Lost Trail Pass is a mountain pass in the

Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico ...

of the

northwestern United States The Northwestern United States, also known as the American Northwest or simply the Northwest, is an informal geographic region of the United States. The region consistently includes the states of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. ...

, on the border of

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyomi ...

and

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columb ...

in the

Bitterroot Mountains The Northern and Central Bitterroot Range, collectively the Bitterroot Mountains ( Salish: čkʷlkʷqin), is the largest portion of the Bitterroot Range, part of the Rocky Mountains and Idaho Batholith, located in the panhandle of Idaho and we ...

. The pass is at an elevation of above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardise ...

and is traversed by

U.S. Highway 93 U.S. Route 93 (US 93) is a major north–south United States highway, numbered highway in the western United States. The southern terminus is at U.S. Route 60 in Arizona, US 60 in Wickenburg, Arizona. The northern terminus is at the ...

. The pass is about a half mile (1 km) west of the Continental Divide, which retreats eastward at this point, inside Montana along the Ravalli–

Beaverhead County Beaverhead County is the largest county by area in the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,371. Its county seat is Dillon. The county was founded in 1865. Much of the perimeter of the county is the Continental Di ...

border, toward

Butte __NOTOC__ In geomorphology, a butte () is an isolated hill with steep, often vertical sides and a small, relatively flat top; buttes are smaller landforms than mesas, plateaus, and tablelands. The word ''butte'' comes from a French word me ...

. Southeast of Lost Trail Pass, the divide straddles the state line into

Yellowstone National Park Yellowstone National Park is an American national park located in the western United States, largely in the northwest corner of Wyoming and extending into Montana and Idaho. It was established by the 42nd U.S. Congress with the Yellowst ...

and continues in

Wyoming Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the southwest, and Colorado to the s ...

Montana State Line, US 93 at Lost Trail Pass

South of the pass in Idaho is the north fork of the Salmon River, which descends with US 93 to North Fork to join the main Salmon River. In Montana, US 93 drops northward into the Bitterroot River Valley and gradually descends toward

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

, Lolo, and

Missoula Missoula ( ; fla, label=Salish language, Séliš, Nłʔay, lit=Place of the Small Bull Trout, script=Latn; kut, Tuhuⱡnana, script=Latn) is a city in the U.S. state of Montana; it is the county seat of Missoula County, Montana, Missoula Cou ...

. In 1805 Lewis and Clark crossed the divide between Lemhi County (Idaho) and Ravalli County (Montana), approximately northwest of Lost Trail Pass, to enter the Bitterroot Valley on September 4. They later rested for a few days at Travelers' Rest, near present-day Lolo, in preparation for their crossing over the snowy Bitterroots at Lolo Pass back into present-day Idaho, following the Lolo Trail, north of US 12. The

Lost Trail Powder Mountain Lost Trail Powder Mountain is an alpine ski area in the western United States, on the Montana-Idaho border in the northern Rocky Mountains. In the Bitterroot Range, it is at the junction of US Highway 93 and Montana State Highway 43 at Lost Tra ...

ski area is at the pass, immediately west of US 93, with lifts and runs in both states.

References

External links

Idaho Transportation Dept.
- webcam - Lost Trail Pass
Lost Trail.com
- Lost Trail Powder Mountain ski area - official site *

– Historic road map (1937) – Idaho, Montana, Wyoming – Texaco (Rand McNally)
Idaho highway map (1956)
– Shell (H.M. Gousha) Mountain passes of Idaho Mountain passes of Montana Landforms of Lemhi County, Idaho Landforms of Ravalli County, Montana Borders of Idaho Borders of Montana Transportation in Lemhi County, Idaho Transportation in Ravalli County, Montana U.S. Route 93 {{RavalliCountyMT-geo-stub