Lookout Pass Ski and Recreation Area is a ski area in the western United States. It is at Lookout Pass on

Interstate 90 Interstate 90 (I-90) is an east–west transcontinental freeway and the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It begins in Seattle, Washington, and travels through the Pacific Northwest, Mountain West, Great Plains, Midwest, and ...

, on the border of Idaho and Montana, east of Mullan, Idaho. It has a summit elevation of on Eagle Peak and on Runt Mountain with a vertical drop of . Lookout Pass operates seven days per week from mid-December until late March then six days a week (closed Tuesday) until closing, which is usually mid-April. There are two quad

chairlifts An elevated passenger ropeway, or chairlift, is a type of aerial lift, which consists of a continuously circulating steel wire rope loop strung between two end terminals and usually over intermediate towers, carrying a series of chairs. They ...

, two triple

and one double chairlift at Lookout Pass, with average annual

snowfall Snow comprises individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes. It consists of frozen crystalline water throughout ...

exceeding . Lookout Pass has two freestyle terrain parks, and a quarter pipe that is . The elevation of the highway pass on

I-90 Interstate 90 (I-90) is an east–west transcontinental freeway and the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It begins in Seattle, Washington, and travels through the Pacific Northwest, Mountain West, Great Plains, Midwest, and ...

is a moderate . The historic Mullan Pass, constructed as a wagon road by the U.S. Army in 1860, is about east-northeast as the crow flies, at . Lookout Pass is considered the eastern boundary of Idaho's Silver Valley mining region.

History

Downhill Skiing, Lookout Pass (40749762032)

Opened in 1935, the Lookout Pass ski area operates under a special-use permit of the

U.S. Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands. The Forest Service manages of land. Major divisions of the agency in ...

, in the

Idaho Panhandle National Forest The Idaho Panhandle National Forests are a jointly administered set of three national forests located mostly in the U.S. state of Idaho. In 1973, major portions of the Kaniksu, Coeur d'Alene, and St. Joe National Forests were combined to be ad ...

s (formerly the ''Coeur d'Alene National Forest''). Gradual enhancement of the area has occurred over the decades, and the first chairlift was installed in the summer of 1982. The community ski hill, run by the nonprofit Idaho Ski Club, was sold in 1992 to Lookout Recreation, Inc., a company formed by two 27-year-old former college roommates, Don Walde of

Wallace Wallace may refer to: People * Clan Wallace in Scotland * Wallace (given name) * Wallace (surname) * Wallace (footballer, born 1986), full name Wallace Fernando Pereira, Brazilian football left-back * Wallace (footballer, born 1987), full name ...

and Jim Fowler. After seven years, it was sold in 1999 to Lookout Associates, headed by Phil Edholm, and plans for expansion soon followed.

Expansion

A new portion of the ski area opened on December 26, 2003, on the Montana side of the border (which is irregular in this area, following mountains, and is actually due south, see topo map). The new Timber Wolf double chair and five new runs increased the vertical drop (by lowering the base to ), and the longest new run in length. Two of the new runs are rated advanced and three are rated intermediate, with views of the St. Regis and Copper Basins. Additional expansion in 2006 with a chairlift on the Idaho "North Side" opened additional intermediate and expert terrain. In the summer of 2020 the original Chair #1, a 1982

Riblet The Riblet Tramway Company of Spokane, Washington, which operated from 1908 to 2003, was once the largest ski chairlift manufacturer in the world. The company was founded by Byron Christian Riblet, who was born in Osage, Iowa, in 1865 and earned ...

center-pole double, was replaced by a new Skytrac fixed grip quad. The Eagle Peak expansion added 500 acres with 14 new trails serviced by a new quad chairlift to the West. Eagle Peak chairlift operations began Friday 12/16/2022, followed by an official opening ceremony on 12/17. The previous season Eagle Peak was accessible on a limited basis via

snowcat A snowcat (short for snow and caterpillar) is an enclosed-cab, truck-sized, fully tracked vehicle designed to move on snow. Major manufacturers are Pisten Bully (Germany), Prinoth (Italy) and Tucker (United States). Snow groomers A snow ...

U.S. Ski Team

Beverly Anderson Beverly Jacques Anderson (born September 10, 1943) is an American mathematician and emeritus professor at the University of the District of Columbia. In the 1990s she worked at the National Academy of Sciences as Director of Minority Programs for ...

(born 1938) –

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Ja ...

Olympian *

Jim Barrier James Marvin Barrier (August 7, 1940 – August 26, 2000) was an American alpine ski racer and a member of the United States Ski Team. He competed in two events at the 1960 Winter Olympics. Born and raised in Wallace, Idaho, Barrier lear ...

(1940–2000) –

Olympian

Route of the ''Hiawatha'' Trail

Lookout Pass is also a primary staging area for the ''Route of the Hiawatha Trail'', a

mountain bike A mountain bike (MTB) or mountain bicycle is a bicycle designed for off-road cycling. Mountain bikes share some similarities with other bicycles, but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in rough terrain, which ...

rail trail A rail trail is a shared-use path on railway right of way. Rail trails are typically constructed after a railway has been abandoned and the track has been removed, but may also share the right of way with active railways, light rail, or streetcar ...

, which begins in Montana and runs downhill through tunnels and over trestles to the North Fork of the St. Joe River, away. It is named for the '' Olympian Hiawatha'' passenger trains (1947–1961) of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad ("

Milwaukee Road The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (CMStP&P), often referred to as the "Milwaukee Road" , was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States, Midwest and Pacific Northwest, Northwest of the United States fr ...

"), on whose abandoned

rights of way Right of way is the legal right, established by grant from a landowner or long usage (i.e. by Easement#Easement by prescription, prescription), to pass along a specific route through property belonging to another. A similar ''right of access'' ...

, trestles, and tunnels the gravel trail rests. The Route of the Hiawatha Trail stretches from St. Regis, Montana, to Pearson, Idaho, (elevation ), several miles north of Avery, (equidistantly south of Mullan). The trail includes the tunnel at St. Paul Pass, which is in length at an elevation of . Bus service is available to take bicycle riders back to the start of the trail. A fee is charged for riding the trail, and during the winter months the trail is closed. Parking and unimproved camping spots are available at the trail's start, as well as at the end of the trail. Several other trails are nearby for further exploration; one of these follows the old road along the North Fork of the St. Joe River to Avery and has an improved campground at its start. Another nearby rail trail is the

Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes The Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes is a rail trail in the northwest United States, in northern Idaho. It follows the former Union Pacific Railroad right-of-way from Mullan, a mountain mining town near the Montana border, westward to Plummer, a town o ...

; from Mullan it travels over westbound, descending the Coeur d'Alene River through Silver Valley and crossing Lake Coeur d'Alene. It follows the former right-of-way of the Union Pacific Railroad.

History

Expansion

U.S. Ski Team

Route of the ''Hiawatha'' Trail

See also

References

External links