Chimney Park – Winter connection to the Rail Trail
The Rail Trail is open to non-motorized uses through the winter months. The only section that has any winter grooming is south of the Wood’s Creek Trailhead. That parking area is not plowed through the winter, and it is not legal to park along the highway. The Chimney Park Trailhead, located 1.2 miles east of the Wood’s Creek Trailhead, is plowed for winter use. A maze of trails for Nordic skiing and snowshoeing have been available from the parking area for many seasons. Note this is a fee area and requires either a season or daily pass.
As of the Winter 2023-2024 season, a route has been developed with occasional grooming from the parking lot to the Rail Trail, via Forest Road 532. Once intercepting the Rail Trail, the grooming continues south on the Rail Trail to the Gramm crossing. From there, a loop is created by following Forest Road 518 and 520, and then rejoining the Rail Trail to return to Chimney Park. Full distance along this route is nearly 9 miles.
Grooming is by the non-profit organization SNOW in collaboration with the University of Wyoming Nordic Ski Team, the UW Division of Kinesiology and Health, and the U.S. Forest Service. A link to the grooming report on the SNOW website is below, as well as maps of the Chimney Park trails and an aerial view of the Rail Trail connector route.
Click here to go to Chimney Park and Connector grooming report by SNOW.
Map showing Rail Trail Connector
