Activités
Raquettes, ski nordique et sorties neige depuis votre base en montagne à Duck Creek.
En bref
En hiver, Duck Creek Village devient une base simple pour les sorties neige sans transformer chaque journée en long trajet. Selon l’enneigement et l’accès, les routes forestières, les prairies et les secteurs autour de Deer Hollow, Cedar Breaks et Navajo Lake Road peuvent convenir aux raquettes, au ski de fond ou à une sortie plus tranquille dans la neige.
This is the non-motorized side of winter at Duck Creek: where to ski or snowshoe, the honest winter distance from the front door, who grooms what, where dogs are welcome and when the snow is deep enough. Sleds have their own snowmobile guide, the drive up has the winter driving page, and the whole season is on the winter guide. Before you commit a morning, read the live snow report and road conditions and look at the cams.
Three corrections to the old version of this page. Cedar Breaks in winter is reached from our side at the plowed Highway 14 junction lot, fifteen minutes west. Brian Head is an hour and a quarter away in winter by Mammoth Creek Road when that road is passable, and a 61-mile, 1 hour 35 minute drive by Cedar City and Parowan when it is not. And the Navajo Lake road is unplowed; in winter it is a groomed snowmobile route.
Ces idées servent à préparer le séjour, pas à remplacer les conditions en direct. Vérifiez routes, fermetures, damage et règles avant de partir.
Boucles de ski de fond, raquettes
Un secteur non motorisé de Dixie National Forest avec boucles de ski de fond damées et itinéraires raquettes ou multi-usages balisés. Respectez les panneaux, car les usages sont séparés. Pas de location sur place.
Raquettes, ski, accès hivernal
Quand la SR-148 est fermée (de la mi-novembre à la fin mai environ), le parking déneigé au carrefour avec la Highway 14 est le point de départ hivernal depuis Duck Creek. Point Supreme est à 3,5 miles (5,6 km) sur la route enneigée ; le droit d’entrée NPS de 25 dollars par véhicule s’applique aussi en hiver.
Marche guidée, raquettes et bâtons fournis
À partir du premier week-end de janvier, les rangers guident des sorties raquettes les vendredis et samedis à 10 h 30, 12 h 30 et 14 h 30 : environ 1 h 30 et 1 mile aller-retour, rendez-vous à la North View visitor contact station sur la Highway 143. Inscription sur Eventbrite via nps.gov/cebr ; le droit d’entrée de 25 dollars par véhicule s’applique. Selon l’enneigement.
Raquettes, marche hivernale
Routes proches, prairies et lisières de forêt peuvent convenir à une sortie courte si les conditions sont sûres.
Journée neige avec services
Utile si le groupe veut des services proches ou une journée ski alpin combinée à un séjour plus calme à Duck Creek. Le raccourci estival par la SR-148 à travers Cedar Breaks est fermé en hiver ; comptez donc 61 miles et environ 1 h 35 par Cedar City et Parowan. Brian Head Sports et le Giant Steps Lodge louent du matériel.
Route non déneigée, damée pour les motoneiges
La route du lac n’est pas déneigée en hiver : c’est une piste de motoneige de 10,9 miles. Les raquettistes peuvent emprunter le premier tronçon depuis la Highway 14, mais le partagent avec les motoneiges : restez sur le bord et écartez-vous des moteurs.
The same six places on one table, so you can match a morning to a group.
| Area | From the inn | Grooming | Who it suits | Dogs | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer Hollow Winter Recreation Area | 4 mi west, about 10 min | Classic track by the Nordic club; skate lane when snow allows | Nordic skiers of any level; snowshoers on yellow trails | Aspen, Boulder and Pebble trails only | None (club takes donations) |
| Cedar Breaks depuis le côté Duck Creek | SR-14/SR-148 lot, about 15 min | Ski track on the closed road when snow allows; sleds on the marked route | Fit skiers and snowshoers; 7 mi round trip to the rim | Leashed, paved road and overlooks only (NPS pet rule) | $25 per vehicle |
| Sorties raquettes avec les rangers à Cedar Breaks | Brian Head side, 1 hr 15 to 1 hr 35 | Ranger-led, 1 mi round trip, gear provided | Families and first-time snowshoers | No | $25 per vehicle; tour free with registration |
| Duck Creek Village Snow Walks | From the front door | None; packed roads and an unplowed lake road | Anyone with snowshoes or spikes and an hour | Yes, leashed | None |
| Brian Head Area | 1 hr 15 by Mammoth Creek Road when passable, else 61.2 mi and 1 hr 35 | Resort trails; Town Trail around Bristlecone Pond | Guests who want rentals, lifts and a town in one day | Check with the resort and the town | None for trails; resort prices rentals |
| Navajo Lake Road | Junction 7 mi west; unplowed beyond | Groomed as a 10.9 mi snowmobile trail; no ski track | Snowshoers who accept sled traffic | Yes, kept clear of the sleds | None |
Winter distances; the summer shortcut over Highway 148 is gated. Grooming depends on snow depth and volunteer time.
The trails climb gently from the lot to two overlooks on the plateau rim, one above Navajo Lake at 9,600 feet and one over the lava field, then fan out into ski-only loops named for the rock under them: Claron, Basalt and Dolomite, with the Hollow and Sinkhole trails as the spine. The Pebble Loop beside the lot is where first-timers spend their first half hour; the Boulder Trail to the Navajo Lake Overlook is the best short outing for skiers and snowshoers alike.
Grooming is classic track, with a skate lane when the base allows, set by the Nordic club roughly weekly and reported on its website each time. The club grooms about 11 of its 16 marked miles; the Forest Service brochure counts 23, so treat the outer loops as bonus terrain. The ground is rolling, not steep, but you are skiing near 10,000 feet. The marker colours do the explaining, and our Deer Hollow guide has the full trail list.
Apportez vos propres skis de fond ou raquettes : il n’y a aucune location à Duck Creek Village ni à Deer Hollow. Pour louer, passez par Cedar City (au pied de la Highway 14) ou par Brian Head Sports et le Giant Steps Lodge à Brian Head, et confirmez le stock et les horaires avant de partir. Pour la location motorisée, voir le guide motoneige.
La saison dépend de l’enneigement, des tempêtes, du damage et des routes, pas seulement du calendrier. Le cœur de l’hiver est souvent le meilleur créneau; le début et la fin de saison sont plus variables.
Two NRCS SNOTEL stations bracket the village and our snow report reads both live. Midway Valley, at 9,830 feet, sits at about Deer Hollow elevation and is the one that matters for skiing; Harris Flat, at 7,800 feet, tells you what the lower highway is doing. The median first measurable snow is October 15 at Midway Valley and November 16 at Harris Flat. The typical season peak at Midway Valley is about 82 inches on the ground, and last winter the station recorded roughly 130 inches of new snow.
An October dusting is not a ski season. The Nordic club starts grooming when the base will hold a track, usually in the second half of December, and the pack is at its best from late December to mid March. By late March the open meadows go soft by noon and grooming stops, though shaded loops and the Cedar Breaks road often hold snow into April. Ranger tours wait until January for the same reason, and in a thin year the park cancels its snow programmes outright.
Midway Valley (9,830 ft) and Harris Flat (7,800 ft) are the two NRCS SNOTEL stations that bracket the village; first-snow medians and the typical peak are computed from their archives. Brian Head in winter: 61.2 mi, about 1 hr 35 min; Cedar Breaks road closes around mid-November and reopens mid to late May.
À apporter
Pack it the night before. The best skiing is in the first two hours of the morning, and the Deer Hollow lot fills on January weekends.
None of these trails are technical. What catches people is the setting. In mid-December the sun sets at 5:14 PM, and a lot that was bright at two is in deep shadow by four with the temperature falling fast. The air at 9,500 feet is thin enough that the Forest Service puts an altitude warning in its own Deer Hollow brochure: keep the first outing short and drink more water than you want to.
There is no reliable cell service at Deer Hollow or on the Cedar Breaks road, so tell someone at the inn where you are going and when you will be back. The groomed loops sit on gentle ground, but the plateau edge above Navajo Lake is steeper and wind-loaded, and the Utah Avalanche Center publishes no daily forecast for southwest Utah; off the marked trails the call on terrain is yours.
Vérifications rapides
La planification d’hiver commence avec Highway 14, les informations UDOT et les consignes des agences. Une route peut être excellente une semaine et difficile la suivante. Ne supposez pas que chaque départ de sentier, point de vue ou route de lac d’été reste accessible en voiture.
Commencez par des sorties courtes, des secteurs balisés et des itinéraires où il est facile de faire demi-tour.
Utilisez les boucles damées quand elles existent et respectez les traces réservées au ski.
Évitez les traces de ski damées sauf si la route est indiquée multi-usage.
Routes forestières et accès hivernal à Cedar Breaks exigent orientation, météo et discipline pour faire demi-tour.
The questions guests ask at the desk between December and March.
Yes. Deer Hollow Winter Recreation Area, 4 miles west of the village on Highway 14, has groomed classic track and a skate lane when conditions allow, set by the Cedar Mountain Nordic Ski Club from about mid-December to late March. No fee.
No. There is no cross-country ski or snowshoe rental in the village or at Deer Hollow. Rent in Cedar City on the way up Highway 14, or at Brian Head Sports or the Giant Steps Lodge in Brian Head. Snowmobiles are the exception: village outfitters rent them in season.
Yes, by the volunteer Cedar Mountain Nordic Ski Club, roughly weekly when snow allows. The club grooms about 11 of its 16 marked miles; the Forest Service map counts 23 miles in all. The club posts a report each time it grooms, so read that before you drive.
Yes. Highway 148 is gated from around mid-November to mid or late May, and the plowed lot at the Highway 14 junction, fifteen minutes west of the village, is the winter trailhead. Point Supreme is 3.5 miles each way on the snow-covered road, shared with a ski track and a marked snowmobile route. The $25 vehicle fee applies. Ranger-led tours start from the Brian Head side.
On three trails: the purple Aspen Trail, built for skiers with dogs, and the yellow Boulder and Pebble trails to the overlooks. Not on the blue ski-only loops, and waste must be packed out. Our pet-friendly cabins are ten minutes from the trailhead.
Not at Deer Hollow: the Forest Service lists no fee and the ski club grooms on donations. Cedar Breaks charges its $25 per vehicle entrance fee in winter, and the ranger snowshoe tours need a free Eventbrite registration through nps.gov/cebr. Nothing is needed for the village walks or the Navajo Lake road.
You can walk it on snowshoes, but the road is unplowed and groomed as the 10.9-mile Navajo Lake snowmobile trail, so you are sharing a wide, flat road with sleds. Walk the edge, step off for engines and keep dogs close. For a quiet ski, Deer Hollow is the answer.
October 2026
Les sorties d’hiver changent avec la neige, le vent, les routes et les règles d’accès. Confirmez les détails auprès des sources officielles.
Live snow depth and the 48-year record for Duck Creek Village, from two SNOTEL stations minutes away.
Voir la page Deer Hollow Winter Recreation Area, motoneige, ski de fond et paysages d’hiver autour de Duck Creek Village
See winter activities
The climb up Highway 14, chains and 4WD, snow depths, daylight, and storm-day calls
Planifier Neige, ski, motoneige et temps au chalet dans la haute montagne
Voir l’itinéraireWinter-ready rooms and cabins with trailer parking near the Markagunt groomed trails.
See snowmobile lodgingChambres boutique pour des séjours simples centrés sur les parcs.
Voir les chambresCabanes privées avec plus d'espace, cuisines et options acceptant les animaux.
Voir les cabanesSéjournez à Duck Creek Village Inn et construisez un week-end neige avec raquettes, ski de fond, Brian Head ou une journée plus calme en cabane.
