Lost Trail Ski Area

Lost Trail straddles the Montana-Idaho border, where it picks up steady dumps of snow but quickly sheds the small crowds that make it up the pass. The area is normally open just four days a week, and there are no motel rooms in sight. With just five creaky chairlifts and a Spartan base, the area boasts $40 adult day lift tickets – figure in the 1800 acres and an 1,800-foot vertical drop, and Lost Trail is one of the best deals in America. When I worked in nearby Hamilton, our office shared a season pass, and it was a bit of a juggle to make it up to the mountain for a few runs before dashing back to work; after I quit that job I kept coming back, this time using the $5-off coupons that regularly show up in the mail.