Slow Poke to Sundown

Powder Mountain

Welcome to the trail!

During the scorching middle-of-the-summer months, we love to escape the heat by traveling up in elevation. Our favorite “up” place is Powder Mountain, where it’s often ten degrees cooler than the valley! Powder has so many trails that are super popular for hikers and bikers alike. But if you’re looking for a trail that gets you away from so many other humans, let me introduce you to the trail I call Slow Poke to Sundown. You’ll follow an access road (aka cat track in the winter) gradually up through cabins, then sagebrush, then aspens and wildflowers, till you reach the ridge and end near the Sundown ski lift. We love this one for its evening shade, lack of people, abundant wildflowers, and awesome valley views. (Not to mention an up-close look at the lift while we rest in the shadow of the bullwheel at the top.)

How to get there

Drive 7.2 miles north past Valley Market in Eden on Highway 158 towards Powder Mountain. At the top of the hill, continue straight into the huge dirt parking area near the Timberline Lodge. Park anywhere here, but know that the trail will start at the far north (left when you’re driving in) end of the lot, past the equipment sheds. No restrooms are available at the trailhead.

Trail at a glance

Distance: 1 mile one way (2 miles out and back)

Elevation gain: ~340 feet

Destination: Sundown lift with views of ski area and valley

Tyke perks: views (see if you can spot the Paper Airplane, as well as Nordic Valley and Snowbasin ski areas), flowers, ski lift, rocks (are my kids the only ones who like to make cairns?), evening shade, equipment shed, buses

Notable flora: penstemon, hyssop, daisy, curly dock, mules ear, hoary cress, sagebrush, aspen, lupine, aster, geranium, bluebell, paintbrush, scarlet gilia, arrowleaf balsamroot, fir

Fascinating fauna: chipmunk, butterflies, bugs, birds, snake (we saw a shiny, silvery, rubbery looking snake near the saddle - no idea what it was!)

Watch out for: bikers (there are a few who use this trail, but it’s really quiet compared to others at the resort, and the trail is wide so there’s plenty of room for everyone), trail closures (be sure to check PowMow’s twitter feed or trail status page to make sure the trail is open - this one is officially called the DMI Trail in those places, just FYI)

While you’re hiking

Start by walking north from wherever you parked in the big lot toward the equipment sheds. (I don’t know many tykes who won’t be excited by walking past so many buses and snow cats and other big truck-like machines parked along here.) When you get to the end of the road/parking lot, you’ll see a small sign pointing left/up for the DMI trail. Follow this trail/road as is curves back to the left and climbs above the parking lot. In about a tenth of a mile you’ll start to curve to the right and will be walking on a doublewide track with homes on both sides of the trail.

After ~0.2 miles and once you’re past the houses, you’ll cross a dirt road (this is Aspen Drive) and continue heading upward, beyond the rope gate that crosses the Slow Poke trail (it’s there to keep motorists off). Continue climbing up the dirt road and soon (at roughly the half mile mark) you’ll enter the lovely stand of aspens (the shade is so welcome and the trees and flowers beneath them are gorgeous!).

Keep hiking for another 0.3 miles when you reach the saddle and a crossroads. If you’re happy with your hike to this point and don’t want to tackle the steep rocky section that comes next, this is a perfectly good spot to enjoy the view and the shade (and the halfpipe making equipment stashed in the trees).

If you’re ready to push on for another short (0.2 miles) but steep section, you’ll find yourself at the top of the Sundown Lift. (This last push is where the cairn-making happens when my kids hike it.) From the top you can look down to the base of Sundown, across at the rest of Powder Mountain resort (can you see the paper airplane way over on the hill?), and around to Snowbasin and Nordic Valley Resorts beyond. What a view!

After you’ve had your fill of the top, turn around and follow the trail back the way you came. I hope you find this trail as peaceful and cool as we do on these hot summer evenings!

Happy hikers

Check out this happy group of hikers sent to me by Lexie - she arranged for her whole family to hike at Art Nord during a family reunion here in the valley. Helping them choose the perfect hike for their range of tykes was so fun. Let me know if you want a personalized recommendation for your next outing in the mountains! I’m always so excited to share the hiking love! Happy trails!