What are the two best reasons to visit Yosemite in the winter? No crowds and lots of skiing.

Ski trips in Yosemite feature views of the park that you can’t get otherwise, lots of fun for adults and kids alike, and far fewer visitors than in summer months. The park offers almost 350 miles of skiable trails and roads, including 25 miles of machine groomed track, ten alpine ski trails, an 800-foot vertical, and 90 miles of marked XC trails that begin at Badger Pass.

Badger is a great place for families to ski together or to learn to ski. It may also be the best place in the west to learn to ski -- 85% of Badger’s slopes are devoted to beginner and intermediate lever skiers. One of the nation’s most recognized downhill instructors, Nick Fiori has been teaching at Badger Pass for 50 years.

Cross-country track and skating lanes are groomed on the Glacier Point Road from Badger Pass to Glacier Point (a 21-mile round trip), and a three-kilometer track is set to the scenic Old Badger Summit.

Badger Pass info

• Open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., mid December through early April, weather permitting.
• 10 runs (35% beginner, 50% intermediate, 15% advanced).
• 5 lifts (1 triple-chair, 3 double-chair, 1 cable tow)
• Elevation: 7,200 ft. to 8,000 ft.
• Vertical drop: 800 ft.
• Temperature range: 30 to 60 degrees.