Introduction

Ski Trail & Backcountry Access

Cross Country Skiing

• The Trailhead – Open meadows near the trailhead are perfect for practicing. Please stay off the road and avoid sliding onto the road. Sharp curves and snow banks obscure drivers’ views of human bodies hurtling downhill toward them.
• Beginner’s Meadow – This is a great place to practice skiing and enjoy the scenery. It can be found 1/4 mile uphill from the trailhead.
• The Junction – This area is located one mile from the trailhead. The right fork, the Gold Basin Trail, extends to the Laurel and Gold Basin areas. The left fork continues for 2.5 miles to Geyser Pass.

Note: The following route descriptions provide only general directions and locations. There are no marked routes off the main trails and many of the areas require route-finding skills. Consult the topographic maps listed in the “Additional Information” section at the bottom of this page to determine specific routes.

The Gold Basin Trail

• Laurel Meadow – This trail offers telemarking for all levels of ability. To reach it, the Gold Basin trail rises gently for 0.9 mile from the Junction to Laurel Pass. At Laurel Pass turn left heading southeast and meander through a series of meadows to a wide, 15‑25 degree south facing slope, Laurel Meadow. The views of the peaks are spectacular. Regardless of conditions, turning is usually good somewhere nearby. You can return the way you came, or drop down through aspens spaced widely enough for quick turns. At the bottom, turn right for a few hundred yards and rejoin the Gold Basin Trail.
• Julie’s Glade – This is the place for backcountry telemarking. Continue up and across Laurel Meadow. Enter the trees for a short southeast jaunt to the top of Julie’s Glade, paradise for the telemarker when conditions are right. Julie’s meanders down a delightful 30 degree slope for about half a mile. At the bottom, you can rejoin the Gold Basin Trail and return home or head back to the ridge for another run. Remember, this is high backcountry terrain; beware of potential avalanche hazard.
• Gold Basin – This area provides backcountry touring and mountaineering. Instead of turning left at Laurel Pass, go down to the right onto Pole Worm Fence Meadow. It is a wonderful place to practice, gaze at Canyon Country and watch the sun set. Look across the Moab Rim at Behind the Rocks and Canyonlands National Park. The Henry Mountains, 96 miles away, seem close enough to touch. Gold Basin is a mile beyond Laurel Pass, just below the end of the road. The trail continues for another mile before steep cirques beckon experienced mountaineers. The tour presents little hazard as long as you stay below timber line and avoid steep slopes.

The Geyser Pass Trail

Geyser Pass is 2.5 miles from the Junction, 3.5 miles from the trailhead and 1000 feet higher. There are terrific touring and viewing opportunities along the way. The trail splits at the pass. A Forest Service sign directs you to turn right for Dark Canyon. The left hand trail skirts around the Northern group of peaks onto Taylor Flat for many miles of open touring and snowmobiling.

• Chair 11 – This area gives you a look at mountaineering. To access, head south at Geyser Pass, and climb to timberline below Mount Mellenthin. You will find a series of moraines standing away from the peak and its avalanche chutes Play on the moraines, or circle counter clockwise around to the northwest side of the peak to Chair 11, a large talus slope with a 25 degree angle. The Peak looms steeply above. Beware of avalanche chutes. Venture up to the highest side of Chair 11 for breathtaking views of Horse Canyon, Gold Basin, Mount Tukuhnikivatz, Mount Peale, and a hundred miles of Canyon Country. Retrace your route back to Geyser Pass. Do not try to find a short cut back to the junction. The forest is thick, deep, dark and littered with deadfall.
• Moonlight Meadow – This is the place to watch the scenery change as the sun goes down. Take the left trail at the Geyser Pass sign. In 100 yards, turn left again (north) and travel a half mile to a medium angle meadow facing the setting sun. The meadow is good for easy turns if the snow is right. The view of Canyon Country is spectacularly framed between Haystack Peak and Brumley Ridge. Take extra clothes and a light stove. Brew some tea, stay for the sunset and ski in the moonlight.
• Dark Canyon – Offers isolated backcountry and mountaineering. The Dark Canyon trail skirts to the right (east) from Geyser Pass around Mount Mellenthin and into Dark Canyon, a place of sheer cliffs. The terrain is remarkably similar to the High Uintas until you look at the red canyons, Paradox Basin and the San Juan Mountains to the south and east. Be wary of potential avalanche hazard. See Map.