic and skate skiing throughout the Ponderosa Pine-filled forest directly next to the hotel. Admission to the track is free for both hotel guests and those staying elsewhere. Ruby’s Inn also maintains an ice ribbon next to its Winter Activity Center (Ebenezer’s Bar & Grill building). The cost to skate is just $7 and includes ice skate rental.
3. Hike
Thanks to its 8,000-feet-above-sea-level elevation, the contrast of snow-flocked red rock against blue skies is both a sight to behold and common in the winter months at Bryce Canyon National Park. For an up-close view of Bryce’s snow-frosted spires or “hoodoos,” take a walk on the Queen’s Garden/Navajo Combination Loop, a 2.3-mile, moderate trail descending and ascending the canyon between Sunset and Sunrise points. Before you go, check in at the park Visitor Center for the latest trail conditions and info on ranger-led snowshoe hikes.
If you’re looking for more than the ample elbow room offered at Bryce Canyon, head 10 miles southeast to Red Canyon, known as “Little Bryce,” for its red rock hoodoos and pink sand. The Red Canyon Visitor Center is closed in the winter, but current hiking, mountain biking and OHV trail information is posted on a kiosk at the mouth of the canyon. Drive 10 miles farther along Scenic Byway 12 through Tropic to Kodachrome State Park. There are five hiking trails that wind among surreal sandstone spires, called sedimentary pipes. Pro tip: Dress in layers as temperatures vary widely between the sun and shade in the desert, especially in the winter. Snow-covered trails throughout the park are invariably slick making micro-spikes and hiking poles/walking sticks musts. (Both can be rented at Ruby’s Inn.) nps.gov/brca, stateparks.utah.gov
4. Eat & Drink
Dining in this corner of Utah is limited, especially in the winter. The Cowboy’s Buffet & Steak Room at Ruby’s Inn is open year-round, but there’s often a wait. The region’s only liquor store can be had at Ruby’s Inn as well. Other options include traditional barbecue from the soda fountain IDK Barbecue or hand-tossed pizza, salads, entrees, and beer from The Pizza Place at Bryce Canyon Inn—both in Tropic. Clark’s Country Market, on Main Street in Tropic, offers supermarket-level groceries. Pro tip: I often pre-make chili or curry to heat up in a crock pot in the hotel room while my friends and/or family and I ski or hike during the day. Then we know we’ll have a hot meal at the end of a stellar day spent outdoors. brycecanyonpizza.com, idkbarbecue.com, clarkscountrymarket.com
Bryce Canyon National Park has been officially designated a Dark Sky Park and the night sky is especially gorgeous in the winter. Photo Courtesy of Adobe Stock.
Winter Festival
Snow play in the high desert takes center stage during Ruby’s Inn’s annual Bryce Canyon Winter Festival (February 17-19, 2024). This family-friendly event includes cross-country ski and ice-skating instruction, wildlife track clinics, watercolor painting, yoga classes and much more—most of which are free. Events are held at Ruby’s Inn and in Bryce Canyon National Park. rubysinn.com
Peering into Dark Skies
Petzl Tikka Headlamp, $34.95, available at rei.com
Though the Bryce Canyon Astronomy Festival is held annually in June, low moisture and long nights make winter an even better time to stargaze at BCNP. It is possible, in fact, to see more than 7,500 stars with the naked eye on a moonless winter night there. Take advantage of regular ranger-led stargazing talks and clinics held as part of one of the oldest national park astronomy programs in the country. Both BCNP and Kodachrome Basin State Park have been named Dark Sky Parks by the International Dark Sky Association.
Pro tip: If you plan to walk around at night, consider bringing along a headlamp with a red light setting, like Petzl’s Tikka, which allows you to see details in the dark without impairing anyone’s night vision.nps.gov/brca
Long ago, shortly afterthe 1932 Winter Games in Lake Placid, New York, meteorologist and avid skier S. D. Green told a Salt Lake Tribune reporter that Utah’s snow and skiing were superior to Lake Placid. He attributed his claim to the “natural advantages” found here and planted, possibly, seeds for the Utah Olympic movement.
On Dec. 4, 1960, a young Salt Lake Tribune editor named Tom Korologos coined the phrase “The Greatest Snow on Earth,” riffing on the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus tagline. We all know that P.T. Barnum was the king of Blarney, but this boast would prove to be true. (Could we trademark it if it weren’t?)
As weather forecasting technology advanced, scientists were able to actually prove that, yes, Utah truly has the Greatest Snow on Earth. And, if you ski, you know the thrill of a Utah powder day—you have even more reverence if you’ve experienced East Coast ice sheets or West Coast “Sierra Cement.” Our great snow is not a myth—it’s a reality we experience every winter.
Snow is made up of millions of tiny flakes. To understand snow, you must understand the flake, and we don’t mean ski bums in the bars. Jim Steenburgh, professor of atmospheric science at the University of Utah, has devoted an entire book to the flake, Secrets of the Greatest Snow on Earth.
Utah snow is great, Steenburgh says, because of its lower water content and the pattern of its fall. Wetter snow is heavier and falls faster; dry snow falls slowly and has time to become more complex. Snow that’s less than 7% water is considered light, and heavy is over 11%, and creates the Sierra Cement that falls on California and Nevada’s Sierra Range. Man-made snow is really, really dense, with an average of 24-28%. Utah snow, however, has an average density of 8.4 percent. Take that California. (Wait, is that why they all want to move here?)
But the key to our amazing snow is a quick-change temperature fluctuation common to Utah snowstorms. Often a storm starts when it’s warmer, which creates a water-dense base layer, and as the temperatures drop, lighter snow follows.
This is called “right-side up” snowfall (vs. “upside-down” snowfall). The fluffy stuff stays on top and skiers and boarders can float down the slopes (ideally right side up).
All, however, is not great. Utah temperatures are warmer now than recorded just a few years ago. Warmer winters mean more dust in the air and create “snirt,” brown and dirty snow. It’s a word that sounds as gross as the thing it represents. “The role of dust is one that most don’t think about when it comes to the snowpack,” explains Steenburgh.
Dense dust in the atmosphere creates darker snow. Like wearing a dark-colored knitted sweater, the darker snow absorbs the sun’s light rather than bouncing off a clean, white snowpack. One study found that snirty snow accelerates melting by 25%.
And, as the temperatures rise, it doesn’t take a scientist to figure that more weather events will start as rain instead of snow, so we’ll have denser water-packed snow and suddenly our sneering jokes about Sierra Cement suddenly won’t be as funny anymore.
And it’s also gloomy for those who don’t use the snow as a playground, but simply marvel at its quiet loveliness.
As Steenburgh says, “The beauty of the snow is in the eye of the beholder and no science can prove that.”
Most of my sledding memories were formed on the hilly golf course next to my childhood home in Northern Michigan. But after I moved to Utah in my mid-twenties and had kids in my mid-thirties, I found that my hometown sledding terrain pales compared to the sledding opportunities to be had here. Sledding was a part of most winter weekends when my kids were young; a practice that waned as they entered high school. Recently, however, I’ve realized that whooshing down a snowy slope on a plastic sled is not only fun but a fabulous complement to all the other winter sports I like to do, too.
The leg muscles we use to propel ourselves up to the top of the sledding hill—gluteus maximus and quadriceps—are also the prime movers for skiing and snowboarding. But that’s not all that gets worked on a sledding hill climb, so says Michael Krushinsky, owner and head coach at Wasatch Fitness Academy. “Additionally and at least as valuable, is how it works your body’s responsiveness to changing terrain,” he says, “Slight undulations in the ground, slipping a bit in the snow and slogging through untracked snow, all ask the body to instantly use stabilizing muscles to support the hips, knees and ankles in ways that are beyond the demand of walking uphill on pavement.” Pulling weight behind you, like a young child in a sled, for example, gets your torso, abs and back muscles in on the action, Krushinsky added.
PHOTO MELISSA FIELDS FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Author Melissa Fields, her sweet pooch Bell (seen here photo bombing), Christine Mikell, Jen Mijangos and Kelly Bollow.
Along with the physical benefits, I’d argue that adult sledding offers a pretty unique mental health boost. Last winter I began joining my neighbor in her before-work sledding sessions, and I found that on the days I sledded, I felt a bit lighter, more settled and generally happier for the remainder of the day. The fresh air and exercise were probably part of the equation, but I also attribute the bump to laughter. Something about flailing uncontrollably down a hillside, trying to avoid trees and other obstacles with snow flying on my face, strikes me as hilarious. Turns out my post-belly-laugh good vibes are not all in my head. According to the Mayo Clinic, laughter enhances oxygen intake, activates and relieves the stress response and soothes tension, leaving the laughter with a greater sense of well-being that can last for hours.
Adult Sledding Hills
As you may have gathered, the physical and mental benefits of adult sledding are mostly about hiking uphill and then using a sled to avoid the knee-wearing walk back down. While sledding hills like Sugar House Park, Donut Falls in Big Cottonwood Canyon, Flat Iron Mesa Park in Sandy and Mountain Dell Golf Course in Parley’s Canyon are home to some of the area’s most popular sledding venues, they are not as ideal for adult sledding. Neff’s Canyon, Millcreek Canyon, Park City’s Round Valley and City Creek Canyon (closed most weekdays until 2027) provide a steady, longish and not-too-steep but still heart-pumping uphill hike followed by an easily navigable descent.
Just remember to keep an eye out for other trail users, like hikers and skiers, on your downhill runs and prepare to yield (basically, wreck) to make way for uphill traffic. Happy sledding!
Sleds that Shred
Zipfy Mini Luge Sled, $54.99, Scheels. This sleek, compact luge-style snowslider is easy to carry uphill and provides a fun, core-challenging ride on the way down. Recommended for tighter, already broken-in sledding zones. scheels.com
Flexible Flyer 48-inch Snow Boat, $28.99,Ace Hardware. This classic sled has a grooved undercarriage for better steering, a cushioned seat to help absorb the bumps and is extra wide to allow for a small passenger. acehardware.com
L.L. Bean Polar Slider DLX Sled, $69. This high-quality plastic sled is an upgrade that is fast and light but still steerable. It comes with a durable nylon webbing tow rope, ideal for hauling a small child back up the hill. llbean.com
The global popularity of Utah’s National Parks has created a dependable summertime mob. At least once a summer, Arches National Park makes the news as crowds clamoring to get a glimpse of Delicate Arch shut down Utah Highway 191, just outside park gates near Moab. Even on the least busy warm-season days, the lines of cars cruising popular sections of each park fulfill Edward Abbey’s 1960s prescient lines from Desert Solitaire predicting the “serpentine streams of baroque automobiles pouring in and out, all through spring and summer, in numbers that would have seemed fantastic when I worked there…the ‘visitation,’ as they call it, mounts ever upward.”
Is this the great outdoors? Or a parking lot? Plus, it’s hot in all but the highest elevations, with temperatures hovering around 100 degrees for most of the summer season. But in the off-season? The parks are yours. Open roads and open trails, comfortably cool daytime temperatures and blessed quiet offer a rare solitary view of the overly viewed vistas. Of course, there are some hurdles to wintertime adventures, like weather. The second obstacle to traveling in Southern Utah is a dearth of lodging and restaurants, a downside to solitude. But amid seasonal closures, we found a pleasant selection of year-round places to stay in each of the communities near the park areas and some surprisingly good eats along the way.
Capitol Reef — National Park
One of the most under-appreciated national parks, Capitol Reef should not be. So appreciate it already. Its winding canyons and Parisian boulevard-like washes offer stunning displays of the power of wind and water to shape the land. The park was essentially empty last February and perhaps the best and loneliest of the parks in winter.
Photo Credit Adobe Stock
The Big Hike
The Frying Pan Trail — Distance: 7 miles
This hike will take you into the heart of the Reef, and along the way, you’ll get stunning views from both below and above the underrated Cassidy Arch (named after Butch Cassidy of “and the Sundance Kid” fame, who hid out in the area). The trail starts at the Grand Wash, a ramble up a wide avenue of the former riverbed. The Cassidy Arch trail starts at 3/4 of a mile in on the right and is a strenuous climb up to the top of the Waterpocket Fold. Once you’re up there, however, the going is pretty easy. Cassidy Arch is a spur off the main trail and worth the detour, but in snowy or wet weather, stay well away from the edge. You’ll follow the Frying Pan Trail out, through the goblin-filled Cohab Canyon. Unless you have two cars, you’ll need to ply your hitchhiking skills on Utah Highway 24 back to the Grand Wash trailhead, which in an empty park can take a while.
Off-season Eats
Red Cliffs Restaurant
Pickings were slim last February as far as restaurants in Torrey go, but Red Cliffs Restaurant served up a decent take-out pizza during a winter storm that had pretty well shut the rest of town down. 56 E. Main St., Torrey, 435-425-3797
Off-season Stay
Broken Spur Inn
The Broken Spur is the only lodging open off-season in Torrey, just outside Capitol Reef. The homey, family-run establishment is the type of place that has Zane Grey books in the lobby and a hearty western breakfast included in the cowboy-comfortable dining room. 955 E. Utah Highway 24, Torrey, brokenspurinn.com, 435-425-3775
Canyonlands — National Park
Perhaps one of the park system’s most disjointed areas of majesty, Canyonlands is truly a puzzle. Divided by the rugged topography of the landscape into three districts—Needles, Island in the Sky and the honestly named Maze—the park befuddles. The Islands in the Sky area is the most easily accessible, while Needles and the rugged Maze offer more backcountry than many national parkgoers expect. Regardless of the district, every trek into Canyonlands is marked by a steep descent into and a rugged climb out of the deep canyons carved by the Colorado River and its tributaries.
Photo Credit Adobe Stock
The Big Hike
Murphy Loop (Island in the Sky District)—Distance: 10 miles
From the rim, the trail seems to disappear right into the cliffside. The steep 1,400-foot descent is a real thrill—remember that secret trail Frodo and Sam climbed in Lord of the Rings’ Mordor? The precarious perch on the cliffside offers stunning vistas at every turn. At the bottom, you’ll hike through a sandy wash in a loop that returns you to the cliff base for a tough climb out.
Off-season Stay
Dead Horse Point
The road into Canyonlands’ Island in the Sky District passes by Dead Horse Point State Park, a worthy side trip in and of itself. Last year the state park installed three yurts on the edge of its famous overlook. The yurts are open year-round, with a toasty heater. The yurt deck is a prime seat for stunning sunsets and sunrises, and on a moonless night, you’ll lose count of stars and feel super insignificant under the twinkling blanket above. Reservations in the off-season are easy and can be made up to four months in advance at stateparks.utah.gov.
By the Way — Kanab
Kanab is a popular destination with a bus-touring set. Located in the center of the Grand Circle, a set of byways that includes stops at Bryce, Zion, Lake Powell and Arches and the Northern Rim of the Grand Canyon, Kanab is an excellent way station open in wintertime. Many Hollywood westerns were filmed in the area, including John Ford’s classic starring John Wayne, The Searchers. The town pays homage to that legacy with kitschy western gear shops and tourist traps complete with old movie sets.
Off-season eats
The Rocking V Cafe
Kanab’s Center Street mainstay, the Rocking V. is a solid bet for a good meal and offers the gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan options often missing on southern Utah menus. 97 W. Center St., Kanab, rockingvcafe.com, 435-644-8001
Off-season stay
Quail Park Lodge
This classic mid-century motor lodge has been upgraded into a campy mid-century modern boutique hotel. The rooms are retro chic, with big comfy beds and well-appointed bathrooms. Free breakfast is across the street at The Victorian Inn, which features an equally hip lobby filled with the owner’s collection of Dale Chihuly’s sculptural glass works. 125 N. 300 West, Kanab, quailparklodge.com, 435-215-1447
Arches – National Park
The most popular park in Utah lives up to its name, with a vast array of mind-boggling sandstone arches around every corner. The park is packed in summertime, mainly because of the easy hike to its show pony: Delicate Arch. But like every park in winter, it’s blissfully deserted come February. The park is near Moab, which provides an excellent base of operations for exploring Southeastern Utah.
photo credit venti views
The Big Hike
Double O Arch (via the Devil’s Garden Primitive Loop) — Distance: 7.2 miles
If you’ve bagged Delicate Arch, head to the back of the park and take the trip to Double O Arch. Along the way, you’ll see other marquee arches like Landscape, as well as the ominous Dark Angel tower. The hike will have you scrambling over slick rock fins back to the trail’s namesake arch. Instead of heading back the way you came, take the primitive loop back to the parking area. The trail marches you through Devil’s Garden, over even more slick rock obstacles and again with the stunning scenery.
Off-season Eats
Moab’s Winter Offerings
More than most park-adjacent towns in Southern Utah, Moab has more year-round offerings for the winter traveler. Find unexpected Southeast Asian fare at Arches Thai (archesthai.com) or Bangkok House Too (bangkokhousetoo.com). For meat and potatoes (with a view) try Sunset Grill (moabsunsetgrill.com). Finally, one of Moab’s best restaurants isn’t anything fancy but the family-owned El Tapatio (tapatiorestaurants.com) offers warm, comforting Mexican fare, perfect for warming up after a day of winter hiking.
Off-season Stay
Fairfield Inn
The Fairfield Inn on the edge of Moab is a clean, breakfast-included base with comfortable, business-class rooms. Predictable and easy, it was ideal after seven days on the road. 1863 N. Highway 191 Moab, marriott.com, 435-259-5350
It’s 50 degreesat the end of February and a light dust of snow drifts down from the churning grey-and-white sky. I begin the ascent to Cassidy Arch, clambering up the switch-backed trail out of Capitol Reef’s Grand Wash. I’m rewarded with the grand view of sandstone and snow all to myself.
Snow-filled tracks on the trail are evidence that other hardy souls are somewhere ahead, but for now, it’s just me on a trail of quiet and solitude. The slick rock is appropriately slick under the new snow, making my hike across the red-rock plateau above Cassidy Arch less hike, more scramble, but the slipping and sliding lend a comical exuberance to my exertions, which are blessedly unobserved—like a clown falling in the woods with no one else to see.
This is day four of a seven-day wintertime road trip through Utah’s five national parks and on every excursion, in every park, I am essentially by myself, only occasionally passing others on the trail, mostly foreign travelers who were somehow whispered the secret: Southern Utah’s mild winters make it the perfect time to tour the Mighty Five—Arches, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks.
The global popularity of these parks has created a dependable summertime mob. At least once a summer, Arches National Park makes the news as crowds clamoring to get a glimpse of Delicate Arch shut down Utah Highway 191, just outside park gates near Moab. Even on the least busy warm-season days, the lines of cars cruising popular sections of each park fulfill Edward Abbey’s 1960s prescient lines from Desert Solitaire predicting the “serpentine streams of baroque automobiles pouring in and out, all through spring and summer, in numbers that would have seemed fantastic when I worked there…the ‘visitation,’ as they call it, mounts ever upward.”
Is this the great outdoors? Or a parking lot? Plus, it’s hot in all but the highest elevations, with temperatures hovering around 100 degrees for most of the summer season. But in February? The parks are yours. Open roads and open trails, comfortably cool daytime temperatures and blessed quiet offer a rare solitary view of the overly viewed vistas. Of course, there are some hurdles to wintertime adventures, like weather. Yes. I encountered rain and snow in all the parks, but apart from one blizzard in Bryce Canyon (the highest-elevation park at 8,000 to 9,000 feet on the rim), it was manageable with sensible clothing layers and an adventurous heart. Meanwhile, the moody weather’s layers of cloud, snow and sky invited rare reflection. The second obstacle to traveling in Southern Utah is a dearth of lodging and restaurants, a downside to solitude. But amid seasonal closures, I found a pleasant selection of year-round places to stay in each of the communities near the park areas and some surprisingly good eats along the way.
Photo Credit Hans Issacson
Bryce Canyon National Park
Home to some of the most stunning vistas in the national park system, Bryce is known for its abundant hoodoos. Rising out of the canyon floor like stalagmites, some are diminutive while others reach as high as 10-story buildings. The optimistically named Bryce Canyon City borders the park boundary. It is home to Ruby’s Inn, founded by Reuben C. Syrett, an intrepid pioneer who settled in the area in 1916 to ranch. When the park (first a national monument) was founded in the ’20s, Reuben, or Ruby, was poised to capitalize on the influx of visitors that continues to grow each year.
The Big Hike
Fairyland Loop Distance: 8 miles
This hike down into Bryce Canyon offers the park’s most spectacular display of its hoodoos. It’s also a good workout. You’ll hike down and back out of the canyon through the magical Fairyland, a maze-like trail at the base of the towering hoodoos. Tip: Do this loop clockwise, and get the least-charming canyon rim section out of the way first instead of at the end of the long hike.
Off-season Eats
Foster’s Family Steak House
This wooden-walled diner is one of the few year-round dining spots outside of the Ruby’s Inn enclave and it’s worth the short drive. Outside the kale-and-quinoa zone, expect the wilted salad bar (with “both” kinds of dressing, ranch and Thousand Island). But it’s hearty meat-and-potatoes fare, with simply prepared steaks and meatloaf and pies baked each day. 1150 Highway 12, Bryce City, fostersmotel.com, 435-834-5227
Off-season Stay
Ruby’s Inn
Ruby’s Inn is pretty much all you’ve got for lodging—even the park’s rustic lodge is closed. The hotelier has two lodges on either side of the main drag and is home to one of the only liquor stores in the area. The rooms are clean and situated nicely at the edge of the park boundary. It owns much of the land adjacent to the park and offers a slew of wintertime activities on its property. 26 S. Main Street, Bryce Canyon, rubysinn.com, 435-834-5341
Zion National Park
Overcrowding in peak season made Zion National Park the first in-Utah park to move to a mandatory shuttle system. But in February the roads are empty and its two most popular hikes, The Narrows and Angel’s Landing, are blissfully free of the human traffic jams and bottlenecks endemic to the summer season. Zion is Utah’s lowest park in both elevation and latitude, so its weather tends to be fair year-round. You can expect rain but rarely snow. You’ll encounter cool temperatures, especially in sunless canyon bottoms like The Narrows. Springdale, located just below the park entrance, is for the most part open for business in the winter season, but restaurants and stores often limit their hours. The Cable Mountain Lodge has a helpful “what’s open” guide.
Photo Credit Adobe Stock
The Big Hikes
Angel’s Landing — Distance: 5.4 miles
This is a pre-lawyer hiking trail. It’s a butt-kicking climb to the very top of Zion Canyon, famously completed by a “chain route”—where the vertiginously narrow trail offers chain handholds as you crawl up tummy-turning sections with sheer drop-offs. Yes, people have fallen. No, they did not survive. Yet the trail remains open, perhaps because the payoff is so spectacular—a perch on Angel’s Landing with stunning views in every direction and a sense of fear-facing accomplishment. Do not do this hike in less-than clement weather.
The Narrows—Distance: 9.4 miles
The Narrows is a scramble up the Virgin River. You splash over and around river-rock bowling balls as towering rock walls close together as you ascend the canyon. In the summertime, people tackle The Narrows in sandals and shorts, but in February you’ll need some gear. Rent a dry suit from Zion Outfitters (zionoutfitter.com). The thick, rubbery suits keep the water out and you warm and dry inside. And although you’ll look like you belong on a Star Trek landing party, you’ll feel invincible wading through the chest-deep water near the top. The kit also comes with extra-grip water shoes and a giant wooden pole that makes your scrambling easier. The hike terminates at the backcountry boundary (permit required). And although you’re not hiking uphill, all the wading and clambering is tiring, so remember you’ll have to return the way you came. Consider turning back before you’re all gassed out.
Off-season Eats
Whiptail Grill
Whiptail Grill is a cute cantina in a converted gas station, serving creative takes on Mexican cuisine. 445 Zion Park Blvd., Springdale, whiptailgrillzion.com, 435-772-0283
Off-season Stay
Cable Mountain Lodge
Located right at the mouth of Zion Canyon, Cable Mountain Lodge is practically in the park. The lodge has standard hotel rooms as well as family-sized suites with kitchens and plenty of space. Bonus: The hot tub is open year-round. 147 Zion Park Blvd., Springdale, cablemountainlodge.com, 435-772-3366
Get the Gear
While wintertime in Southern Utah is much, much tamer than you imagine weatherwise (you’re not summiting Everest, you’re going on well-traveled hikes in national parks) you’ll still need to deal with cooler and widely fluctuating temperatures as well as intermittent rain and snow. The Boy Scouts have it right: Be prepared.
Hiking boots.
Your light trail hikers won’t cut it. You’ll want a breathable, waterproof boot with a sturdy, super-grippy Vibram sole.
Clawing your way up snowy and, at times, icy trails and across wet slick rock (which unlike dry slick rock is genuinely slick) can be tricky. Some nice sturdy, collapsible poles with a rubber tip will give you an extra place to put weight down while on slippery descents.
Wicking fabrics are a must; they’ll keep the moisture away from your skin as you sweat. After you stop moving you’ll cool down quickly and want to keep yourself as dry as possible.
You’ll need a waterproof (or at least resistant) pack with enough room to stash all your layers as conditions change. Size matters: Make sure you’ve got room for snacks, water, a beanie, gloves, an extra-mid layer and room to stash your outer layer if things heat up. Hiking in cold weather is about staying dry, so don’t be a hero. If you’re sweating a bunch, stop and peel a layer or two.
REI Co-op Trail 25 Pack – Women’s, $79.95, rei.com
Final Note—NO SNOWSHOES.
Too often touristas clomp around on packed-snow trails in snowshoes which are more of a hazard than a benefit. You will only need them if you are venturing well into the backcountry and off, off-trail in very snowy conditions. Basically, if you don’t know how to use snowshoes you probably aren’t going to be in a situation where you’d have to know—make sense?
Every resort in Utah has that one Run. It’s the name on the trail map that makes you wonder, “Can I?” Everyone knows someone who has tackled these runs and told the tale. But the truth is, skiing and snowboarding, for all the camaraderie on the lift, are individual sports. Once you drop in, you are on your own and no matter your level of competence, there is a personal relationship with each run you attempt, because, well no one else can ski for you. It’s up to you to know your limits and push them. These five iconic runs symbolize the aspiration behind the sport. They are the high bars that draw us to the mountain to ask, “Can I?” They respond with, “Well, can you?” This season only you can answer the question.
1. Ted’s Rock—Beaver Mountain Ski Resort
For longtime Beaver Mountain devotees, the area accessed by Marge’s Triple Lift is still “that new part” despite the fact that the “new” lift has been spinning since 2003. That’s the way it is up on Beaver Mountain; things don’t change (even when they do). And that’s what’s truly great about Beaver, it’s its own world where powder, untrammeled by crowds, lasts for days. There’s no better example of this than Ted’s Rock, a fast shot off of Marge’s Triple that is plenty of fun on a groomer day and otherworldly on a powder day. This mildly pitched intermediate run is the perfect trail for newcomers to powder skiing learning to get in the back seat and float.
The Cirque at Snowbird is one of the most sought-after and well-known sections of powder at Snowbird. Photo by Chris Pearson, Ski Utah.
2. The Cirque—Snowbird
On the first tram of the day at Snowbird, the conversation is all about The Cirque—five black- to double-black-diamond runs accessed from the Cirque Traverse below the tram station on Hidden Peak. Why all the fuss? Well, for starters, you can see the Cirque from the Tram and appraise its potential. Tram riders, especially those lucky enough to be aboard the first tram of the day, crowd the window as they cross into Peruvian Gulch, like kids looking at puppies in a pet store. It’s a wide bowl that drops into Peruvian, with multiple entry points that often offer the best powder shots of the day, if you can get there first, that is. Because of its visibility, it is also among the first tracked-out sections at the ’Bird, where the early bird gets the powder.
The Ski Utah Dawn Patrol rides the powder on Baldy Shoulder. Photo by Chris Pearson, Ski Utah.
3. Baldy Shoulder—Alta Ski Area
Alta skiers know that at this resort you have to earn your turns. The best runs are accessed by traverses into the wide open bowls, that are deliberately left untrammeled by the grooming crew. Baldy Shoulder, accessed by the Shoulder Traverse from the top of Collins Lift, below Alta’s highest peak, Mt. Baldy. The traverse cruises above the intermediate run, Ballroom, in case you chicken out and concludes with a boot pack up to the ridgeline where you’ll steel yourself for the drop into Baldy Shoulder, less of a run and more of an exercise improvisation.
Search for leftover powder stashes at Brighton Resort with the Ski Utah athlete team. Photo by Chris Pearson, Ski Utah.
4. Milly’s Bowl—Brighton Resort
This famous bowl is part of Brighton’s famous “sidecountry,” meaning out-of-bounds backcountry areas that can be accessed by lift, in this case, Milly’s Lift. To drop in, hike up the shoulder and don’t be lulled into complacency by the lift access. Once you exit the resort through the Brighton Gate, you are on your own. Brighton patrol will close the shoulder hike and the gate during high-risk avalanche conditions but otherwise know that you are not in Kansas anymore.
5. Stein’s Way—Deer Valley Ski Resort
Named after the man who brought skiing into the imagination of America, Stein Ericksen, there is no more quintessential Deer Valley run than Stein’s Way. A steeply pitched groomer from the top of Bald Mountain, this run is a leg burner that will test your ability to “ski like Stein.” But the big appeal of this iconic run is the view from atop Bald Mountain, which stretches out across the Heber Valley and remains in your sight with every turn on the ridge before you pass into the trees. Do it again via the Sultan Express lift.
On a sunny day at Deer Valley, the iconic run, Stein’s Way, is one you’ll want to lap over and over with for its speed and spectacular views. Photo by Chris Pearson, Ski Utah.
If You Dare… Baldy Chutes
While you’re collecting yourself to drop in, to Baldy Shoulder, it may occur to you that it is also possible to scale the heights of Mt. Baldy above. It’s occurred to many but is dared by the few. This is one of the toughest runs at Alta and thus one of the toughest runs in North America. Moreover, to access Baldy Chutes you’ll take the longest boot pack at Alta (from the top of Sugar Loaf Lift) via the EBT cat track, past the Snowbird gate, and, well, straight up the mountain to the peak. Baldy Chutes, you might want to know, is a wild series of five black diamond chutes at a white-knuckle 40-degree pitch that drops you into Ballroom. Buckle up!
The landscape of Utah’s canyons might be changing with transportation developments, learn what to expect here.
With the holidays now firmly behind us, you might be tempted to put away those glass moose mugs and bid farewell to a seasonal sipper. But the custard-like concoction can and should be enjoyed into the winter months, and for one Utah town, it’s a year-round emblem.
Long ago in Medieval England, some uppity imbibers decided to warm their bellies with a mix of curdled warm milk, wine or ale, spices, and hell—why not crack an egg in there? Sounds delicious, I know. These ingredients were too expensive for the average peasant to acquire, thus the beverage was mostly enjoyed by the aristocracy. After a few generations, and a skip over the Atlantic, the descendant of the curdled concoction became eggnog. Colonists had ready access to milk and eggs, though they swapped out fortified wines for rum, whiskey or moonshine. By the 1800s eggnog was a popular drink enjoyed during the winter months, and eventually became synonymous with the holidays.
Despite the popularization of eggnog consumption from Thanksgiving through the New Year, it’s quite a divisive cocktail. You either hate it or you love it. The rich drink has even been the root of riots—the 1826 Great West Point Eggnog Riot to be exact, where scores of cadets broke the academy’s no-drinking policy to indulge in some ‘nog. But for one Utah hamlet, their affinity for Eggnog is so great that they’re named after it.
Located in Garfield County just southeast of Capital Reef, Eggnog was established in 1979. The desolate town was likely named for their residents’ tendency to serve eggnog to ranchers. With its hefty texture and fattening qualities, the drink is a quick way to restore some energy for laborers. So while the rest of us might turn up our noses to the thought of eggnog off-season, just remember that in some Beehive communities, the ‘nog is a fixed point of pride.
A frequent point of pride you might hear from a longtime Utah resident is, “At least we have seasons!” This is technically true. Spring and fall are brief and summer is too hot but, boy, can we do winter. While some locales wear a fresh coat of snow well, others commit to a full transformation once the temperatures drop. Take, for instance, the Midway Ice Castles, which emerge every winter like the Northern Lights, seemingly out of thin air. While enough to stand on their own, the Ice Castles are just one of Utah’s winter wonderlands that you’ll find outside of traditional ski resorts. Some you can see in a day, but others provide a full weekend of winter activities.
Heber Valley
Midway Ice Castle. Photo Credit AJ Mellor/courtesy midway ice castles
While Park City might be the obvious choice for the winteriest of Utah’s winter wonderlands, Heber Valley might be the most wonderful. In the winter, you’ll find sleigh rides, ice skating, ice fishing, snowshoeing, snow tubing and Utah’s only ice castles.
As the story of the Midway Ice Castles (icecastles.com) goes, a father from Alpine built an ice cavern in his yard for his kids during their first winter in Utah.
It was such a success, the enterprise grew. The current iteration is a sprawling architectural marvel and the work of dozens of artists, featuring ice caverns, slides, tunnels and sculptures, weighing more than 25 million pounds. Nearby, Soldier Hollow Nordic Center (utaholympiclegacy.org) is home to a 1,200-foot-long snow-tubing hill, with multiple lanes, for some high-velocity winter thrills. It’s a must for kids and families that like an adventure they can do together. Likewise, in winter months, Wasatch Mountain State Park (stateparks.utah.gov) is open for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and snowmobiling through alpine terrain.
In the heart of Midway, the Midway Outdoor Ice Rink ( midwayicerink.com) at Midway Town Square is a spacious, open-air rink. In Midway and Heber, you’ll also find local outfitters who offer horse-drawn sleigh rides (rockymtnoutfitters.com) at the Ice Castles and guided ice fishing tours on Strawberry Reservoir (utahicefishing.com), which is especially scenic covered in ice and a blanket of snow.
Salt Lake City
When holiday shopping drives the crowds to Downtown Salt Lake City, anywhere you look winter magic can be found, and no visit to the Gateway Mall or City Creek Center is quite complete without a little holiday treat. People strap on skates and sip hot cocoa while taking the sights and sounds of the season at Gallivan Center Ice Rink (thegallivancenter.com). The outdoor public ice skating rink is open all winter long.
The Holiday Window Stroll at The Grand America. Photo courtesy of The Grand America.
A staple on the list of seasonal sights is The Grand America (grandamerica.com) in the heart of Downtown. Seemingly overnight, the hotel is decked with hundreds of thousands of twinkling lights (70,000 strands of lights, to be exact) and the pièce de résistance is the window displays. As visitors progress from window to window on The Holiday Window Stroll, artists tell a beautifully intricate visual story with Christmas themes.
Northern Utah
A little north of Salt Lake City, discover a mix of winter adventure and small-town holiday charm. Tour Bountiful, all lit up for holidays while taking a spin on the Ice Ribbon (southdavisrecreation.com)—a 520-foot ice loop. Further north in Ogden, the Ogden Christmas Village (christmasvillage.ogdencity.com) illuminates downtown with North Pole-inspired cottages, lights, entertainers and fireworks at the Ogden Amphitheatre. The centerpiece of the season is the Ogden Electric Light Parade on Washington Boulevard.
Fireworks above the Ogden Christmas Village. Photo courtesy of Visit Ogden.
Unlike last year, Park City Mountain’s parking lot was empty over the summer. In advance of the 2022-2023 ski season, the behemoth structure of a new chairlift sat in pieces in the Mountain Village parking lot, awaiting construction as part of the resort’s chairlift upgrades meant to ease on-mountain congestion and increase uphill capacity. Now that chairlift is doing what most of us always wish we could: permanently relocating to Whistler.
That’s right, two new chairlifts intended to shorten base-area lift lines—a six-pack chairlift slated to replace the little-used Eagle and Eaglet lifts and an eight-pack chair intended to upgrade the frequently slammed six-pack Silverlode Express—are headed to the vaunted British Columbia resort to replace Blackcomb’s Jersey Cream Express and Whistler’s Fitzsimmons Express.
The story of Whistler Blackcomb’s new chairs started with a successful appeal in 2022 by four Park City residents. The appeal led City Planning Commissioners to determine the resort’s lift proposals were not included in the mountain upgrade plan as part of the resort’s 1998 development agreement. Originally the lift upgrades had been granted administrative approval by former Park City Planning Director Gretchen Milliken, but the planning commission determined upon hearing the appeal the plan didn’t meet the requisite criteria for such approval, rendering the upgrades subject to a planning commission vote.
“We continue to disagree with the decision the Park City Planning Commission made in overturning our permits for Eagle and Silverlode, and our appeal is currently pending before the district court,” says Park City Senior Manager of Communications Sara Huey. As of publishing, the appeal of the appeal was still awaiting resolution.
Sitting in limbo, Vail Resorts—owner of Park City Mountain—decided not to let a couple of perfectly good chairlifts go to waste and shipped them north of the border as they iron out the details locally in Park City. One of the primary issues at hand concerned parking at the resort. The Planning Commission deemed Park City’s outlined paid parking system wouldn’t adequately mitigate the increased demand the new lifts would cause, a point Huey disagreed with based on last season’s implementation of paid parking at the Park City Mountain Village base area.
“During the 22/23 winter season, an average of 63% of cars parking in the Mountain Village surface lots had four or more occupants, and that jumped to nearly 70% on weekends. Park City Municipal confirmed that they saw a reduction in overflow and cutting through neighborhoods surrounding our base area. In addition, High Valley Transit reported a 20% region-wide increase in transit ridership over the winter ski and snowboard season,” says Huey.
The SNAFU hasn’t totally derailed Park City’s lift upgrade plans. Red Pine Gondola in Canyons Village has all-new cabins for this season, a welcome addition as the moribund state of non-functional gondola cabins last season left guests peeved despite cheeky signs promising replacements were on the way. Vail Resorts also reached a joint funding agreement with the Canyons Village Management Association for a gondola with 10-person cabins from the base area to the mid-mountain Red Pine Lodge, replacing the Sunrise double, which had essentially only served to take hotel guests to the base area.
Canyons Village sits in unincorporated Snyderville, so the Snyderville Basin Planning Commission, rather than Park City, will have jurisdiction over this lift upgrade plan. Recent experience with the relatively new Quicksilver Gondola and Over and Out Chairlift suggest the resort won’t run into the same types of delays along the 36-month timeline to get the Sunrise Gondola operational.
Skepticism surrounding resort plans is often warranted, as changes on the mountain are frequently felt downstream in the community. That said, increasing base area uphill capacity is possibly the most skier-centric move Park City Mountain could make outside of ditching the multi-resort mega pass, which frankly isn’t going to happen. Locals have been clamoring for exactly the type of upgrade the Sunrise Gondola represents, and a similar move at the Park City Base Area would do wonders to help spread skiers out across the resort’s significant terrain.
More skiers are coming, whether there’s new infrastructure to accommodate them or not. Incentivizing skiers to use public transit while helping them get up on the hill faster on powder days is something the community should seemingly get behind.
The Sun Rises on a New Gondola
The Sunrise Gondola will whisk skiers 1,100 vertical feet in 10-passenger cabins from the south end of Canyons Village up to Red Pine Lodge at just over 8,000 feet. The new gondola will help alleviate base area pileups that plague powder days while providing additional access to higher-elevation terrain, which is increasingly important for early and late-season operations as climate change encroaches on both ends of winter with higher temperatures.
