The sun has yet to rise, but the Wasatch trailhead parking lots are already jam-packed with avid backcountry skiers and snowboarders. If you’re tired of the crowds in Utah and looking to experience a truly serene place away from it all, check out the Tushar Mountain Range. Located just 3.5 hours south of Salt Lake City off of I-15, the Tushars offer plenty of parking and tons of untracked snow to please any powder junkie.
They might be fairly unknown, but the Tushar Mountains make up the third-highest range in Utah (the peaks reach above 12,000ft). They lie in the Fishlake National Forest and are home to a wide variety of recreational activity in both summer and winter. They’re also the home of the Big Rock Candy Mountain. To the delight of winter recreationalists though, the Tushar Mountains receive an annual snowfall of 400-500 inches and are an easy drive from both Salt Lake City and Las Vegas. The winding drive up highway UT153 affords spectacular canyon views which are worth the trip up alone. Around mile marker 15, you’ll pass eerily empty chairlifts and beautiful, untracked runs of the now defunct Elk Meadows ski resort. It has been closed since 2002, but you can still do laps at the ski area; either skin up the resort or use two vehicles to run shuttle laps via UT153.
Not into driving that far to go skiing or riding for just one day? Well then, simply rent one of the yurts offered by Tushar Mountain Tours for the night, weekend, or week. For example, Yurt 9, also known as Puffer Lake Yurt, is a modest 3-mile tour from the trailhead. Once at your humble abode, you can ski or ride miles of easy glades, wide-open bowls, and jaw-dropping peaks. One of the closest peaks is City Creek, which offers gentle-to-moderate glade shots on the northwest. You can also do super-quick half-hour laps up to Big John’s Flat and ski down moderately-open tree-lines right to the yurt.
The yurt, a winter-ready canvass hut, comes well-equipped. All you need to pack is your backcountry gear, food, and sleeping bag, which makes the skin up to the yurt a breeze. The yurt has a wood stove, two sets of bunk beds with sleeping pads, a propane lantern, a propane two-burner stove, folding chairs, and wood. An accessible chemical toilet is set up outside for your convenience (ten feet away from the yurt). Alec Hornstein, the owner of the yurt and a backcountry guide in the Tushar mountains, couldn’t have made winter camping any more comfortable. Oh, and you are more than welcome to bring your dog along for the adventure.
Logistics
- Season: Late November to late May or early June
- Driving Distance: 3.5 hours from Salt Lake City, 4 hours from Las Vegas
- Yurt Elevation: Puffer Lake Yurt, 10,000ft; Snorkeling Elk Yurt 10,400ft
- Other: Snowmobiles are allowed on the road up to the yurt, but the surrounding terrain is designated as non-motorized. Dogs are welcomed.
For yurt costs and other logistical information please check out the Ski Tushar website.
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Tags: backcountry skiing, trip reports, yurt trips
