Backcountry skiing on the Wasatch Front can sometimes feel like you’re competing for turns during a powder day at a resort. Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons have become so popular that it’s a miracle to go on a tour and not see another ski party. But if solitude is what you seek, then there are many smaller canyons along the Salt Lake Valley where you may not see another soul. Neffs Canyon is one such place, and Thomas Fork is even more off the beaten path.
Thomas Fork is one of two major tributaries in Neffs Canyon (North Fork is the other) and is a steep, wooded and long tour that pays big with views at the top. With an elevation gain of 4,200 feet over 3.6 miles, Thomas Fork is no small undertaking, especially considering that the skiing is not typical of the hero lines found throughout the Wasatch. But what it lacks in opens bowls, it makes up for in fun terrain like rolling hills, narrow shots surrounded by brush, and tight turns through scrub oak and shady pines.
The biggest advantage of skiing Thomas Fork is that you can take your best friend with you. Neffs Canyon is one of the few places in the Wasatch Mountains where dogs are allowed, yet there they can play in the snow every day, unlike Mill Creek Canyon to the south.
To ski Thomas Fork, park at the Neffs Canyon trailhead, located at the end of White Way in the Olympus Cove neighborhood. Skin (or hike) up the old jeep road and stay left when the trail forks. Almost a mile from the fork, look out for a trail or skintrack on the right that heads up into a dense grove of scrub oak. Follow this to the south up Thomas Fork where some route finding (and bushwhacking) may be required.
There aren’t many ski options in the area due to cliffs and the dense brush, but what is available is still worth the effort. And if you’re feeling really ambitious, you can try to ski one of the awesome-looking couloirs that spill down from Triangle Peak.