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Powder Park 1
Powder Park 1
Drainage Mill D North Fork
Terrain Aspen and Fir Glades
Ascent Vertical 2,000'
Skiing Vertical 400'
Skinning Distance 3.5 miles
Location 40.6650° / -111.6127°
Online Map View on wbskiing.com

The entire bowl-like area in upper Mill D North Fork is the original Powder Park. As with other open, low-angle terrain gained the same name, they were numbered. Nowadays "Powder Park 1" primarily refers to the north-facing slope in upper Mill D Fork shown in this photo. This slope contains a smattering of evergreen trees and although it is mostly low angle, it has a few steeper patches that can avalanche.

The more open south-facing slopes, which share Sheep Shit Ridge with Mill Creek Canyon, contain small groves of aspen trees and are lower angle. There is also gentle west-facing terrain in the eastern end of Powder Park 1.

Getting to Powder Park 1

Powder Park 1 from Spruces Trailhead
Trailhead Spruces Trailhead
Trailhead Elevation 7,350'
Ridge Elevation 9,400'
Total Vertical 1,000'
Skinning Distance 3.0 miles
Online Map View on wbskiing.com

Powder Park 1 requires a relatively long trek for relatively short runs, but the length of the approach does reduce the number of visitors.

Follow the instructions toward Lake Desolation via Mill D North Fork. About a mile before Lake Desolation, the skin track passes to the left of a large meadow (it's several football fields long and looks like a frozen lake when it is covered with snow). After skinning alongside the meadow for approximately 500 feet, the skin track to Powder Park 1 branches up a small gully to the left. The main trail continues on to Lake Desolation.

About the name

See the comments on the Powder Park 3 page for additional information about the naming of the Powder Parks.