Lookout Pass Ski and Recreation Area
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| Lookout Pass Ski and Recreation Area | |
|---|---|
| Location: | |
| Nearest city: | Mullan, Idaho |
| Top elevation: | 5,650 ft (1,720 m) |
| Base elevation: | 4,500 ft (1,400 m) |
| Skiable area: | 540 acres (2.2 km²) |
| Runs: | 23 |
| Longest run: | 1.5 mi (2.4 km) |
| Lift system: | 2 Double, 1 Rope Tow |
| Snowfall: | 400" |
| Web site: | Official Website |
Lookout Pass is a ski area in northern Idaho on the Montana border, 4 miles (7 km) east of Mullan on Interstate 90. It has a summit elevation of 5650 feet (1722 m) on Runt Mountain with a vertical drop of 1150 feet (350 m) on the northeast-facing slopes. New terrain was opened on the Montana side of the border in December 2003. There are two chairlifts and a rope tow at the area, whose average annual snowfall exceeds 350 inches (889 cm). Lookout Pass is considered the eastern boundary of Idaho's Silver Valley.
The elevation of the pass itself on I-90 is 4720 feet (1438 m). The historic Mullan Pass, constructed as a wagon road in 1860, is about 3 miles (5 km) east-northeast as the crow flies, at an elevation of 5168 feet (1575 m).
Opened in 1935, Lookout Pass ski area operates under a special-use permit of the U.S. Forest Service, in the Idaho Panhandle National Forests (formerly the Coeur d'Alene National Forest). Lookout Pass operates five days per week (Thursday through Monday) during the ski season, and daily during the Christmas vacation break.
A new portion of the ski area opened on December 26, 2003 on the Montana side of the border (which in this instance is due south, see topo map). The new Timber Wolf double chair and five new runs increased the vertical drop (by lowering the base), and the longest new run 1.2 miles (2 km) 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 on the Montana side is scheduled for 2006.
[edit] Route of The Hiawatha
Lookout Pass is a primary staging area for the unique Route of The Hiawatha mountain bike trail, which begins in Montana and runs downhill through tunnels and over trestles to the North Fork of the St. Joe River, 15 miles (24 km) away.
It is named for the Olympian Hiawatha passenger trains (1947-61) of the Milwaukee Road railroad, on whose abandoned rights of way, trestles, and tunnels the gravel trail rests. One of the tunnels is over 1.6 miles (2.6 km) in length.
When completed, the Route of The Hiawatha will stretch from St. Regis, Montana to Pearson, Idaho, elevation 3150 feet (960 m) several miles north of Avery, (equidistantly south of Mullan).
The Route of the Hiawatha has been completed for several years. It now includes the starting tunnel which is 2.5 miles (4.0 km) long. There is usually a bus available that can take you and your bike back to the start of the trail. A fee is charged for riding the trail. During the winter months the trail is closed. There is plenty of parking at the start of the trail and camping spots nearby which are not improved. More unimproved camping spots are located near the end of the trail. Several other trails are nearby the area for further exploration possibilities. One of these trails follows the old road along the North Fork of the St. Joe River to Avery and has an improved campground at the start of it.
[edit] External links
- Lookout Pass Ski Area official site
- Ski Lifts.org photos of Lookout Mountain's lifts
- Idaho Winter.org - official state tourism site
- Idaho Ski Resorts.com Lookout Pass
- Route of The Hiawatha - U.S. Forest Service
- Idaho Panhandle National Forests - official site
- Terra Server USA.com USGS topo map and aerial photo
