Shark Park

Type: Backcountry or Sidecountry

Mellow glades and wide aspen groves make this a fantastic tour in Garfield County.

According to Lou Dawson, this tour is only "in" when the Sunlight Resort Snow Report is stating a greater than 38" base depth.

Lou Dawson's "Light Tours of Colorado" is your best reference for this tour.

Start from the public access signage off CR317 (ending point on this map), tour up this wide summer forest road, until you reach a not-so-obvious drainage devoid of avalanche prone slopes.

Take this direct line up to Shark Park, an obvious set of glades and wide aspen groves. GPS will be your friend here if this is your first time at Shark Park, the approach is not obvious but the glades will be.

The easiest way would likely be to download this GPX track and follow it, this will remove route-finding ambiguity as well as the possibility of accidentally traversing into private property (very easy to do).

Once you reach the upper glades around 9,500 feet, there are countless descent options, some several hundred more feet above you, conditions depending. Point your line towards the forest road on your last lap and, if done correctly, one can easily ski this from top to bottom, all the way back to your vehicle at the TH.