Park County Nordic Ski Association

03/07/2026

We had high hopes of the storm that passed through last night, but alas, we got around half an inch, which has long since melted. We went up this morning to see what condition our condition was in... Lots of melted out spots on most of the trails. Some are better than others, but every trail has at least one spot where you'd have to tiptoe through grass or take your skis off to get to the next snow. Its ok if you need your ski fix, and the weather is fine for adventuring, just know that it wont be pristine. Middle fork and Outlaw/ Haul Road are in the best shape.

The road is still hanging in there. The surface is super hard under the thin layer of new snow, making it difficult to set classic track, but its there, although very shallow in some spots and good in others. The bottom of the road by the barricades is very thin, (you can almost see the yellow highway stripes), but it gets better as soon as you start climbing the hill. Its will be ass-clenchingly fast in the morning and doggy by afternoon, so pick the 20 minutes in between when its perfect!

There's some cold and snow coming our way, but it may bee too late to save all the trails. However, if there's still an interest in skiing, we will keep it in shape, so let us know!

02/28/2026

A Big Thanks to all who came out to enjoy a lovely day during last week's Taste of Trails event! Nature cooperated and brought us 2-3" storms just prior to the event, so it actually looked like winter at Pahaska, even if only for a while. More weather moved in this last week, but alas, it brought some rain, followed by balmy temps.

The groomers went up yesterday and did what they could to prolong the condition of the trails, and they had some success. How long it will last is the bigger question.

The highway is still in great shape! Its skis well all the way to the Yellowstone Entrance. No sign of park grooming yesterday, but folks have been skiing in and report back that the snowmobile side of the road is fine skiing.

Outlaw is hanging in there- The top 90% is great, with one narrow spot just down from the top hill. Skate and track lanes al the way to the creek bottom, then intermittent from there. We groomed an access point just past the first guardrail on the highway, where you can climb out of the Middle fork and finish down the highway.

Moose Flats, Crow Creek- Conditions are overall decent. Some trails do not have classic track. We moved snow into thin spots where we could. Be on the lookout for trail hazards. Sunny,south facing slopes are always the first to go, so check them out before you bomb them!

Barn Road s good, until you get to the bend into Race P'ark. Its connected, but mostly melted out, so be careful.

Race Park- The middle trails have classic track and skate lanes. These trails will be the first to go, so get them early!

South of the River- Much of these trails are actually in fine shape. the challenge is getting' there. Its best to walk down the hi l, across,the bridge and up into the trees on the far side. The Haul Roa,d, Penny's and Outlaw are good. Becker's is iffy but doable. We did not venture past Sleeping Giant.

The next 5 days look like beach weather, despite some small snow totals thrown in, which could come as rain. We are trying to keep it going as long as we can, and will update as needed. The best skiing is early in the day, before noon! After that, its gets challenging, with patches of soft, grabby snow, which helps you practice your nose dives!

Its probably not a bad idea to start carrying bear spray. It would normally be a bit early, but this year has been so warm, we all have some seasonal confusion...

Keep your tips up!

02/22/2026

Thank you to everyone that came out for Taste of the Trails yesterday! It was fun to see all the skiers and snowshoers enjoying the snow, the food, and the trails. A special thanks to our volunteers and our caterer- Savory Summit. We are thankful for all the support of the wonderful ski/snowshoe community in Park County.

02/18/2026

We are counting down the hours until the Taste of the Trails! The snow conditions are improving daily. We can't wait to see good friends, new faces, and taste some yummy food. Happy trails!

02/13/2026

We are getting ready for Taste of the Trails next weekend! We can't wait to see you all! Even if you didn't get your tickets, there are still ways to be involved-- Bake a couple dozen desserts? Or even volunteer as a server. Email [email protected] if you can help!

02/11/2026

Good Morning,

We have been hit pretty hard by last week's warm temperatures. The storm that came on Monday did produce 2-3" of fresh snow, unfortunately it also rained a good bit before the snow, so we ended up with a wash in terms of trail conditions.

We did a little grooming yesterday, mostly moving snow around to try to preserve trails and keep them connected. We are focusing on the route for our Taste of Trails event, Feb 21.

Moose Flats is skiable and decent. Look out for ice patches where there were puddles from the rain and thin spots/ narrowed trails due to tree well melt out. Crow Creek is similar, but the far end, where it stays cooler is in great shape and almost makes you forget that we are in a severe snow drought. We leveled and puled snow from the edges, back onto the trail. No track yet, but hopefully for the weekend.

The Highway is actually in great shape! New classic tracks and double-width skate lanes to the gate. Walkers- use the snowmobile side, or the 2.2 million acres of snow-free public lands down river of Pahaska...

Middle fork is great at the top, things start to deteriorate as you get to the bottom, but you can still make it to below Pahaska without too much fancy footwork. One of the ephemeral streams that crosses the trail is running,and may do so for a few more days, so take care in crossing it..

We are planing to go back up toward the end of the week to prep some trails for the Nordic Kids program on Saturday. The following week, we will be on the TOT course with equipment, moving snow into thin areas, so a safe bet to not running into us would be to ski on the road or Middle Fork.

Lets hope we get some more snow down low in the coming week!

01/31/2026

What a bizarre winter we are having! Given the almost laughable amount of snow we've gotten, you could be under the impression that there is no point in even driving up to Pahaska to ski, much less wax your skis. However, the Groomers are determined to make the most of what snow we do have, and actually, the skiing has been pretty darn good! Sure, not every trail is going to be stellar, and there are some thin parts here and there, but overall, it could be worse. Speaking of that, the next 10 days are supposed to be well above average temps and no snow in the forecast, so we will see what happens then, but for now, it's pretty easy to get a good ski in without the seasonal confusion. Here's the Lowdown:
The road remains the best skiing. Classic track and double-width skate lanes. The park service has also recently groomed, so you should have classic tracks up to the Windy Point outhouse on Sylvan Pass.

Middle Fork Trail has been resurrected and is skiable (Without hip waders) all the way to the steep hill across from the warming hut. Below that lies a large bare patch and marginal snow.

Moose Flats and Crow Creek are actually skiing really nicely. We left them from last week because everything is still holding up well. Race Park is skiable, but look out for thin and bare spots on all the trails. The Hill down to the highway is not currently skiable unless you are a really good jumper...

If you are willing to walk down the hill, across the ski bridge and up the other side, there's still some good skiing across the river. The haul road, Penny's and Outlaw are all good. Becker's is thin on either end.

Lots of wildlife action up there these days; Moose, elk, sheep, wolves, otters, ouzels, etc...

Pro Tip: with all the warm temps coming, ski earlier in the day, or after the evening cool down has started- Mid afternoon could be slow and draggy and will tear up the trails. We all have to work to keep them in good shape.

01/17/2026

Happy Juneuary,

Well after a week of 50 degree temps, The trails have taken a bit of a hit, although it could be worse. This season has set a very low bar...

The Highway was re-groomed, with new classic track and double-width skate lanes. The only bummer is the amount of dog p**p scattered across the trail. Worse than that, is that some of it has been bagged, and then forgotten. Dog owners, PLEASE pick up after your dogs. Carry a scoop and pitch it off into the trees.

Moose Flats got a touch up. We concentrated more on filling in bare spots than leaving a great finished product, but its not bad.

Race Park has lots of thin/ bare spots and the hill down to the highway is sketchy. We closed it off with lathe. Its not worth skiing and not that safe.

Barn road and Crow Creek are thin but skiable, we did not re groom them.

We closed Middle Fork from the bottom. We need long, sustained cold temps and lots of snow to reopen. it. You can ski it form the top, but don't go down into the bottom along the creek. Lots of open water.

If you decide to ski across the river, its best to walk down the hill and across the bridge and up the far side hill. Penny's and Haul Road are actually pretty good, Becker's is super thin. Outlaw is decent but not re-groomed.

We need some Winter. If anyone has any connections, now would be a good time to call in a favor!

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01/10/2026

This week's storms brought 6-7" of new snow at Pahaska, and 10+" at the East Entrance. This allowed the groomers to get on all the trails, and either roll and pack, or in most cases, level the trails and set track and skate lanes. It really feels like winter now, although there are still early season, thin conditions in many places, so ski with caution.

Here's the rundown:

Moose Flats, Crow Creek Loop, Barn Road and Race Park all have classic track and skate lanes. There's a few thin spots in the tracks in each area, so be on the lookout for them. Otherwise, they are skiing great.

The Highway is great; double-width skate lanes and classic track set to the east Gate. It looked like the Park Service was getting ready to groom, but I cannot confirm, there's only one way to know...

Middle Fork: the top 3/4 of the trail is awesome, with classic and skate lanes, however the persistent problem of a thawed, overflowing frog pond crossing the trail in 3 spots has made the bottom portion unskiable without hip waders. Its best to access MF from the top and ski it both ways, or climb out at the guardrail before the trail drops down along the creek.

Haul Road, Penny's, and Outlaw are all good. Haul Road is groomed all the way to Sleeping Giant. Becker's is thin with intermittent track, keep an eye out for debris and hazards.

The SG East and Canfield Trails were rolled, but they aren't ready for prime time yet.

The Dog Trails East of the Highway Bridge were rolled and should be decent for skiing without tracks.

The First Nordic Kids program starts tomorrow at 10AM, so look for a bunch of wigglers on skis.

The forecast for next week continues to call for warm temps, so lets hope our trails hold up until the next storm cycle comes around. Keep doing your snow dances!

01/07/2026

Good News! The Ski Trails at Pahaska have been getting some consistent snow accumulation this week. Around 2-3 inches each day. The groomers have intentionally stayed off the trails due to the continued warm temps, (most days are 32 degrees and above) to let the snow dry out and cool down before they start trail prep.
The temps look to cool down Thursday, so they plan to head up early Friday, in hopes of opening all the trails they can for the weekend.

Trails the are likely to be ready:
the Highway to YNP
Moose Flats
Crow Creek
Barn Road
Race Park-(mostly)
The top half of Middle Fork-(we are waiting for the frog pond along the creek to freeze before we can connect the bottom part)

Potentials:
Becker's
Penny's
Haul Road
Outlaw

Dog Trails

If all goes well and we have adequate coverage, we will venture to the SG East trails and see how they look.

The cool down will be short-lived,so we hope to harden the trails so they stay in shape through the next warm spell.

For more details, look for a Trail Report late Friday.

P.S.- Lots of Critters out and about, both on the trails and all along the highway.

12/28/2025

6" of snow from yesterday's storm are helping to get the ski trails into shape again. The Highway is in great shape, with classic track and skate lanes to the YNP gate. The Park Service also groomed yesterday, but the tracks are likely already covered. Nevertheless, the skiing into the park is really good.

Moose flats was leveled and some track was set, along with Crow Creek Loop. Its still a little thin, so ski with caution. The recent rains have recharged springs that are normally dry/ frozen this time of year, so they have flowed across the trail in a few spots. The cold snap last night should help to firm them up.

Everyone has asked about Middle Fork: There are a handful of seasonal creeks that cross the trail that were flowing too much to set trail on. They should be frozen after last night, so we will try to get something done on it today.

The next week will see warm temps again. Luckily, it will get cold each night so the trails shouldn't take too much of a hit if they don't get a lot of sun.

A friendly reminder to pick up after your dogs on the highway. At the very least, throw it over the guard rail.

Enjoy the last days of 2025 and Happy New Year!

See you on the trails!