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Lost Trail Powder Mountain's summit reaches 8,196 feet, dropping 1,795 vertical feet to a base at 6,401 feet across 69 runs spread over 1,800 acres straddling the Montana-Idaho border. Terrain splits 40 per cent intermediate, and 20 per cent each for beginner, advanced and expert, with average annual snowfall of roughly 306 inches. The resort carries Indy Pass affiliation. Eight lifts, including five double chairs, serve the mountain alongside three surface lifts.
Lost Trail sits at the junction of US Highway 93 and Montana State Highway 43 at Lost Trail Pass, with Chairlift 1 running approximately along the Idaho-Montana border and terrain to its south, including Chairlift 2, actually located in Idaho. This border-straddling geography, combined with the resort's legendary Thursday powder days, has built a devoted following among skiers in the Bitterroot Valley and beyond. The evenly balanced terrain split across all four ability levels suits a genuinely broad range of skiers.
The ski area traces its origins to 1938, when it began as a modest, volunteer-operated facility on the Continental Divide. The pass itself takes its name from a local rancher's insistence, informed by his familiarity with the Lewis and Clark journals, when US Highway 93 was built through the area in the 1930s. Ownership of the ski hill changed hands roughly every three years through its early decades until the Grasser family took over.
In 1967, local resident Bill Grasser and business partner Chuck Shuland acquired the property, with Grasser buying out his partner in 1975 after operating the resort together from 1969. The mountain is now owned by Scott and Judy Grasser, continuing more than half a century of family ownership. Adult daily tickets run from 45 to 55 US dollars.
Total Runs
69
Total Area
1800 ac
728.4 ha
Lost Trail Powder Mountain runs eight lifts: five double chairs and three surface lifts, serving 69 runs across 1,800 acres straddling the Montana-Idaho border. Chairlift 1 runs approximately along the border itself, while terrain to its south, including Chairlift 2, sits across the line in Idaho, giving the resort a genuinely unusual cross-border lift configuration.
The lift network has developed since the resort's origins as a volunteer-operated facility in 1938, through decades of frequent ownership turnover before the Grasser family's long tenure began with Bill Grasser and Chuck Shuland's 1967 purchase. Grasser family ownership since then, now under Scott and Judy Grasser, has supported steady investment in the current five double chairs and three surface lifts.
The double chairs distribute skiers evenly across the resort's genuinely balanced terrain, spanning beginner through expert skiing in roughly equal proportions. The three surface lifts support beginner and learning areas near the base. There is no gondola, quad or high-speed chair, consistent with the resort's identity as a family-run, community-scale mountain.
Specific recent lift replacement or expansion projects beyond the current eight-lift network are not confirmed in available resort information. More than fifty years of continuous Grasser family ownership has supported steady, incremental investment in this cross-border lift network. The resort's Indy Pass affiliation brings additional visiting skiers to a lift network with a genuinely unique geographic footprint.
Total Lifts
8
Lift Types
2
The 2025-26 season at Lost Trail Powder Mountain ran from 5 December 2025 to 6 April 2026, a roughly eighteen-week season supported by average annual snowfall of around 306 inches. This substantial snowfall total underpins the resort's legendary reputation for deep, reliable powder, particularly on the Thursdays for which the mountain has become known among regional skiers.
Midwinter, from December through February, typically brings the most consistent conditions across the resort's evenly balanced terrain. Given the mountain's remote setting straddling the Montana-Idaho border at Lost Trail Pass, the resort draws primarily from the Bitterroot Valley and broader regional skier base rather than national destination traffic, keeping crowds notably lighter than more accessible resorts.
As an Indy Pass resort, Lost Trail draws some visiting skiers holding that multi-resort pass in addition to its core regional base. The resort's genuinely balanced terrain split across beginner, intermediate, advanced and expert skiing suits families and groups with mixed ability levels. School holiday periods bring increased family visitation given this broad terrain appeal.
Specific event programming beyond standard operations and the resort's Thursday powder day reputation is not confirmed in available resort information. More than fifty years of Grasser family ownership, from Bill Grasser's 1967 purchase through to the current Scott and Judy Grasser stewardship, continues to shape the resort's community-focused, family-run character each season. Lost Trail's unusual cross-border geography remains a distinctive point of interest for visitors throughout the winter.
Current Season
2025 - 2026
Opening Day
12/5/2025
Closing Day
4/6/2026
Days Open
123
Lost Trail Powder Mountain sits at Lost Trail Pass, straddling the Montana-Idaho border at the junction of US Highway 93 and Montana State Highway 43, with a base elevation of 6,401 feet and a summit at 8,196 feet across a 1,795-foot vertical drop over 1,800 acres in the Bitterroot Range. This remote setting places the resort along one of the more scenic mountain passes in the northern Rockies.
The Bitterroot Valley, to the north in Montana, and the Salmon, Idaho area, to the south, both provide lodging and services within a reasonable drive of the resort. Missoula, the nearest larger city, lies a considerable distance north through the Bitterroot Valley. This remote location keeps the resort's visitor base genuinely regional rather than drawing from major metropolitan areas.
US Highway 93 provides direct access to Lost Trail Pass from both the Montana and Idaho sides, making the resort straightforward to reach despite its remote setting. Winter driving conditions on this mountain pass route can include snow and ice, and the substantial snowfall the area receives means chains or traction tyres are often advisable during storms. There is no direct public transport service to the resort.
Missoula International Airport, a considerable drive to the north, is the nearest airport with substantial commercial service. This distance reinforces Lost Trail's identity as a genuinely remote mountain destination reached deliberately by regional skiers rather than a convenient fly-in resort.
