Industry News
This past season, Brian Head Resort located in southern Utah experienced its longest season in 60 years, with a record-setting 178 skiable days. In 2023, Brian Head released its Master Development Plan, which included 850 new acres of skiable terrain and 1,800 acres for a 2,000-acre ski-in, ski-out community, potentially making it the seventh-largest ski resort in the state. This year, Brian Head has announced over $1 million in planned improvements, including expanded snowmaking, an RFID ticket system and additional novice glading. Along with Brian Head’s 360” of average snowfall, these upgrades will improve terrain access and operational reliability, reinforcing the resort’s growing reputation for early openings and season longevity.
Before any of this can come to fruition, the Dixie National Forest (DNF) must conduct an environmental review. This process would be under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) in response to the resort’s 2023 Master Development Plan (MDP ). The DNF aims to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the resort’s proposal, the scope of the analysis, and to promote public feedback and informed USFS decision-making.
The expansion is expected to be fully built out over the next three decades. Plans for developing the new trails had already been made and trail cutting began in May. The expansion would be located northeast of the 650 acres where Brian Head is located now. The expansion would give Brian Head a total of 1,500 acres, making it the seventh largest resort in the state in terms of skiable acreage. “Together, we will advance our purpose of giving people the freedom to ski while expanding both our winter and summer operations in the future,” Marilyn Butler, Brian Head’s general manager, said in a news release.
Brian Head operates on National Forest System (NFS) lands under a special use permit (SUP). The resort encompasses approximately 896 acres with operations on both sides of State Highway 143. In addition to NFS lands, the Resort also operates on a combination of state, town, and private property. Based on DNF’s 1986 Forest Plan, the Forest Service identified the need to meet the demand for increased downhill skiing capacity. The Forest Service will use the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to inform the decision regarding whether to approve, in whole or in part, Brian Head’s application.
The DNF will analyze Brian Head’s MDP and assess the potential for impacts on various resources, including water, cultural resources, scenery, recreation, traffic and transportation, wildlife, and socioeconomics. According to the report, specific areas the DNF will analyze include:
- Potential impacts to hydrologic and/or groundwater resources from additional water use for expanded snowmaking operations;
- Potential impacts to dark night skies, specifically to the Cedar Breaks National Monument (CBNM), a designated International Dark Sky Park;
- The potential for new ski area infrastructure to adversely affect cultural resources and the scenic resource on DNF-managed lands (which will be analyzed for consistency with the Scenic Integrity Objectives [SIOs] in the DNF LRMP);
- The potential to alter the quality and variety of recreation opportunities available within and proximate to the proposed SUP expansion areas (which will be analyzed for consistency with the DNF LRMP’s Recreation Opportunity Spectrum [ROS] designation of Semi-Primitive Non-Motorized, Semi-Primitive Motorized, and Roaded Natural), as well as the potential to impact permitted snowmobile operations for a neighboring small business;
- The potential to increase traffic on Highway 143 resulting from an increase in BHR’s comfortable carrying capacity;
- The potential to negatively impact northern goshawk nesting and Post Fledgling Area habitat, crucial summer calving habitat for Rocky Mountain elk, crucial summer fawning habitat for mule deer, habitat for American pika, and habitat for the Brian Head Mountain snail within and adjacent to the project area; and
- The potential to affect adjacent communities resulting from changes in employment, tourism revenue, and housing in Iron County.
Brian Head MDP identified several areas where it would expand and improve its resort, which include:
- Expand terrain offerings for a more diverse and quality recreation experience within and adjacent to the existing Special Use Permit (SUP) area.
- Expand resort capacity and establish strategically located portals to improve access to public lands and to accommodate growing visitation and rising demand for more recreational opportunities in the region and state.
- Improve the learning progression for guests of varying ability levels while enhancing the resort’s existing, family-friendly skiing experience. In doing so, provide connectivity between base areas and on-mountain hubs by creating a unique circuit that allows skiers and riders to circumnavigate Brian Head Town via new lifts and terrain in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction, connecting all major lifts and terrain pods.
- Provide upgraded amenities and guest services outside the existing, constricted base area, offering a wider array of dining options, decongesting existing facilities, and enhancing the overall guest experience at the resort.
- Manage Hazard Trees and treat vegetation in areas impacted by the 2017 Brian Head Fire to accommodate skiing and riding in the Sid’s Peak to East Ridge Pod.
According to Brian Head’s MDP, the existing 887-acre SUP would increase by 1,651 acres, totaling 2,538 acres. It also said that the SUP boundary adjustment is necessary to accommodate the additional terrain, lifts, and facilities that would be built to increase the resort’s capacity.
Proposed Lift Infrastructure, Ski Terrain, Snowmaking, Guest Service Facilities, and Ski Patrol
Brian Head plans to upgrade and build additional lift infrastructure, which includes the installation of a total of 14 new lifts. These lifts would be located on NFS land and be directly connected to private land. Those lifts include: seven new aerial lifts, three new surface lifts, and four new aerial lifts spanning private and NFS lands. Those considered connected actions include: Sid’s Peak lift, Summit lift, Roulette 2, and Dragon’s Back.
The resort plans to increase its current ski terrain and construct up to 382 acres of new ski trails. This terrain would be cleared and graded smoothly, including the cutting of trees and stumps at ground level (and stump removal as necessary), and blasting as necessary. Due to the size and complexity of the proposed project, it has been geographically split into four ‘pods’: Giant Steps to Brian Head Peak Pod, Sid’s Peak to East Ridge Pod, Navajo Ridge to Dry Lakes Pod, and Aspen Meadows to Highway 143 Pod.
Improvements to ski patrol operations, guest services, and restaurants are also planned as part of the MDP. Those include four new on-mountain dining facilities on NFS lands, a new Alpen Glow Restaurant, a Roulette Restaurant, a Navajo Ridge Restaurant, and a Sid’s Peak Restaurant. Brian Head plans to construct a total of eight new stand-alone ski patrol spaces on NFS lands:
- Top of Dragon’s Back lift
- Top of the Summit lift
- Mid-station of the Summit lift
- Top of Ridge lift
- Top of Ridge Lift 2
- Top of Sid’s Peak lift
- Top of Brown Canyon lift
- Top of Sugarloaf lift
- Top of the Northern Forest lift
Snowmaking Lines, Utilities, Roads, Snowmobile Reroute, and Post-Fire Hazard Tree Removal
Other improvements Brian Head has planned include the construction of up to 19 miles of new snowmaking lines. According to the MDP, this would enable 186 acres of new runs with snowmaking capabilities, resulting in additional water usage. The resort also plans to build up to 10 miles of new mountain roads and up to 5 miles of road improvements to existing roadbeds. It is also planning to construct up to 13 miles of new underground utilities. Brian Head is also proposing re-routing an existing snowmobile route to avoid proposed ski runs and infrastructure. Post-fire hazard tree removal is also included in this proposal, which would include approximately 520 acres within the existing and proposed SUP boundaries, overlapping the 2017 Brian Head Fire burn scar in the Sid’s Peak to East Ridge Pod.
There will be three public open house meetings held during the project’s scoping period. These open houses will be held on:
- Tuesday, July 29, 2025- Brian Head Lodge, 314 W Hunter Ridge Dr, Brian Head, UT,
- Wednesday, July 30, 2025- Parowan City Office, 35 E 100 N, Parowan, UT
- Thursday, July 31, 2025- Southern Utah University, Brian Head Room (Sharwan Smith Center), Cedar City, UT Each meeting will run from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
According to the DNF, these meetings are intended to inform the public about the project, provide opportunities for the public to ask questions of the local Forest Service, and help the Forest Service understand the general public’s interests and concerns regarding the project. Following the publication of the Notice of Intent (NOI) in the Federal Register on July 15, 2025, the public will have an opportunity to provide the DNF with comments specific to this project. These comments should include appropriate information pertinent to analyzing environmental effects, identifying significant issues, and identifying potential alternatives.
Only those who submit timely and specific written comments regarding the proposed project or activity during a public comment period established by the responsible official are eligible to file an objection. For issues to be raised in objections, they must be based on previously submitted specific written comments regarding the proposed project or activity and attributed to the objector. The publication date of the NOI in the Federal Register is the exclusive means for calculating the time to submit written comments on the proposed project or activity. It is the responsibility of all individuals and organizations to ensure that their comments are received in a timely manner.
Comments should be submitted through the public participation portal on the project webpage. For more information on Brian Head’s MDP, visit its website.
