Unique Cross-Border Ski Area Reveals New Trail Map

There are only four ski areas in the country that straddle a border between two states. They're unique in their own ways, but they form a special fraternity of sorts. More on that later.

Lookout Pass Ski Area, which lies on the border of Idaho and Montana, is on our radar due to an exciting development— a new trail map ! See below.

The highlight of the new map created by popular digital ski mapmaking service VistaMap is the added perspective. It's a far cry from the lackluster two dimensional map that Lookout Pass used to employ, and it better represents the expanse and layout of the ski area's terrain.

Most notably, the new map, with a tastefully placed insert of the North Side trails, better represents the nearly 360 degree descents that are possible on Lookout's frontside terrain. The previous map made this harder to understand as each lift was shown as its own individual map (see below).

Lookout Pass opened the Eagle Peak expansion, which can be seen to the looker's far left on the new map, during the Winter '22/'23 season. The expansion includes 500 skiable acres of new terrain, 14 new named trails, multiple glades, and 1,380 feet of vertical. The ski area installed a fixed-grip quad chairlift called The Eagle Peak Quad to service the terrain.

Check out Lookout Pass' Winter '21/'22 map, sans Eagle Peak expansion, below. The glow up is real, as the kids say.

Unofficial Networks founder Tim Konrad had an opportunity to ski Lookout Pass' Eagle Peak expansion before it opened for the public a few seasons ago.

He described the terrain to be fairly mellow when compared to other mountains, but the snow was light, deep, and fun. He also remarked on the sustained pitch of many of the cut runs. In summary, Eagle Peak isn't an extreme freerider's dream, but it adds to the overall skier experience, and is worth exploring if you're up for an adventure to Lookout Pass.

Lookout Pass has yet to announce a targeted opening date for the Winter '24/'25 season, but the ski area usually opens by mid-November thanks to its northerly disposition and relative high-altitude for the region.

Back to Lookout Pass straddling the border of Idaho and Montana. The ski area is sliced almost perfectly in half by the border, and that's including the new Eagle Peak expansion. The trail map doesn't show the border, but a quick search on Google Maps shows the line cutting a nearly symmetrical border between the two sides of the ski area (as seen above).

So, if you're looking to cross two states off your list, consider venturing up to Lookout Pass. Or, consider traveling to the other three ski areas that straddle state borders: Catamount Mountain Resort, NY/MA; Heavenly Resort, CA/NV; or Lost Trail Ski Area, MT/ID.

There are still dozens of independent ski areas scattered across the country, but they sometimes require a little extra elbow grease and determination to reach. Don't worry though, the added effort is always worth it if you're keen on unique skiing experiences that lack the cookie-cutter features of major resorts.

If you're thinking about visiting Lookout Pass this season, your best bet is to fly into Spokane, Washington, rent a car, and drive the less-than two hours to the ski area.

Related: Nation's Largest Ski Resort Unveils New Trail Map

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