The Overview
Michael Fulton
Melbourne-based skier and snowboarder with 50+ resorts across 5 continents. Specialises in Australian resorts and international resort comparisons.
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.
1,798ft
Vertical
69
Runs
1,800 acres
Skiable
25ft
Annual snow
Indy
Pass
The Terrain
69 runs across 1,800 acres skiable
Lost Trail Powder Mountain spreads 69 runs across 1,800 acres skiable of terrain. It leans intermediate at 40%, with 14 beginner runs to find your feet and 28 advanced or expert runs when you want to push.
Terrain split
69
runs
69 runs across 4 grades
Beginner14 runs · 20%
Intermediate28 runs · 40%
Advanced14 runs · 20%
Expert14 runs · 20%
Time it right
When to visit Lost Trail Powder Mountain
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.
Season 2026 - 2027
11 Dec 2026
Opens
28 Mar 2027
Closes
107
Days open
25 ft
Annual snow
Getting there
Getting to Lost Trail Powder Mountain, and where to stay
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.
Where to stay
Search all stays →Hotels and lodges near Lost Trail Powder Mountain, powered by Stay22.
Latest News
From the SnowStash desk
Colorado Ski Resort Opening Dates 2026-27: A-Basin and Keystone Race to Be First
Arapahoe Basin, Keystone and Winter Park are all chasing an October start, though none has a firm date yet. The first dated openers are Breckenridge and Copper on Friday 6 November, then Vail on 13 November, with most of the rest bunched around US Thanksgiving. Hesperus did not open at all last season. A super El Niño offers hope but no guarantee, and forecasters say the southern mountains have the better odds.
5 Oct 2026
Dolomiti Superski 2026-27: Four New Gondolas, New Reservoirs and an €89 Peak Day Pass
Dolomiti Superski is spending around €100 million across its 12 areas before winter. Kronplatz gets a new 10-passenger gondola with a middle station, 3 Zinnen gets Helmissimo, and Val di Fassa swaps a chairlift for a gondola above Col Valvacin. New water-storage basins and upgraded snowmaking follow, and construction has started on the San Martino to Passo Rolle link. A peak adult day pass is €89.
4 Oct 2026
Utah Ski Resort Opening Dates 2026-27: Brian Head First, Eagle Point Out
Brian Head is targeting 6 November, though last year it aimed for 7 November and did not open until the 25th. Park City, Alta and Solitude are pencilled in for 20 November, Snowbird and Snowbasin for 27 November, and Deer Valley for 5 December. Eagle Point will stay closed after the Cottonwood Fire. A super El Niño is forecast, but the big snow is not expected until January.
4 Oct 2026
Hintertux Glacier Opens for 2026-27 With 12 Kilometres of Piste
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4 Oct 2026
Vail Resorts Counts the Cost of a Thin Winter as Pass Sales Slide Further
A historically poor western winter cut Vail Resorts' annual net income from $280 million to $147.5 million and skier visits by 13.4 per cent. Now 2026-27 pass units are down 12 per cent as of 18 September, worse than the 10 per cent flagged in spring. Vail blames the weather and thinks some buyers are simply waiting, and it forecasts a rebound if the snow behaves.
3 Oct 2026
Arizona Snowbowl's $1 Lift Tickets Are Hard to Find, but $9 Days Are Not
Arizona Snowbowl advertised eight $1 lift ticket days this winter. Go looking and only three are showing - 10 March, 1 April and 10 April - so the rest may already have gone. The consolation is a calendar full of $9 days, including all but one day in April. Opening day is 20 November, weather permitting, and opening weekend is $19.
2 Oct 2026
Whitewater Brings Its Short Side Inbounds, With Six New Runs for 2026-27
For years, Whitewater's Short Side was where you ducked a rope and hoped for the best: unmapped, ungroomed and unpatrolled. This winter it's inbounds. Six new runs of glades and fall-line skiing add 190 acres (about 77 hectares), taking the resort past 1,400 acres in total. F2 Logging spent a month in the trees to make it happen, and opening day is pencilled in for 4 December. Bonanza now needs less snow to groom, too.
1 Oct 2026
September Dusting Hits Mammoth Mountain Six Weeks Before Opening Day
Mammoth got its first snow of 2026-27 on Monday 28 September - and promptly lost it by Tuesday morning. Barely an inch fell at McCoy Station, but with opening day pencilled in for Friday 13 November, it's the first sign the Sierra is waking up. Last year's date slipped from 14 November to 20 November, so nobody's booking flights on a dusting just yet. Here's where California's early openers stand.
1 Oct 2026
Lost Trail Powder Mountain Trail Map
Downloadable Lost Trail Powder Mountain trail map
Terrain split
69
runs
Beginner20%
Intermediate40%
Advanced20%
Expert20%
1,800 acres skiable728 hectares
Resort Stats
Elevation
Base6,401ft
Summit8,199ft
Annual snowfall
25ft
Season
2026 - 2027
11 Dec 2026 - 28 Mar 2027
Trail coverage
69 runs
1,800 acres (728 ha)
About Lost Trail Powder Mountain's trail map
Explore Lost Trail Powder Mountain's full trail map with 69 runs across the mountain, colour-coded by difficulty and shown alongside the terrain split. Use it to plan a day that matches your ability, find lift-served pockets of your favourite grade, and see how the resort links together. Download the piste map (PDF) ↗
More Lost Trail Powder Mountain intelligence: snow report, lift system, webcams, resort overview.