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Daniel's Summit is about 20 miles east of Heber on US-40. You can
park at the Lodge, which is on the right side of the highway. The
groomed trails are Forest Service roads that go up the hill behind the
Lodge. They don't charge to use the trail, but they do ask for a $5
parking fee in their lot. Just stop in at the store and they'll give
you a pass to put on your dash while you're out skiing. This is the
best deal in town for at least 20 miles of delightful
corduroy. The groomed road climbs quite steeply for a mile or so and then forks. The right fork traverses for a few miles with a little elevation loss - nice for an out-and-back ski. The left fork climbs another mile or so with some steep spots, then traverses with a much more gentle uphill slope for 5 or 6 miles of delightful skiing. A final steep section gets you to the Strawberry Ridge and a truly amazing view of the back side of the Wasatch Mountains. You can continue along the top of the ridge (with some pretty good ups and downs) for a couple of miles, then drop down into Clyde Creek if you have the energy. Later in the year, when there's more snow in the lower meadows, you can ski back along the highway from the bottom of Clyde Creek for a 25-mile loop. Right now, you'd have to climb back to the ridge to get back to the lodge from Clyde Creek. Brent Hill, Daniel's Summit Lodge owner, is currently grooming the trail on a regular basis. We noticed yesterday that some people are parking in places where they won't have to pay. I'd urge everyone to contribute to the grooming. Please do stop in at the store and tell them you appreciate their efforts to keep the trails in such good shape. And please support the store and restaurant with your purchases. We're really fortunate to have such a nice place to ski in this otherwise disastrous winter.
Tip from Ian Harvey: To find out about grooming conditions, call the lodge at (435)548-2300. I find most effective is to pretend you are a snowmobiler trying to find out what the conditions are. They get confused when you start talking about skiing. |