Backcountry Ski or Snowboard at Cameron Pass

To get to Cameron Pass, drive west out of Fort Collins from Highway 287, to Highway 14, into Poudre Canyon. Take the drive all the way through Poudre Canyon, and soon you will climb out of the canyon and towards the continental divide at Cameron Pass. 

Once you see the sign at the top of the pass there will be a parking lot on the right, pull in there, this will be the primary parking lot.

From here, the options of skiable terrain are pretty much endless. Part of what makes backcountry skiing special is the secret stashes, that being said I will give a quick overview of the two most popular areas at Cameron Pass, and how to get going towards them.

North Cameron 

The northern part of Cameron includes zones like North Diamond Peak, South Diamond Peak, Montgomery Bowl, and the Medicine Bows. 

To access this terrain and locations, there is often a skin track formed directly to the left of the bathrooms. Make sure to check out CalTopo to get an idea of where you may be traversing and skining through off of this skin trail to get to your desired and more specific zone. 

South Cameron

The zones south of the parking lot include Iron Mountain, Table Mountain, and if you are really looking to push the limits, Nokhu Crags (this is the gnarly looking peak in the background in the landscape photo above)

To access these zones it is easiest to follow the old logging road known as Michigan Ditch Road. There is signage just east of the parking lot. The ditches visible all across the southern part of the pass. From Michigan Ditch you can skin up into the trees towards Iron and Table Mountain, and all the way around to the area of Lulu Mountain and Nokhu Crags. Again, take a look at CalTopo to plan your route. 

Remember that there is always a possibility of an avalanche. Please be safe out there and check the avalanche reports: http://avalanche.state.co.us/forecasts/backcountry-avalanche/front-range/