It was difficult to understand a breathless family from California who raved about the scenery during a recent cross country ski trip on the Rattlesnake loop near this southern Utah resort town. But words like "awesome," "cool" and "amazing" seeped through as they gulped for air.

The Alpine runs on Brian Head and Navajo peaks are the main draw here, but a growing number of people are finding winter recreation possibilities that do not include masses of humanity, lifts or expensive ski passes.

"We come here because we don't like the crowds in California. It's just too much of a zoo to do things like this there," said Michelle Vendetti of San Diego, who was spending a week at nearby Cedar Breaks Lodge and Spa to cross country ski and snowshoe with her friend Judy Wodyn, also of San Diego. "This is pretty much heaven to us. The view is just a bonus."

Carol Levesque doesn't want to disturb anyone's peace and solitude, but as recreation director for Brian Head, she does want people to know their options when visiting her town.

"We have so many trails for hiking and mountain biking in the summer and I just want people be aware of them and utilize them in the winter," she said.

Downhill skiing is the main draw at Brian Head, in Iron County 13 miles east of Interstate 15 on state Route 143 and two miles from Cedar Breaks National Monument. Few Alpine skiers are aware of the Nordic possibilities in and around town.

Levesque and David Stolrow, captain of the Brian Head Fire Department, host a weekly event to expose Brian Head visitors to cross country ski and snowshoe opportunities in the area. They meet at 4:30 p.m. at the Brian Head fire department for a casual ski before dark.

"When we ski to the rim, we often get there right when the sun is setting on Cedar Breaks and the colors are just incredible," Levesque said.

Stolrow said they plan to launch longer outings on Saturdays to include a scenic break for lunch.

There is no limit to the cross country skiing and snowshoeing opportunities in the Brian Head area because people can go wherever they like as long as they avoid private property. According to Levesque, the area features at least 20 miles of recognized ski trails, including the popular Pioneer Cabin and Navajo Point trails. Part of the Burt's Road trail system is even groomed for skate skiing.

Levesque wants to expand the trail system and improve conditions for skiers and snowmobilers. She is applying for a grant from Utah State Parks and Recreation for a trails groomer, which would create a 16-foot trail for snowmobilers and an 8-foot trail for cross country skiers.

But skiers aren't limited to viewing the park from its perimeter. There are three ski trails within Cedar Breaks National Monument and National Park Service officials are working to make it easier to ski in the park with new groomers and a volunteer ski patrol.

State Route 148, the only road through the monument, is closed in the winter to vehicle traffic, but Utah State Parks officials groom the snow-covered highway for snowmobiles and skiers.

Snowmobilers are limited to groomed trails over paved roads. Skiers and snowshoers are welcome to use the roads, but can also break their own trails or use one of the monument's three designated trails - Upper Alpine Pond, Lower Alpine Pond and North Rim Trail.

There are two points of access to the park in the winter. The north road is closed in the winter at the junction of Routes 143 and 148 on the north and near the junctions of Routes 14 and 148 on the south. Skiing into the monument is easier from the north, where the trails are on a plateau. Accessing the monument is more difficult from the south, where reaching the Point Supreme overlook requires a four-mile uphill climb.

"The landscape looks very different in the winter. The landmarks all look different, but it is absolutely gorgeous," said Alison Wright, one of three Cedar Breaks Monument employees. "Once you get off the snowmobile trail, it is pristine. . . . You get a feeling of solitude you don't necessarily get in the summer months. The snow helps bring out colors in the amphitheaters, and photographers get some different effects to make pictures quite unique."

Cedar Breaks superintendent Paul Roelandt said the National Park Service hopes to develop a volunteer ski patrol to help expose people to opportunities in the monument and help keep trails groomed.

"We have a small staff, and it is really the only way we can really have an effective winter program," he said.

bpretty@sltrib.com

CEDAR BREAKS NATIONAL MONUMENT - Ask snowmobilers why they spend so much time and money and they will likely mention winter scenery, powder and speed.

So, you might expect that more Utah snowmobilers would point their trucks and trailers south from the Wasatch Front and head for this national monument and the Dixie National Forest that surrounds it.

"I've always thought this was the most scenic of the state's trail systems," said Lawrence Twitchell, a trail groomer for Utah State Parks and Recreation who has worked countless hours across the state preparing trails for snowmobilers.

The truth is, most resident snowmobilers can't resist snow that is closer than the four hours it takes to reach Cedar Breaks from Salt Lake City.

They should reconsider. In addition to providing perhaps the most stunning views reachable by snowmobile in Utah - at the Point Supreme overlook at Cedar Breaks National Monument - the high plateaus of southern Utah are a perfect playground for snowmobilers.

"The riding is just fantastic. It's at a great elevation with lots of groomed trails that lead you to a lot of play areas," said Tom Jensen, who has been riding snowmobiles in Utah for 33 years and tries to make it to southern Utah at least once each season. "The snow is usually great too."

With an average annual snowfall of more than 200 inches, these mountains provide more than enough white stuff to keep snowmobilers busy.

"Most places in northern Utah are about riding in canyon-type of areas. Down here you've got these big, flat plateaus which lend themselves to wide-open throttle and wide-open spaces," said Eric Stucki, off-highway vehicle education specialist for Utah State Parks and Recreation.

Many snowmobilers park their trailers at the Cedar Breaks trailhead where state Route 148 (which goes through the monument and is not plowed in the winter) and state Route 14 join at the top of Cedar Canyon. From there, it is a short four-mile ride to the monument, although few riders can resist the meadows just outside the park and spend most of their mornings cutting deep turns and pushing the speedometer in the vast fields.

Once riders have had enough powder play outside Cedar Breaks National Monument, they can point their machines toward Point Supreme for a lunch break while viewing the stunning hoodoos that lead some visitors to call this a miniature version of Bryce Canyon National Park. (Monument officials remind snowmobilers that the machines are restricted to the groomed tracks over the paved roads.)

After lunch, a run on the snakelike Sage Valley takes riders through pines, aspens and lava fields. The trail ends at state Route 14 near Navajo Lake, but a quick burst over the highway leads to a whole new area of opportunities.

Most riders head for Duck Creek Village, where they can refuel their bodies and their machines. The trails can get a little crowded near Duck Creek due to a growing number of cabins in the area, each with at least one snowmobile parked in front.

Stucki believes at least half of the nonresident snowmobile permits in the state are for machines at these cabins, which are owned primarily by people from Nevada, Arizona and California. The Duck Creek trail to the north allows riders to loop back to the parking area.

The trails near Cedar Breaks are part of what is known as the Cedar Mountain/East Fork Snowmobile Complex, one of nine such complexes across the state. State Parks officials use 11 snowcats to groom more than 1,200 miles of snowmobile trails in the area.

bpretty@sltrib.com

Southern snow

For more information on cross country skiing or snowmobiling near Brian Head and Cedar Breaks National Monument and along state Route 14, contact the following:

* Carol Levesque, recreation director for Brian Head town, 435-677-2029 or http://www.brianheadchamber.com/

* Cedar Breaks National Monument, 435-586-9451 or http://www.nps.gov/cebr/index.htm

* Dixie National Forest, Cedar City Ranger District, 435-865-3700 or http://www.fs.fed.us/r4/dixie/index.shtml

* Utah Division of Parks and Recreation, 1-800-OHV-RIDE or http://www.stateparks.utah.gov/ohv

* Color Country Travel Region, 1-800-233-8824 or http://www.infowest.com/colorcountry