"Especially if there is 10 feet of snow in a mountain pass, you're not going to be sitting at the picnic table or camping out at one of the campsites," Wilhite said. "There's going to be 10 feet of snow underneath you before you get to the picnic table or campground areas."

But UDOT does plan to have all eight passes open as soon as possible.

Cedar Breaks might present the biggest challenge.

"In southern Utah, they've seen 300 percent of normal (snowfall) and, for example . . . of the 150 inches of snow that are there (at Cedar Breaks) now, there's 70 inches of water," Wilhite said.

"So, it's heavy, packed snow. And as the temperature warms up and drops overnight, that water freezes. It's like trying to snow-blow through an ice block."

It's even too much for the Little Giant, which will remain stationed in UDOT's northern zone, known as Region I, working primarily on the Monte Cristo Pass.

The 5-year-old machine removes 4,000 tons of snow per hour and takes only a few hours to accomplish what a full team of bulldozers, graders, front-end loaders and other heavy machinery would need several days to clear.

"It's one of UDOT's best investments," Wilhite said. "It's a huge cost savings in labor and equipment. It used to take eight people running heavy equipment, and now it requires three people."

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E-mail: zman@desnews.com