Cherry Peak is a
ski area
A ski area is the terrain and supporting infrastructure where skiing and other snow sports take place. Such sports include alpine and cross-country skiing, snow boarding, tubing, sledding, etc. Ski areas may stand alone or be part of a ski resort.
...
in northern
Utah
Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...
that opened in 2014 and first used for skiing in the 2015–2016 season. It is located in Cherry Canyon, east of
Richmond, Utah
Richmond is a city in Cache County, Utah, United States. The population was 2,733 at the 2020 census. It is included in the Logan metropolitan area.
History
Agrippa Cooper was the first settler in Richmond in the mid-1850s. In 1859, surveyors vi ...
in the
Bear River Mountains
The Bear River Range (also known as the Bear River Mountains), is a mountain range located in northeastern Utah and southeastern Idaho in the western United States.
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Description
The range forms the eastern boundary of the Cache Valley. ...
. While smaller and less developed than a number of Utah
ski resort
A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter sports. In Europe, most ski resorts are towns or villages in or adjacent to a ski area – a mountainous area with pistes (ski trails) and a ski lift system. In North ...
s, Cherry Peak is close and convenient to residents of nearby
Logan
Logan may refer to:
Places
* Mount Logan (disambiguation)
Australia
* Logan (Queensland electoral district), an electoral district in the Queensland Legislative Assembly
* Logan, Victoria, small locality near St. Arnaud
* Logan City, local gover ...
,
Utah State University
Utah State University (USU or Utah State) is a public land-grant research university in Logan, Utah. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. With nearly 20,000 students living on or near campus, USU is Utah's ...
, and
Cache Valley
Cache Valley is a valley of northern Utah and southeast Idaho, United States, that includes the Logan metropolitan area. The valley was used by 19th century mountain men and was the site of the 1863 Bear River Massacre. The name, Cache Valley i ...
. It also hosts students from more distant universities.
The resort has
snowmaking
Snowmaking is the production of snow by forcing water and pressurized air through a "snow gun", also known as a "snow cannon". Snowmaking is mainly used at ski resorts to supplement natural snow. This allows ski resorts to improve the reliabilit ...
equipment which it uses to augment the natural snowfall as needed.
The resort is accessed by driving 3.5 miles (5.5 km) east from
Richmond, Utah
Richmond is a city in Cache County, Utah, United States. The population was 2,733 at the 2020 census. It is included in the Logan metropolitan area.
History
Agrippa Cooper was the first settler in Richmond in the mid-1850s. In 1859, surveyors vi ...
(on 500 North Street) into Cherry Canyon. Due to its smaller size and its relative distance from the
Wasatch Front
The Wasatch Front is a metropolitan region in the north-central part of the U.S. state of Utah. It consists of a chain of contiguous cities and towns stretched along the Wasatch Range from approximately Provo in the south to Logan in the north ...
, it is presently mostly considered a locally-oriented facility.
Origin
Property owner John Chadwick began securing licenses and agreements for the proposed resort in 2009. His concept for an Olympic-themed ski area was met with resistance by local residents, and skiers who already used the property as part of their
cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing where skiers rely on their own locomotion to move across snow-covered terrain, rather than using ski lifts or other forms of assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreation ...
paths and
alpine descents.
By 2013, all was in order and construction began. The facility was opened in late 2014 with hopes to operate during the winter season, but a combination of final details and sparse snowfall that year caused the opening date to be moved to December 21, 2015.
The initial operation used two lifts, servicing five runs. For the 2016–17 season, the third lift had been completed and 29 runs had been groomed and marked.
[ The combined length of the runs available is 20 kilometers.
]
Cherry Peak facilities
Facilities include a day lodge with grill restaurant, a full-service ski rental operation, ski instructors, and a ski shop. The lodge is also open during the summer, and several summertime events have been held, including alpine hiking, and evening concerts. Consideration was given to hosting mountain biking
Mountain biking is a sport of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, usually using specially designed mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and pe ...
events there, but due to the limited terrain this has not been pursued to date.
When first opened, the resort was unusual among the state's resorts in that it does not operate on Sundays, even though that is usually the busiest or second-busiest day for most ski resorts. However, as of February 19, 2017, it is now open Sundays.Cherry Hill Resort - hours and rates
(accessed 25 February 2017)
Cherry Peak lifts
*Gateway Lift - runs from the lodge to the top of the canyon ridge. It opens onto several runs ranging from easier to most difficult. It also provides access to the remaining two lifts.
*Vista Lift - runs from the base of the Vista Lift to an intermediate opening, from which four easier and four more difficult runs are available.
*Summit Lift - runs on the south side of the mountain ridge, terminating at the crest of the resort (7050' MSL). All runs from the summit are classed as more difficult or most difficult.
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Notes
References
External links
Ski Cherry Peak
- official site
Ski Utah.com
- Cherry Peak
{{Ski areas and resorts in Utah
Sports venues in Cache County, Utah
Ski areas and resorts in Utah
Event venues established in 2014
2014 establishments in Utah