Broads Fork, Wasatch Mountains

[lostlandscapes]

What has become something of a winter tradition of mine, drclef and I set off for Broads Fork last weekend. Mixed terrain, diverse geology, open vistas, and grand views of one of the Wasatch's most spectacular cirques makes this destination one of Northern Utah's best.


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Approximately 1.5 miles into the 3 mile jaunt, the landscape transitions from thick, mixed conifer forest to open meadows of aspen and willow. Looking back to the north, that's Big Cottonwood Canyon with a Wildcat Ridge backdrop:

The hike gets "real" within the last half mile of the cirque. This baby gets steep! Twin Peaks in the distance:

Ski tracks filled the valley and some of the taller gulches and couloirs. This is the vantage from our turnaround point. From left to right, we have Dromedary, Sunrise, and Twin Peaks. Broads Fork is a great jumping point for summit junkies.

Instead of following our tracks and the beaten path right back to the trailhead, we decided to explore the eastern part of the valley a little bit. Here's looking northeast towards Mt. Raymond and Gobblers Knob:

For how beautiful aspens can be in autumn, I actually find them even more enchanting in the winter. This was one of my favorite little sections of the route, taken moments before drclef succumbed to gravity and took a graceful little face plant into the snow

At only 6 miles round trip and a gentle 2200' of elevation gain, this is a magnificent winter trek that fans of the Wasatch shouldn't miss!

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[Nick]

Beeeeeeeautiful! Crazy to think this stuff is right out my back door and I haven't really done any of it. Thanks for showing me what it's like!

 

[nonameiwant]

Gorgeous shots! Broads Fork is one of my favorites. Just the first mile of the trail makes for a quick and easy workout anytime of the year. I haven't gone up Broads Fork yet this winter. I'll have to go sometime within the next week or so.

 

[pixie1339]

Gorgeous! The Broads Fork/Lake Blanche area is my favorite in the Wasatch. It looks amazing with all that snow.

 

[blueeyes]

First thing on BCP this morning GORGEOUS SNOWY MOUNTAINS!!!! Thanks for a great start to my morning. Love the pictures.

 

[Dan]

i dunno man, that scenery is pretty boring. you sure it's worth it? i mean, it looks like work and stuff.

/sarcasm

 

[Michael]

...wonderful impressions.
Sometimes I missing the snow, here over the pond.
In the future I should visit Northern Utah.
Thx for sharing.

Gesendet von meinem JB-ViperXed HOX

 

[Jen]

bbbbbbeautiful aspens, i love them in the winter, too! lovely photos!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Yvonne]

I love it!! I love It!! I love it!!
Wonderful impressions and so much snow. I should definitely plan one snowshoeing trip next winter season up north. This is definitely a trail I would love to do

 

[Nick]

Tim - do you snowshoe this or do you skin it? I see Mandy has shoes on, but what about you?

 

[lostlandscapes]

Tim - do you snowshoe this or do you skin it? I see Mandy has shoes on, but what about you?

Thanks, everyone. It really is a magical place.

Nick, we both 'shoed it. Skins would be nice, especially if you were going higher. The challenge with skis in this drainage is the last mile-plus coming back down towards the trailhead is pretty steep and thickly forested terrain. Would make for quite the adventure coming back down, without much chance to slow down or stop. But then again, I've heard of people putting their skins back on to deal with that, to slow themselves down. Knowing myself, I'd end up in a tree somewhere if I tried slaloming down that obstacle course

 

[Nick]

I don't have all that much experience on my skins, but I don't think they slow you down much at all going down hill. I wonder if the lower trail is packed down enough that you could just hike in boots on the hard pack with your skis/splitboard on your back? Or if not, carry the skis on your back while shoeing up and then stash them at a certain point and switch back on the way down? I don't know, but I know I've enjoyed skinning on my splitboard way more than hiking on my snowshoes and that looks like a paradise up there...