New in the Blues – Horseshoe Prairie Nordic Ski Area
Horseshoe Prairie Nordic Ski Area supports Nordic skiing and snow shoeing on a marked groomed and non-groomed trail system within the Umatilla National Forest of northeast Oregon. At an elevation between 5,100’ and 5,300’ the area regularly receives annual snow depths in excess of 4’. Currently there are approximately 10 miles (16 kilometers) of marked trails. The area is bordered on the north by the North Fork Umatilla Wilderness.
The trails at Horseshoe Prairie Nordic Ski Area provide a range of experiences in terrain and snow landscapes.
- The Tamarack Trail is a 2.5-mile loop It is ideal for those new to the sport. It will be groomed regularly and follows existing forest service roads.
- The Hoot & Holler Trail offers a short traverse between groomed sections at Markers F and G for those wishing to try an ungroomed trail. It travels within a wonderful dense forest section of pine, fir and tamarack trees.
- The Viewpoint Trail will take one out to an overlook of the North Fork Umatilla Wilderness’s spectacular canyon.
- The Wandering Wolf Trail west of Junction Marker E is a corridor bounded by tall pine and fir trees and users may see tracks of the area’s wildlife on freshly fallen snow. After about 2 miles it connects with Prairie Loop Trail.
- The southern part of the Prairie Loop Trail courses over a vast open slope marked by seasonally placed orange poles to guide the route.
- Umatilla Rim Trail segment will provide the ultimate challenge for the back-country skier. Starting near Marker A, it dips and climbs through the forest ultimately connecting to the Viewpoint Trail.
The Blue Mountain Land Trust Blues Crew is an all-volunteer group dedicated to improving trails in the region. In 2020, teams worked at Horseshoe Prairie to restore the trails, add blue diamond markers and new directional signs. A new area map was created. More information can be found at https://bmlt.org/horseshoe-prairie including current snow conditions and grooming schedule.
The Horseshoe Prairie Nordic Ski Area is located off Oregon Highway 204, approximately 26 miles east of Weston, Oregon and 14 miles west of Elgin, Oregon. Parking is available across Highway 204 at the Andies Prairie Sno-Park.
For more information contact the Blues Crew at:
Blue Mountain Land Trust
Walla Walla, Washington and John Day, Oregon
Greg Brown. Program Lead
blues-crew@bmlt.org