Butler Gulch Backcountry Skiing(11,800')
Route Description
I have to admit that I've stood on top of awesome powder bowls at Red Mountain Pass, Teton Pass, the Wasatch Mountains in Utah, and the Selkirk Mountains in British Columbia, and rather smugly uttered these words: "This is definitely NOT Butler Gulch!" And yet, when I return home from these truly awesome backcountry ski areas, I always humbly return to Butler Gulch. Why? Several reasons. It's one of the best backcountry ski areas near the Denver Metro area. Snowmobiles are NOT allowed. It's very easy to access the terrain. It's relatively safe compared to the surrounding areas. It has great beginner, intermediate, and expert terrain. And it's a black hole for cold and snow and somehow extracts both when the surrounding areas are dry and melting. That's probably why there's ALWAYS a car in the parking lot no matter how early you get there. The one drawback of Butler Gulch is that it's almost too popular. If you want to ski untracked snow, plan on getting to the parking lot around 7am, Monday-Sunday. But that drawback is also a plus. Because Butler gets skied so much, the snow is constantly getting packed down, and, as a result, is less dangerous than areas where few or no skiers go.
Getting There
From Boulder or Denver, take I-70 west to exit 232, Empire, Berthoud Pass, Winter Park. From the exit, drive about 9 miles and turn left onto County HWY 202/Henderson Mine Road. There is a sign for Henderson Mine. Drive about 2 miles on this road until you come to the mine. Turn right onto an unmarked road. This road is usually plowed. Drive about a 1/2 mile from the turn off and park in the plowed lot on the left. If the road is not plowed, park in the lot right across from the turn onto the unmarked road.
Route Directions
From the west end of the parking lot, ski west on a road bed about a 1/4 mile and take the left fork. The right fork goes to Jones Pass and snowmobile land. After the fork, the trail crosses the West Fork of Clear Creek and swings to the south and into the Butler Gulch drainage. From this point, the trail follows the drainage up to timberline. When you get near timberline, you will see some obvious runs coming down through the trees. This area is pretty much the bottom of the downhill skiing.
Continue up the trail. It's a bit steeper here and has several sharp switchbacks that take you to timberline. Once you are at timberline, you can go up left, center, or right. Take your pick. See the map for details.
Route 1: Sunny Side
The open slopes on the north side of Butler Gulch get a lot of sun. As a result, they often have a sun crust. But if you can get to these slopes before the sun bakes them, they are a great beginner downhill area. Once you get to the trees, the skiing is much more difficult.
Route 2 and 3: North Bowls
These bowls on the south side of Butler Gulch are easy to get to and usually have great snow. As a result, they are the first to get skied out. If you want to catch these with fresh snow, get there early.
Route 4: North Gully
This is a very nice beginner to intermediate ski line and offers many lines back down to treeline. Climb up and left to the saddle between peaks 12,317 and 12,109. The center of the gully usually holds the best snow, but if the wind hasn't been blowing to hard, you can find good snow on all aspects up here.
Route 5: Hourglass
This dangerous-looking couloir is a prize for the earlybirds. It is very sheltered from the sun and holds the snow well. It's an intermediate run that is not as steep as it looks, but do not ski it unless the avalanche hazard is moderate or low. To access it, climb up the gully approach for route 4 and then traverse into the couloir.
Route 6 and 7: Northwest Trees
Although you can find many lines through the trees on the northwest slopes of Butler Gulch, there are two distinct gullys that offer a relatively continuous line to the bottom. I say "relatively continuous" because both of these runs are for expert tree skiers and require quick turning skills to avoid the trees. To access route 6 or 7, climb up and left towards the saddle between peaks 12,317 and 12,109 and then traverse left and cross the Hourglass couloir. Continue left until you reach the gully for route 6 or 7. Unless you have a GPS, it will be difficult to determine if you are in the correct gully. It may take several tries to get it right, but in the process, you'll learn a lot about the northwest slopes of Butler Gulch. DO NOT ATTEMPT these routes unless the avalanche conditions are moderate or low.
Local Information
Places to eat:
Map
Map 2 Butler Gulch Map