Winter recreation sites opening up

A groomer on a hill at Hartman Rocks.

After the most recent storm cycle blanketed the ground with over a foot of snow, local recreation sites around the valley are opening up for business. Bikers, skiers and snowshoers alike can snap in for the season and head into the hills for an adventure.  

Cranor Hill

For the first time in nearly two years, the much-beloved Cranor Hill Ski Area will open for the season on Saturday, Jan. 7. 

Cranor Hill, just northeast of Gunnison off Lost Canyon Road, has been operating for nearly 60 years. The hill was originally owned by the Cranor family but the city purchased it in 1966 under the terms that it would always be used as a public ski area. The area is administered by the Gunnison Parks and Rec Department.

The 310-foot hill uses a Poma Platter Surface Lift, featuring a disk-like support suspended from a cable placed between the legs to pull the skier uphill. Cranor will open only if there is enough snow coverage to prevent groomers from picking up dirt. For opening day, the hill just reached bare minimum, between 12 and 14 inches. There’s no designated routes hill, but that’s just part of the beauty of the place, Dan Vollendorf, director of Gunnison Parks and Recreation, said. 

With no designated routes at Cranor, “It’s a choose-your-own adventure,” he said. "There’s no real way to do the hill, and you can go skiing wherever you want on the property.”

New this year, Cranor will have special hours on Wednesday afternoons to accommodate early release in the Gunnison Watershed School District. The mid-week hours are not the first time the hill has welcomed kids during the school week.

“You hear stories from other people who grew up here that the bus used to take them to Cranor, and they'd get an hour to ski after school back when Cranor had lights,” said Ginny Baylor, parks and rec supervisor. 

The uptick in usage of the Rec Center during early release hours inspired the idea, Baylor said. She coordinated with CB Snowsports Foundation and the Gunnison County Metropolitan Recreation District to offer free daily lift tickets between 1-4 p.m. on Wednesday for the entire 2023 season.

Cranor is open on Saturday and Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Season passes are available to all, but Rec Center members get a slight discount. Otherwise, daily tickets cost $13 for ages 5-16, $22 for ages 17-64 and are free for those under 5 or over 65.

“It's not like Vail. You know what I mean?” Vollendorf said. “It's the local ski hill, where kids can go crazy, and it's just five minutes up the road.” 

Hartman Rocks 

Hartman Rocks Recreation Area is formally open for winter patronage. Gunnison Trails and Gunnison Nordic have already groomed over 14 miles of winding trail networks and road connectors three times. The paths are now groomed for snowshoeing, skiing, hiking and biking — although some recent wind made the trails a little soft for biking, said Tim Kugler, executive director of Gunnison Trails.

After last week’s storm cycle, the organizations received the green light from the Bureau of Land Management to close gates at the bottom of Kill Hill and begin the annual ritual. Hartmans didn’t receive enough snow last year to merit any grooming, Kugler said, so the wintertime recreation just wasn’t the same. 

“Last year, the gates never really swung shut for snow, but they did eventually swing shut for mud, because there was just enough snow out there to make things sloppy,” Kugler said.

The trail system is especially popular for fat bikers. Although the bikes can be ridden anywhere there’s packed snow, like the Van Tuyl trail or the recreation path to Mt. Crested Butte, the trails at Hartman Rocks offer a curated experience.

“The options are pretty limited if you're really looking for a single-track riding experience,” said Kugler. “That's why Hartman’s is great, because we actually do regular grooming specific for riding.”

Grooming reports are available on the Gunnison Trails website. Patrons can check their social channels or sign up for an email list for updates.

(Abby Harrison can be contacted at 970.641.1414 or abby@gunnisontimes.com.)