Articles Tagged With: Outdoor Recreation
Blacktail Mountain ski area opened in December of 1998 built on over 1000 acres of Flathead National Forest. On the west shore of Flathead Lake, the resort’s top elevation is 6700’ and overlooks Lakeside with views from Flathead Lake to Glacier National Park and of the Mission, Whitefish and Cabinet Ranges. Easy access is from Highway 93 turning west in Lakeside and following the Blacktail Road 14 miles to the mountaintop. Blacktail Mountain Ski Area is 45 minutes from Kalispell and two hours from Missoula.
In driving to the mountaintop, regardless of ability, everyone starts at the top on Blacktail Mountain.
www.blacktailmountain.com
Big Sky Resort consists of three mountains covering 3,812 acres, providing plenty of room to explore and have fun. From the easiest greens to white knuckle black diamonds to wide-open powder fields Big Sky has something for everyone.
Big Sky Resort’s interconnect with neighbor Moonlight Basin provides access to the most skiable terrain anywhere in the United States. The Lone Peak Pass offers over 5,500 acres of riding at your board tips. Lone Peak’s 11,166-foot elevation makes it a haven for powder and steeps and the 4,350 vertical drop will have your legs screaming for mercy.
www.bigskyresort.com
Majestic mountains and vast plains. Western life and small-town hospitality. Cowboys and Indians. Experience the diversity of Teton Pass near Choteau, Montana, where these seamlessly blend into an affordable, family fun experience that will lighten your heart (plus your pocketbook) and put a smile on your face.
Situated just east of the Bob Marshall Wilderness area in the Rocky Mountain Front, Teton Pass’s pure powder -- 300 inches a year -- comes solely from Mother Nature. The 26 trails -- 5 beginner, 9 intermediate and 12 advanced -- seem to reach the sky at 7,200 feet, especially when contrasted against the vast plains of central Montana.
Wandering spirit? Need some direction for your adventure, but crave some homespun hospitality? Get “lost” at Lost Trail Powder Mountain in Western Montana. Located less than 100 miles (or 1 ½ hours) from Missoula and Butte, MT and Salmon, ID, this family owned ski area is known for its dependable snow (over 300 inches), down-to-earth attitude and breathtaking beauty of the Bitterroot range. Combine this with uncrowded slopes, a friendly smile and great prices; you’ll discover several new “trails” to follow.
To begin your adventure, explore www.losttrail.com for details on our unbelievable powder at unbelievable low prices.
Montana Snowbowl is located 12 miles northwest of Missoula. Deep, powdery bowls and 2,600 feet of continuous vertical drop make Snowbowl an extremist's dream. There's plenty of skiing for other skill levels, too. Fly Delta, Horizon Air, United and Northwest to Missoula. Car rentals are available at airport. From I-90, Reserve St. Exit (Exit 101), north on Grant Creek Road, then left onto Snowbowl Road. Open daily 9:30am - 4:00pm (closed Tuesdays early and late season).
www.montanasnowbowl.com
Bridger Bowl is located 16 miles northeast of Bozeman on MT Highway 86. As a private, nonprofit ski area with no owners, all profits are reinvested into the area, enabling Bridger Bowl to provide a high quality ski experience for a low price. Be sure to check out our "What's New" section at BridgerBowl.com to view the progress on our new lift installation (scheduled to open for the '08-'09 season) serving 300 acres of new terrain in the Slushman's area south of our current boundary.
www.bridgerbowl.com
Lookout Pass is the #1 Powder Place in the Northwest Rockies with easy I-90 access at the Idaho/Montana state line. Our new “Timber Wolf” and “North Star” chairlifts are an exciting addition that provide expanded access to over 34 named trails and acres of prime powder glade skiing and riding with a 1,150-foot vertical drop and two terrain parks. A new three-story lodge addition includes “The Loft” pub and grub with a great selection of brews and panoramic mountain views. A new food court enhances our commitment to providing you and your family with a great skiing experience.
But here’s the number that matters: 400 inches of annual snowfall.
Located in the heart of the Little Belt Mountains of the Lewis and Clark National Forest, you’ll find Montana’s oldest and friendliest ski area -- Showdown Montana. Topping out at 8,200 feet, and offering 1,400 feet of vertical drop on 34 runs, Showdown offers a variety of terrain for skiers and riders of all abilities and ages.
The unique geography surrounding Showdown makes for some of the best dry, all natural powder you’ll find anywhere in the West. That’s right, there are no hoses, snow guns, condos or lift lines here -- just a great family area that has been providing some of the best skiing and riding in Montana for over 70 years.
The Wilderness Act of 1964 defines wilderness areas as places “where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man.” If you take that definition for what it is, as I do, you will likely conclude that mining is prohibited in designated wilderness areas. Imagine my bewilderment, then, at the proposal for Rock Creek Mine, which calls for digging and blasting under the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness of northwest Montana. A mine in a federally designated wilderness area? But silly me—the mine isn’t in the wilderness, it’s under it. And thanks to the 1872 mining law, that’s permitted. Here I thought the ground I was hiking on, all of it, all the way down to the earth’s core, was protected.
www.SaveOurCabinets.org
I'll be doing a second float this weekend (click here to read about the first) and this one, on Sunday, is in a different river basin, and the crowd will be much smaller than at Saturday's Milltown-to-Downtown event, and the issues at hand have not, unfortunately, been so fruitfully resolved. With luck, Sunday's float on the Ruby River (not far from Butte, but on the other side of the Continental Divide) will be a celebration of one of the things that makes Montana great - the law guaranteeing all citizens access to the state's rivers and streams.
