So close yet so far away. Mt. Tuscarora is a prominent peak just to the left of Catherine’s Pass if you’re coming from Alta. While it’s not far at all from the ski resort, this peak will make you feel more remote than you really are.
- Distance: 7 miles
- Time: 3.5 hr
- Elevation Gain: 1,880 ft
- When we went: April 25
- GPS for trail start: GPS
- Can you ski back to the car?: Yes
- Route-finding Difficulty: Easy
- Physical Exertion Difficulty: Moderate
- Map
Getting there: Follow Little Cottonwood Canyon Rd to the very end and park at the northernmost lot at Alta Ski Resort. From here you will follow what they call the Summer Road, which Alta allows uphill travel on. This route goes under the lift and then quickly curves back to the left to continue skinning up the left side of the ski resort, following the summer trail named Catherine’s Pass trail.
The views along the way are spectacular, and being a popular route to get up into Catherine’s Pass area, there will most likely already be a skin track. Follow this route up the valley for close to 3 miles until you reach Catherine’s Pass. From here there are so many options, and on a good day, the fresh powder runs will seem endless. Depending on your stamina and time, you could do a lot of runs back in here, but for Mt. Tuscarora, you will turn left and continue up the ridgeline.
The hike up the ridge does get steeper than the valley. We went a few hundred feet zig-zagging up and finally took our skis off and carried them on our backs to continue boot packing. We did not need crampons, although they never hurt to carry. You’ll go through some trees until it opens up a bit more, as you can see in the photo above. Persevere and you’ll reach the summit in no time.
Once you reach the summit, celebrate your victory, take off your skins, put your board together, and get ready for a fantastic ride down.
We hit Mt. Tuscarora on a bluebird day after a good bit of snowfall, and the bowl down the NW side of Mt. Tuscarora was fantastic. We traversed towards Mt. Wolverine for 100-200 feet until the pitch was a little less steep and there were fewer trees. Remember on a pitch over 30 degrees to go one at a time, and always check avalanche danger before going.
Towards the bottom of the bowl, keep your speed if you can. It flattens out for a while, and you may end up having to walk a few hundred feet as a snowboarder. Once it gets steeper, you will end up skiing down the bottom runs of Alta. Please note that Alta is a skier’s only mountain. There are mixed reviews on whether they will stop you as you snowboard out, but the most official word is that you cannot get on a lift as a snowboarder, but you can snowboard down. If you want to double-check, please call Alta Ski Resort for the most updated information.
You should be able to board right down to the base of Alta and walk through the parking lot back to your car.
GEAR: Pallas Epiphany Splitboard, Jones Solution Splitboard, Union Explorer Bindings
PROS:
- Really beautiful scenery
- Easy to route-find
CONS:
- Winds through the side of a busy ski resort
- Alta does not look fondly on snowboarders
THE SPLIT DECISION:
Jay’s Take: “Really beautiful views once you get up to the pass. The hike up the ridge to the summit was fun too. I liked the open bowl down and that there were not too many trees to navigate. It was a great day with the powder. Not sure I would have been quite as stoked if we weren’t in awesome powder.”
Tyese’s Take: “I really loved this route! I don’t think I would do it when Alta was still open, but after it closes for the season is the perfect time to hit up this route! The bowl off Tuscarora made me smile the whole way down”
