Wolf Creek Pass Backcountry Skiing

Wolf Creek Pass is known for it's deep, stable snowpack. In most seasons it has double or triple the snowpack of the northern or central Colorado mountains, and they often have a 50-60 inch base by Thanksgiving. Wolf Creek Pass unique in Colorado in that the best skiing is in the trees. Normally, the forests in Colorado below timberline are too thick to ski through. But at Wolf Creek Pass, in the Rio Grande National Forest, the US Forest service implemented a tree harvesting program, affectionately called the STEP program by local skiers-Selective Telemark Enhancement Program. Instead of clear cutting, the Forest Service removed enough trees to "thin" the forest. To the joy of skiers, the thinning created perfect glade skiing. From a distance, the forests look like any other Colorado forests: thick and impenetrable. But up close and on skis, you can see that these forests are perfect for skiing. Just enough trees to keep the sun and wind out and plenty of space to initiate turns.

Another unique feature of Wolf Creek is that most of the runs start from ridges that run northeast. As a result, you can find excellent runs down the north-facing slopes of these ridges. The north-facing slopes on the ridges are refrigerated snow magnets. Very little sun hits these slopes between November and February, and they are protected from the prevailing winds. The trick to skiing these ridges is to ski down the ridge until you see a good line down the north side and then ski it to the drainage below. Once you hit the drainage, you make a flat traverse back to the ridge and repeat the process. The maps below show an example of routes that drop into the drainage and then traverse back to the ridge. Don't worry about following these routes exactly. There are dozens of possibilities on all the ridges. You will have to determine for yourself which lines you like the best. And keep in mind that the south faces of these ridges can be good if you get to them before the sun or warm temperatures create a crust.

Finally, there are a couple methods of doing these runs. One method involves skiing from the top of the run all the way down to the exit onto highway 160 (set a shuttle car or hitch hike to get back to your car at the Pass). The other method involves yo yo skiing the top sections of the runs and then skiing back out the Lobo Overlook road to your car at the top of the Pass.

Note: The north side of Wolf Creek Pass is off-limits to snowmobiles according to a voluntary agreement between skiers, snowmobilers, and the Forest Service; the snowmobiles MUST stay on the Lobo Overlook road. If you see snowmobiles, or snowmobile tracks anywhere other than the road, please file a Backcountry Experience Report Document (BERD) on the BSA web site. If you have a digital camera, please take pictures of the snowmobiles or snowmobile tracks:
http://backcourntyalliance.org/act/berd/berd.php

Getting There

From South Fork or Pagosa Springs, take HWY 160 to the top of Wolf Creek Pass and look for a parking lot on the north side of the road. If this lot is full, you can park in the lot on the pass summit about 1/4 mile to the west on the south side of the road.

Local Information

Places to stay:

Places to eat:

Local Info

Wolf Creek Pass Overview Map

Map 13 Wolf Creek Pass Overview Map

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