Utah
isn't the biggest state in the West (it ranks 10th overall among the
12 western states) nor does it have the most miles of groomed trails (dead last
in that category in states where there is a grooming program).
Utah
is going for the quality, not quantity thing when it comes to snowmobiling.
While the Beehive
State may not have the
biggest or most when it comes to some things pertaining to snowmobiling, it
does beat other states in one all important category: snow.
Here Utah
is all about quantity and quality.
It's light, dry and deep. There isn't much to tarnish Utah's image of the Greatest Snow On Earth.
That's just one of the reasons you'd be hard pressed to find
any better snowmobiling in the West.
You can find varying amounts of snow (upwards of 500-plus
inches just minutes from Salt Lake City) all across Utah as the state's
snowbelt stretches from the Utah/Idaho border in the north nearly all the way
(within 40 miles) to the Arizona/Utah border in the south. The western edge is
about the only place in the state where snowmobilers might turn up their
noses-and that's only because when they look to the east, there's mountains
galore, including the Wasatch Range and High
Uintas.
Most mountain ranges run north and south through Utah and can be accessed
by nearly, 1,200 miles of state-groomed trails. Riding starts out at about
6,000 feet and tops out between 12,000-13,000 feet.
The State of Utah
has labeled its riding areas complexes and there are nine separate systems to
explore in the state. Those complexes include (starting in the north): Hardware
Ranch/Monte Cristo/Logan Canyon or Cache Valley; Mirror Lake/Currant Creek;
Uinta Basin; Wasatch Mountain State Park; Strawberry; Skyline Drive;
Ephraim/Manti/Joe's Valley/Ferron; Fishlake; and Cedar Mountain/East Fork (also
known as Duck Creek).
Those are the well defined snowmobile trail systems.
Excellent trail maps help you figure out where you are. But if you don't want
to ride the established trail systems, then use the trails to get to Utah's excellent
backcountry riding, which can be had from any of the nine complexes.
The state's backcountry riding is another feature that sets
it apart from others-lots and lots of boondocking and wide open country riding.
There are also a handful of other riding areas that aren't
as well publicized, but offer just as much fun. One of those areas includes the
Stansbury Mountain Range, west of Salt
Lake City, near Tooele. There are more than a
half-dozen trails/roads here sledders can ride on. Then, in Davis County,
north of Salt Lake City, there are roads near Bountiful, Centerville and Farmington where
snowmobilers can access great backcountry riding. Another area is in
southwestern Utah,
south of Interstate 70 on the Utah/Colorado border in La Sal Mountains in the Manti-La Sal National Forest.
Further to the south and a little to the west of the La Sal
Mountains is another popular area for riding, near Dark Canyon Lake, as well as
Gold Basin, although snowmobiles aren't allowed to leave the road in Gold
Basin. Farther south are the Abajo
Mountains, where some
snowmobiling takes place.
This is mentioned in the Wyoming
state section, but another great riding area in Utah
is accessed via Evanston, WY, where you head south on the Mirror Lake Highway
and ride the Uintas. You can get there from the south, like from the Kamas
area, but gas would get pretty low (or bone dry) by the time you went up and
over the pass on Mirror Lake
Highway. This is high elevation riding in awesome
powder.
One nice perk of riding the Duck Creek area is that you can
sled (stay on the road) through Cedar
Breaks National
Monument. Cedar Breaks is a smaller national park (about 6,154 acres and only about
six miles across), but is famous for its' huge natural amphitheater which
extends 2,000 feet deep and over three miles in diameter. There is one trail
available for snowmobilers. The ungroomed snowmobile trails follow highways 148
and 143 through the monument. On the way to the monument, snowmobilers will
pass the impressive Point Supreme (10,350 feet).
Guide
Utah Travel Council www.Utah.com
Road Conditions 866-511-8824
Utah Snowmobile Association www.snowut.com
Groomed Trails 1,200
Number of Registered Snowmobiles 27,894
Highest Point Kings Peak (13,528 ft)
Greatest Average Annual Snowfall Alta 516.3 in.
Record Winter Snowfall Alta 846.8 in.
Coldest Recorded Temperature Peter's Sink minus-69 degrees F
Cache Valley
Elevation
6,500-10,000
Snowfall 400
inches
Groomed Trails
185 miles
Full-Service Town
Logan, Smithfield, Garden City,
Hyrum
Nearest Airport Salt Lake City (45 miles)
Information Cache Valley
Visitors Bureau 800-882-4433
Mirror Lake Snowmobile Complex
Elevation 7,000-13,500
Snowfall 67-150
inches
Groomed Trails 150
miles
Full-Service Town
Kamas, Heber City
Nearest Airport Salt Lake City (45 miles)
Information
Mountainland Travel Region 801-229-3800
Uinta Basin Snowmobile Complex
Elevation 6,000-10,000
Snowfall 150-200
inches
Groomed Trails 92
miles
Full-Service Town
Vernal
Nearest Airport Vernal
Information Dinosaurland Travel Region
800-477-5558
Wasatch Mountain Snowmobile Complex
Elevation 7,000-9,000
Snowfall 150 inches
Groomed Trails 60
miles
Full-Service Town
Midway, Heber City
Nearest Airport Salt Lake City (45 miles)
Information
Mountainland Travel Region 801-229-3800
Strawberry Valley
Elevation 7,000-9,000
Snowfall 100-150
inches
Groomed Trails
207 miles
Full-Service Town Heber City
Nearest Airport Salt Lake City (45 miles)
Information
Mountainland Travel Region 801-229-3800
Scofield/Skyline Drive Snowmobile Complex
Elevation 6,000-12,000
Snowfall 100-150
inches
Groomed Trails 89
miles
Full-Service Town
Price, Fairview
Nearest Airport Salt Lake City (95 miles)
Information Castle Country Travel Region
800-842-0789
Ephraim/Manti/Ferron/Joe's Valley Snowmobile Complex
Elevation 6,000-10,000
Snowfall 150
inches
Groomed Trails 61
miles
Full-Service Town
Ephraim, Manti
Nearest Airport Salt Lake City (117
miles)
Information Castle Country Travel Region
800-842-0789
Fishlake Snowmobile Complex
Elevation 6,000-11,500
Snowfall 150-175
inches
Groomed Trails
135 miles
Full-Service Town
Richfield, Salina, Beaver
Nearest Airport
Cedar City (111 miles)
Information
Panoramaland Travel Region 800-748-4361
Duck Creek/Cedar Mountain/East Fork
Elevation 8,000-11,000
Snowfall 150-250
inches
Groomed Trails 97
miles
Full-Service Town
Duck Creek, Cedar
City, Ruby's Inn
Nearest Airport
Cedar City (25 miles)
Information Color
Country Travel Region 800-233-8824