Mt Spokane

1,704 acres, 55 runs inside Mount Spokane State Park. Home of the world's first double chairlift.

Season 2026 - 2027

Opens

26 Dec 2026

Closes

14 Mar 2027

Days open

Annual snow

19ft

The Overview

Michael Fulton

Melbourne-based skier and snowboarder with 50+ resorts across 5 continents. Specialises in Australian resorts and international resort comparisons.

Mt Spokane's summit reaches 5,889 feet, dropping 1,690 vertical feet to a base at 4,199 feet across 55 runs spread over 1,704 acres within Mount Spokane State Park, Washington. Terrain splits 42 per cent advanced, 33 per cent intermediate, 22 per cent beginner and 3 per cent expert, with average annual snowfall of roughly 230 inches. The resort operates independently without major multi-resort pass affiliation. Seven lifts, including five double chairs and one quad chair, serve the mountain alongside one surface lift.

Mt Spokane sits within Washington's largest state park, a distinction that shapes both its operations and its identity as Spokane's hometown mountain. The ski area carries a genuine claim to lift history: a Riblet Tramway Company installation using a converted mining ore tramway in 1946 is cited as the birthplace of the world's first double chairlift. Extensive night skiing across the mountain's five distinct terrain areas remains central to its appeal for the nearby Spokane population.

The mountain, previously known as Mount Baldy and Mount Carlton, took its current name in 1912 after businessman Francis H. Cook purchased the summit in 1909 and began building a road to the top. Mount Spokane State Park was officially dedicated in 1927 with 1,500 acres, becoming the first state park established east of the Cascades. The Spokane Ski Club formed in December 1931 under the leadership of Cheney Cowles, building a log clubhouse and installing rope tows, jump hills and night-skiing lights.

Through the 1930s, the Spokane Ski Club, the Selkirk Ski Club and the Spokane Mountaineers together purchased more than 500 acres for lodges, tows and jump hills, while a Civilian Conservation Corps camp established in 1934 built trails, shelters and roads. The historic Vista House, built from native granite as an emergency relief project in 1933, still stands at the summit today. Adult daily tickets run from 55 to 75 US dollars, with a season pass at 479 dollars.

1,690ft

Vertical

Runs

1,704 acres

Skiable

19ft

Annual snow

The Terrain

55 runs across 1,704 acres skiable

Mt Spokane is Spokane's local mountain inside Mount Spokane State Park, and it covers 1,704 acres (690 hectares) across five terrain areas. With 55 runs, it climbs from 4,200 ft (1,280 m) at the base to 5,890 ft (1,795 m) at the summit, a vertical of 1,690 ft (515 m). The terrain skews advanced, with 42% advanced, 33% intermediate, 22% beginner and 3% expert. Five double chairs, a quad and a surface lift serve the area, and annual snowfall averages around 230 inches, enough to build a solid base for the season.

Night skiing is a big part of the appeal, with 16 lit runs on Wednesday to Saturday evenings, so Spokane skiers can fit laps in after work. Two Face is known for steep moguls, and Foggy Bottoms is another named run worth a look. The advanced skew means there is plenty of black diamond terrain without much true expert pitch, and the five distinct areas keep things varied across a long day. It suits Inland Northwest locals, families and intermediates stepping up to harder runs.

Terrain split

runs

55 runs across 4 grades

Beginner12 runs · 22%

Intermediate18 runs · 33%

Advanced23 runs · 42%

Expert2 runs · 3%

Time it right

When to visit Mt Spokane

The 2025-26 season at Mt Spokane ran from 6 December 2025 to 5 April 2026, a roughly seventeen-week season supported by average annual snowfall of around 230 inches. This snowfall total supports reliable conditions across the mountain's five distinct terrain areas throughout the season. Season dates can shift depending on early and late-season weather.

Midwinter, from December through February, typically brings the most consistent conditions to the mountain's advanced-weighted terrain. Night skiing is a defining seasonal feature, extending the useful ski day for Spokane-area residents well beyond daylight hours, consistent with the mountain's identity as the city's hometown ski area. Weekday evenings see strong local demand alongside typical weekend patterns.

As an independently operated resort without major pass affiliation, Mt Spokane draws primarily from the Spokane metropolitan area and the broader Inland Northwest rather than national destination traffic. School holiday periods bring increased family visitation given the resort's substantial beginner and intermediate terrain. The mountain's setting within Washington's largest state park adds a distinct four-season recreational dimension beyond winter skiing alone.

Specific event programming beyond standard operations and night skiing is not confirmed in available resort information. The historic Vista House, built in 1933, remains a fixture at the summit throughout the season, connecting today's skiers to the mountain's Depression-era development. Mt Spokane's century-long history as a community-built ski area continues to shape its accessible, locally focused character each winter.

Season 2026 - 2027

26 Dec 2026

Opens

14 Mar 2027

Closes

Days open

19 ft

Annual snow

Getting there

Getting to Mt Spokane, and where to stay

Mt Spokane sits within Mount Spokane State Park in eastern Washington, with a base elevation of 4,199 feet and a summit at 5,889 feet across a 1,690-foot vertical drop over 1,704 acres of skiable terrain within the park's much larger overall footprint. This makes the resort one of relatively few US ski areas operating inside a state park rather than on Forest Service or private land.

Spokane, Washington's second-largest city, lies a short drive from the mountain and provides the resort's primary lodging, dining and visitor base, with the ski area functioning as the city's genuine local mountain. The broader Selkirk Mountains region offers additional recreation within the state park beyond winter sports, including extensive summer hiking and mountain biking.

Local roads connect Spokane directly to Mount Spokane State Park, with the drive typically taking under an hour depending on the starting point within the metropolitan area. Winter driving conditions on the approach can include snow and ice, though the well-travelled route reflects the mountain's role as Spokane's primary local ski destination. There is no direct public transport service to the resort.

Spokane International Airport is the nearest airport with substantial commercial service, making Mt Spokane one of the more accessible ski areas covered here for fly-in visitors. Most visitors, however, are Spokane-area locals driving up for day trips or evening night-skiing sessions rather than fly-in destination travellers.

Where to stay

Search all stays →

Hotels and lodges near Mt Spokane, powered by Stay22.

From the SnowStash desk

View all news →

California Ski Resort Opening Dates 2026-27: Mammoth Leads, Tahoe Follows

Mammoth Mountain is first up in California, targeting Friday 13 November after a dusting of September snow. Heavenly and Northstar follow on 20 November, Palisades Tahoe on Wednesday 25 November and Sugar Bowl on 27 November, with Kirkwood on 4 December and June Mountain on 19 December. Plenty of smaller areas have no date yet. A super El Niño favours the Sierra, but a warmer storm track is the catch.

7 Oct 2026

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

Hintertux became Austria's second glacier to open for 2026-27 on Friday 2 October, after the Pitztal Glacier. Twelve kilometres of piste are running around the Olperer and Gefrorene Wand, served by one gondola and two drag lifts, with the Betterpark also open. Lifts officially run 8:15 am to 4:30 pm, but skiing stops at 2 pm for now.

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

Mt Spokane Lift System

Mt Spokane runs seven lifts: five double chairs and one quad chair, serving 55 runs across 1,704 acres, alongside one surface lift. This lift network carries genuine historical weight: a 1946 installation by the Riblet Tramway Company, using a converted mining ore tramway, is cited as the world's first double chairlift.

The lift network has grown substantially since the Spokane Ski Club's original rope tows installed in the early 1930s, through the Civilian Conservation Corps-era infrastructure built in the mid-1930s, and into the current mix of five double chairs and a quad chair operating today. This nearly century-long development reflects continuous community investment in the mountain since its earliest organised skiing.

The five double chairs and single quad chair distribute skiers across the mountain's five distinct terrain areas, while the surface lift supports beginner and learning zones near the base. Extensive lighting across much of this network supports the resort's substantial night-skiing operation, a defining feature for Spokane-area visitors.

Specific recent lift replacement or expansion projects beyond the current seven-lift network are not confirmed in available resort information. As a ski area operating within Washington's largest state park, lift investment decisions occur within the framework of state park management alongside standard ski area operations. The mountain's status as home to a world-first double chairlift installation remains a notable point of pride in its lift history.

7lifts across 3 types

Quad Chair

Double Chairs

Surface Lift

Mt Spokane lift system

Mt Spokane is served by 7 lifts, listed here by type. Check which lifts are turning against the live conditions before you plan your first laps - early lifts and high-speed chairs get you to the best snow fastest.

More Mt Spokane intelligence: trail map, snow report, webcams, resort overview.