It is difficult to believe that two weekends ago was our first outdoor winter adventure in Northern Idaho. Sadly (and surprising to us), there has been very little snow here thus far. Instead, the area has experienced endless weeks of rain, with warmer-than-normal temperatures. We were so eager to begin winter adventuring right away starting in December, but there just was not enough snow nearby.
We headed up to Lookout Pass, located east of Mullan, straddling the Idaho and Montana border. It is about an hour’s drive from our house in Coeur d’Alene. At Lookout Pass, there are 4 chair lifts available for those wanting to explore Runt Mountain via alpine skiing/snowboarding. The parking lot is long and narrow, and fills up very quickly. However, if you plan to snowshoe or cross-country ski, drive to the west end of the parking area to have quick access to the road that is available for those activities as well as snowmobiling.
The trek from the parking lot is slightly downhill the entire way, so be prepared for an uphill journey on the way back. About 3/4 of a mile down the Northern Pacific Trail (aka NorPac Trail), you will come across chair 3 on the left side. After passing by the chair lift, we came across an unnamed, very steep uphill trail covered in deep, fresh snow. We eagerly trekked up the trail as far as we could until we encountered a downed tree that completely halted our progression. We did not see a safe way to navigate around the it, and there was another downed tree not far behind it.
After snowshoeing back down the trail, we continued our journey further down the NorPac Trail, enjoying the beautiful view of the Silver Valley. Even though there were a lot of snowmobile tracks, we did not see any snowmobiles on our trek. And, because this area is primarily accessed for alpine skiing, we only saw one cross-country skier and one or two people with their pups. Otherwise, we had this trail completely to ourselves. With our first snowshoe trek under our belts, we are eager to continue exploring the beauty of Northern Idaho in the winter… we need more snow! Total miles: 5
So good to see you again. The video is stunning with the fresh snow hanging off the trees. Beautiful !!! Stay warm out there !!!