WARNING: Due to a landslide last fall, highway UT-14 is closed from about mile 5 to 27 till summer of 2012, and this trail cannot be reached by car this winter.
This excellent XC ski area lies by Navajo Lake, at about mile marker 22.8 on highway UT-14 east of Cedar City. At this location one can park at the snowplow turnaround at the boundary of Iron and Kane counties.
This is US Forest Service land that is closed to snowmobiles in the winter. The trails are finally being groomed, mostly by volunteers, starting in Jan. 2011 and "You Are Here" signs are being placed. Please be patient, as this work is being done with very limitied resources. Persons who think the work is going too slowly are welcome to volunteer to help. If you are interested in volunteering to help with the grooming, contact one of the club officers. The USFS long term plans include a separate parking facility for Nordic skiers/snowshoers, with a warming house and restroom facilities.
Volunteer groomers will try to groom on Thurs/Fri each week.
We often start our skiing here by heading SE from the parking spot, around the corner of trees by the hill and then head south, up the east draw, where you should see the beginning of the marked trail when you get to the trees. The trail heads through the trees along an old forest road, to the top of the hill into some aspen strips. Then we follow the outer marked loop (see maps below) clockwise, southeast, then west, then down the west draw to the open valley, then back to the parking area in the open valley, a total of about 4.5 miles. You can take side trips to overlooks above Navajo Lake. The general area is shown in the maps below, along with a GPSed 20 Km system of future XC trails laid out by the US Forest Service in summer of 2006. The loops are being marked with blue diamonds, XC skill level signs, and maps. There are many side loops you can make from the marked trails. If you ski to the south you will reach some nice overlooks to Navajo Lake. Beware of the steep drop down to the Lake. You can also ski out into the valley west of the hill. The valley area is also closed to snowmobiles. Some of the markers may have disappeared due to deep snow and wind, so keep a compass handy and always remember that the highway is north of the ski area.
If you find the trail ungroomed just after a 2 foot snowfall, be prepared for some work breaking trail, in case you get there before ski club volunteers.
