Warner Canyon

It was a beautiful day to be at Warner Canyon. Although the drive from Ashland via Klamath Falls to Lakeview was somewhat harrowing due to blizzard conditions, there was very little traffic, and I made it in good time to get a room for the night. I even had the good fortune to find a parking spot that was covered.

When I rose in the morning, the town was coated in a half foot more snow, but my car was barely dusted. I tossed my bags in the back and made a beeline for Warner, just fifteen minutes away. I arrived to find the lot characteristically empty, and counted no more than 25 cars in the lot all day (including snow plows).

With the slopes essentially empty, and almost a foot of fresh snow on top, I enjoyed the powder hound's dream of a deserted mountain of virgin white slopes under bluebird skies (with light snow flurries!). There were only about a dozen riders making the trek to the ungroomed runs, which left fresh tracks enough to last all day long. Every run was in fantastic shape, and I rode every trail, from one boundary to the other.

Although boasting less than 800 vertical feet, Warner benefits from a complete lack of crowds, and a fairly wide footprint that spreads riders laterally across the hill. The long drive from any significant population centers keeps Warner a private playground for locals most of the season. You could bring a group here (or come by yourself), and it would basically be like having a private mountain.





My "Warner Smile"...