Skiing the Lewis-Clark Trail

Wondering where to go to try out that new pair of cross-country skis or snowmobile you hope to find under the tree Christmas morning?

The United States Forest Service has an idea for you.

It’s called the Lolo Pass Winter Sports area and while it’s been heavily used by Montana residents the past two years, Idaho winter sports enthusiasts don’t seem to have discovered it yet.

Admittedly, it’s closer to Missoula than to Lewiston or Moscow. In fact, it is 125 miles east of Orofino on Highway 12.

But John Twist, the resource assistant for the Powell Ranger District — the district in which the area is located — says the recreational opportunities at Lolo make it well worth the trip.

Among other things, it gives skiers the opportunity to cross Lolo Pass precisely on the same trail used by the Lewis and Clark expedition. And besides, it’s free — for the time being.

Twist said that 20 to 25 miles of track for cross country skiing and another 20 miles for snow-mobiling are regularly groomed around Lolo, which is located at the pass on the Idaho side of the state line.

While the visitors center has been in place since 1972, the sports area didn’t really catch on until a couple of years ago, says Twist. That was when the forest service began making a more concerted effort to groom trails, keep the parking lot plowed and make the area attractive to winter sports enthusiasts.

Since then, Twist says, the area has caught on — at least where Montana residents are concerned. He said that about 93 percent of the 21,000 people who used the area last year were from Montana. Most of them have been cross country skiers, he said, but there is a steady stream of snowmobilers, too.

Twist said one reason for the increased popularity has been the lack of snow at lower elevations the last two winters. But he said that once people began coming, they’ve enjoyed what Lolo has to offer.

He described the area as a combination of long, rolling tracks through the trees with occasional steep, downhill stretches, suitable for telemark skiing.

Twist also said that while only about 50 miles of tracks are groomed, there is a total of about 150 miles of cross country trails leading out from Lolo, going into both states.

There are also opportunities for cross country and snowmobile races and other events.

The area is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday through Monday and the visitors center is staffed during that time. There’s coffee, hot chocolate and information dispensed at the center. Overnight accommodations can be found close by in either direction — Lolo Hot Springs Lodge is 12 miles from the pass on the Montana side and the Lochsa Lodge is 12 miles from the pass on the Idaho side.

Twist said the area hopes to expand its operation as the demand increases but added that there is one bit of bad news. While the area has been used free of charge in past years, that will probably change next year.

He said both Idaho and Montana have cut off the funds they were contributing to the area and that “beginning next year, we’re going to have to implement some way that the users can help pay for some of the services.”

The area has been open since Nov. 20 and as of Tuesday, there were 48 inches of snow on the ground. Twist said an average of 200 to 1,000 people have been using it on weekends and 30 to 75 on weekdays.

This story was published in the Dec. 24, 1981, edition of the Lewiston Tribune.