After only two winters in the Black Hills, I was already looking for new places to cross country ski. I had explored the existing tail systems in the Black Hills at Big Hill, Eagle Cliff, and Deer Mountain, and had even tested the Reuter Campground Trails in the adjacent Bearlodge Mountains of Wyoming. From my hiking trips over to the Bighorn Mountains I knew there were trail systems there that might challenge me with tougher terrain and deeper snow. I was skiing both cross country and downhill at the Deer Mountain and Terry Peak areas frequently through the winters, and was getting marginally competent in the backcountry.
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| The Heavens Gate-Cloud Peak Junction. |
2-11-89
Willow Park
My
trip notes make no mention of logistics, and any idea of where I stayed or how
cold it was, has long faded away. I drove an hour west of Buffalo to the Willow
Park Trailhead near Meadowlark Lake, with a quick pass through the empty Pole
Creek TH which was about a 30 minute drive from Buffalo. I started from the
Willow Park TH at about 10:30, where there were already 10 cars. The trails
were groomed by the local Willow Park Ski Touring Club.
View north from Island Park.
I
started clockwise on the outer loop, which is the Island Park Trail. The trails
were groomed about four feet wide with no set tracks. There were trail signs
with maps at all the junctions. At the first meadow along the way there was a
shortcut to the west to the West Tensleep Road. The trails seemed to fill the
entire area between the Willow Park TH (a picnic area in summer), Sitting Bull
Campground to the east on West Tensleep Road, and Island Park CG on the west.
Still staying on the perimeter, I took a short piece of I-25 Trail to the Sitting
Bull Trail, now on the east side of the area. Sitting Bull was rated an expert
downhill. I managed to fall only three times before reaching the junction with
Dugway Trail about 12:30. At this point, some of the trails were blazed and
marked with colored diamonds indicating the trail difficulty. I slid, rather
than skied down the Oh My God Hill Trail, which was far too steep for my meager
ability. That trail led to Heavens Gate and then the Cloud Peak Cut off to
complete the “outer” loop (skipping Meadowlark Trail). Temperatures were about
35-40F, with clear skies, and great snow.
Next,
I took one of the shorter, internal loops, up the Cloud Peak Cut-off to Dugway,
back via the Meadowlark Trail, and around the Powder River Loop arriving about
1:30.
My
final loop was up I-25 to the old expert cut-off, which was not marked on the
map. I took a few pictures at the top and then returned back to the Trailhead
via the Lost Cabin Trail, getting in about 2:45 after about 12.5 miles, and
skiing essentially all the trails on the map. True to form there was an old
collapsing cabin near the bottom of the trail.
Cloud Peak from the highway.
Overall,
I’d seen 7-8 groups of skiers and there were 5 cars in the lot that had arrived
after me. This might have been my best ski trip of the year. The trails were
perfectly groomed, the weather was ideal, and I felt great. The snow was good
enough that I almost skate most of the slight downhills on my waxless touring
skis. The only disappointment was that the area wasn’t open enough to get views
of the high peaks.
As of 2005, the 13 miles of Willow Park Trails are maintained by the Powder Pass Nordic Skiers & ‘Shoers. Their brochure indicates that the trail system dates back to 1962. As of 2023 the trail system has received only minor changes compared to the 1989 version.
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| Current Willow Park Cross-country Ski Trail Map. |
2-12-89
Pole Creek
I started this trip at 9:30 from the large lot on the west side of US 16. There was a register and signs for FS roads 531312 (abandoned) and 457 (active) at the start. I did not sketch my route onto the field map I used for the trip. That map lacks trail names, but does have mileages for the various loops. My map showed reference posts at intersections, but I did not note any of those on the trip.
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| Bighorn and Darton Peaks from Pole Creek. |
It
looks like I tried again to ski the outside loop of this area first, going
clockwise. But south of Pole Creek there were no tracks. I went south to a
powerline, then broke trail on a 2.5 mile subloop covered in rabbit tracks. I
got lost briefly on the north side of the sub loop. There was 3-4” of new snow
on a crust, with 6” to 3’ of base snow.
I
then skied to the far north end, returning to the main loop about 10:40, and
continued around the loop. The trail on the northwest side of the area hadn’t been
broken, but I could see traces of old tracks. The weather was cool, clear, and
overcast. This
area was at least better for photography, I could see the Hazleton Peak group
to the south, and Bighorn and Darton Peaks to the north. Next, I reached the
junction with the trail “off the loop road”, which I assume was at the north
end of the area by a Highway Maintenance building. Here the trails got easier
to follow, with some blue diamond markers and old tracks to follow. The entire
area had been marked as “Easy”. But I had found the side trails to be more
difficult with deep fresh snow and few old tracks.
I
went left at a sign for FS 534218 at the start of my next loop which I finished
around 1:15. This was probably the 2.6 mile long inner loop, and was much
easier compared to what I had skied around the perimeter. Unlike much of the
area, this was not an old road, the snow was shallow, and I hit some rocks. With
this loop I’d covered most of the trails on the map. I was done about 1:50 and after
about 9 miles, and ready for the long drive back to Lead. I had seen no other
people and no other cars in the lot. I wondered shy the area got so much less
traffic. It had less snow, but not enough to completely discourage skiing. Did
the locals all go to Willow Park, or did they have their own off trail routes?
The Powder Pass Nordic Skiers & ‘Shoers also have maintained this area since 2005, and list 11 miles for the system. The configuration is the same as 1989 except that the 2.5 mile semi loop trail on the south end is now gone.
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| Current Pole Creek Cross -country Ski Trail Map. |
Though
I really enjoyed this trip, I did not repeat it. I was able to find plenty of
new terrain to ski in the Black Hills away from the designated trails (see Lander Yellow Jacket or Sand Creek) that was much closer
to home.
Cloud Peak from Lake Helen May 1989.
