Cedar Mountain Cross-Country Ski Areas
Cedar Mountain is the local name for the Markagunt Plateau, the most southwestern of the High Plateaus of the Colorado Plateau Region. "Markagunt" is the Southern Paiute word for “the high place with trees”: Aptly named, as it is a high place (over 11000 ft.), and it does have trees: Spruce, fir, Limber pine, Douglas fir, a few bristlecone pine, and lots of quaking aspen.
Cedar Mountain also has great snow. An average year may have five or six feet, and in a good year, 10 feet or more is not uncommon. It also has vast open meadows, sinkholes, lava flows, cinder cones, bristlecones, lots of pink and white limestones, as well as fantastic views of Zion Canyon, Cedar Breaks, the Pine Valley Mountains, the Tushar Mountains, Powell Point on the Aquarius Plateau, the west rim of the Paunsaugunt Plateau, Wheeler Peak in Great Basin N.P., and much more.
The great snow on Cedar Mountain can be accessed four ways: To access the south side, use SR-14 (the Markagunt High Plateau Scenic Byway) east from Cedar City, or west from SR-89. To access the north side, use SR- 143 southeast from Parowan, or southwest from Panguitch.
Do not use the information on these pages as your only source for planning or travel. Winter recreation in a wild environment can be dangerous, especially in backcountry or off trail situation.
For more information contact:
The Cedar Mountain Nordic Ski Club
Dixie National Forest
Cedar Breaks National Monument