Wat te doen
Sneeuwschoenwandelen, langlaufen en stille winterroutes vanuit Duck Creek Village.
In één oogopslag
In de winter verandert het hooggelegen landschap rond Duck Creek Village in een mix van stille boswegen, open sneeuwvelden en routes voor langlaufen of sneeuwschoenwandelen. Gebruik deze gids als planninghulp, niet als live-conditierapport. Sneeuwdek, sneeuwruimen, stormen, temperatuur en toegang kunnen per week verschillen.
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.
Kies eerst een route die past bij je ervaring en controleer kort voor vertrek Highway 14, route-ingangen en officiële bronnen.
Geprepareerde langlauflussen, sneeuwschoenroutes
Een officieel niet-gemotoriseerd winters recreatiegebied in Dixie National Forest met langlauflussen en gemarkeerde sneeuwschoen- of gedeelde routes. Volg de borden, want ski- en sneeuwschoenroutes zijn gescheiden. Geen verhuur ter plaatse.
Sneeuwschoenwandelen, skiën, wintertoegang
Wanneer SR-148 sluit (ongeveer half november tot eind mei), is de geploegde parkeerplaats bij de kruising met Highway 14 het winterstartpunt vanaf Duck Creek. Point Supreme ligt 3,5 mijl (5,6 km) verderop over de besneeuwde weg; de NPS-entreeprijs van 25 dollar per auto geldt ook in de winter.
Begeleide wandeling, sneeuwschoenen en stokken inbegrepen
Vanaf het eerste weekend van januari leiden rangers op vrijdag en zaterdag om 10:30, 12:30 en 14:30 sneeuwschoentochten van ongeveer 1,5 uur en 1 mijl heen en terug; verzamelen bij het North View visitor contact station aan Highway 143. Registreren via Eventbrite op nps.gov/cebr; de entreeprijs van 25 dollar per auto geldt. Afhankelijk van het sneeuwdek.
Sneeuwschoenwandelen, winterwandelingen
Wegen, weides en bosranden dicht bij het dorp kunnen werken voor een korte sneeuwschoentocht of winterwandeling als de omstandigheden veilig zijn.
Winterdag met services dichtbij
Handig wanneer je groep voorzieningen dichtbij wil of een skidag bij Brian Head wil combineren met een rustige Duck Creek-basis. De zomerroute over SR-148 door Cedar Breaks is in de winter gesloten, dus reken op 61 mijl en ongeveer 1 uur 35 via Cedar City en Parowan. Brian Head Sports en de Giant Steps Lodge verhuren uitrusting.
Ongeploegde weg, geprepareerd voor sneeuwscooters
De weg naar het meer wordt in de winter niet geploegd en is een sneeuwscooterroute van 10,9 mijl. Sneeuwschoenwandelaars kunnen het eerste stuk vanaf Highway 14 gebruiken, maar delen het met sleeën: blijf aan de rand en stap opzij voor motoren.
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 vanaf de Duck Creek-kant | 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 |
| Sneeuwschoentochten met rangers bij 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.
Neem je eigen langlaufski’s of sneeuwschoenen mee: in Duck Creek Village en bij Deer Hollow is geen verhuur. Huren kan in Cedar City (onderaan Highway 14) of bij Brian Head Sports en de Giant Steps Lodge in Brian Head; bevestig voorraad en openingstijden vooraf. Voor gemotoriseerde winterverhuur, zie de sneeuwscootergids.
Winterroutes hangen af van sneeuwdek, stormen, preparatie en toegang, niet alleen van de kalender. Midden in de winter is meestal het meest logische venster; vroege en late winter zijn wisselvalliger.
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.
Wat je meeneemt
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.
Snelle conditiechecks
Winterplanning rond Duck Creek begint met Highway 14, UDOT-informatie en de laatste aanwijzingen van terreinbeheerders. Een route kan de ene week uitstekend zijn en de volgende week lastig. Reken er niet op dat elke zomerroute-ingang, elk uitkijkpunt of elke meerweg in de winter per auto bereikbaar is.
Begin met korte sneeuwschoenwandelingen, gemarkeerde wintergebieden en routes met makkelijke omkeerpunten.
Gebruik geprepareerde lussen waar ze beschikbaar zijn en respecteer skispuren.
Blijf uit geprepareerde skispuren tenzij de route als gedeeld gebruik is gemarkeerd.
Boswegen en wintertoegang bij Cedar Breaks vragen navigatie, weerkennis en bereidheid om om te keren.
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
Winterroutes veranderen met sneeuw, stormen, sneeuwruimen en gebiedsbesluiten. Gebruik officiële bronnen voordat je de definitieve route kiest.
Live snow depth and the 48-year record for Duck Creek Village, from two SNOTEL stations minutes away.
Bekijk pagina Deer Hollow Winter Recreation Area, sneeuwscooteren, langlaufen en winterlandschappen rond Duck Creek Village
See winter activities
The climb up Highway 14, chains and 4WD, snow depths, daylight, and storm-day calls
Plan dit Sneeuw, skiën, sneeuwscooters en cabintijd in het hoogland
Bekijk dagrouteVerblijf bij Duck Creek Village Inn en plan langlaufen, sneeuwschoenwandelen, Brian Head of rustige tijd bij je verblijf rond één praktische bergbasis.
