| Lost Trail - Chief Joseph X-C Ski Trails by Trail Segment - DRAFT 1/ | |||||||
| Click here for the Beaverhead-Deerlodge NF XC Ski Trails Web Page. | Multiply Km Values by 0.6213699 to get miles. | ||||||
| Caution: Use at your own risk. Some of these miles are not the official Forest Service mileage. See added remarks below. /s/ Cliff Keene | |||||||
| Fn | TR # | Trail Name | Segment | Difficulty | Miles | Miles From TH | Remarks |
| 2/ |
1260 | Gibbons Pass Road Tr. | Lost Trail SnoPark TH - Hogan Cabin Cutoff |
Easiest + |
? |
? | TH is a snowmobile parking area on NE side of Lost Trail Pass (Jct. of Hwy 43 w/ US 93). Dogs Ok. |
| |
1260 | Gibbons Pass Road Tr. | Cutoff - Hogan Cabin | More Difficult |
? |
4.9 | Leave Gibbon Pass road and take a logging road down to Hogan Cabin. |
| Tot. |
1260 | Gibbons Pass Road Trail | 4.9 | ||||
| 3/ |
81 | Anderson Mt. Road Tr. | Hwy 43 - Ander-Rich Tr. | Easiest |
0 |
< 50 Feet | Anderson Mt. Road starts south of Hwy 43 by the west entrance to CJ parking area. Ander-Rich Trail bears left (east) < 50' from the Hwy. |
| 81 | Anderson Mt. Road Tr. | Hwy 43 - Richardson Ridge Tr. | Easiest + |
1.4 |
1.4 | Right at the start is a steep pitch, but I'd rate it "easiest" past there. | |
| 81 | Anderson Mt. Road Tr. | Richardson Ridge Tr. - Cabinet Cr. Tr. |
More Difficult |
2.5 |
3.9 | ||
| 81 | Anderson Mt. Road Tr. | Cabinet Cr. Tr. - End Anderson Mtn Rd. |
Most Difficult |
2.6 |
6.5 | Trail desc. lists this as 6 miles. Vehicle miles are slightly longer. Most folks turn back before skiing to the end of the road. | |
| Tot. |
81 | Anderson Mt. Road Trail |
6.5 |
||||
| 4/ 5/ |
104 | Richardson Ridge Tr. | Anderson Mtn Road - End Ander-Rich Trail (N. Section) | Easiest |
0 |
1.4 | Ander-Rich Trail joins from the left < 100' from Anderson Mtn Rd. |
| |
104 | Richardson Ridge Tr. | Anderson Mtn Road - Start Ander-Rich Trail (S. Section) | More Difficult |
0.3 | 1.7 | Ander-Rich Trail from the right about 0.3 mi. from Anderson Mtn Rd. |
| |
104 | Richardson Ridge Tr. | Start Ander-Rich Trail (S. Section) - Begin Steep. | Easiest + |
0.7 | 2.4 | At by 1 mi from the Anderson Mtn Road this trail gets steep. Beginners should turn back. |
| |
104 | Richardson Ridge Tr. | Beginning of Steep. - Richardson Ridge TH | Most Difficult |
1.5 | 3.9 | The Richardson Ridge TH is about
3.0 miles east of Chief Joseph Pass. Arrange for a ride back to the pass. |
| Tot. |
104 | Richardson Ridge Trail | 2.5 |
||||
| 6/ 5/ |
101.1 | Cabinet Cr. Tr. | Anderson Mtn - Jct. W/ May Cr. Tr | Most Difficult | 1.5 | 5.5 | |
| |
101.1 | Cabinet Cr. Tr. | Jct. w/ May Cr. Tr - Jct. w/ May Cr. Ridge Tr | Most Difficult | 0.3 | 5.8 | |
| |
101.1 | Cabinet Cr. Tr. | Jct. w/ May Cr. Ridge Tr - Cabinet Cr. TH | Most Difficult | 1.5 | 7.3 | The Cabinet Cr. TH is about 4
miles east of Chief Joseph Pass. Arrange for a ride back to the pass. 5/ |
| Tot. |
101.1 | Cabinet Creek Trail |
3.3 |
||||
| 7/ 5a/ |
103 | May Cr. Tr. | Hwy 43 - Fence Gate @ SW end May Cr. CG | Easiest | 0.3 | 0.3 | Trailhead @ May Cr. Campground entrance about 7 mi E of Chief Joseph Pass. |
| |
103 | May Cr. Tr. | Fence Gate - Bridge | Easiest | 0.1 | 0.4 | |
| |
103 | May Cr. Tr. | Bridge - May Cr. Ridge Trail to Right | Easiest ++ | 0.1 | 0.5 | Use caution crossing the bridge. |
| |
103 | May Cr. Tr. | May Cr Ridge Trail - Side Tr to May Cr Cabin | Easiest | 2.0 | 2.5 | The cabin is hard to see. It's about 0.1 mile across meadow to left. |
| |
103 | May Cr. Tr. | May Cr. Cabin Jct - Steep section to NW | Easiest + | 2.4 | 4.9 | Here the trail leaves the creek and climbs extremely steep. Experts only past here. |
| |
103 | May Cr. Tr. | May Creek - Top of steep section. | Most Difficult ++ | 0.4 | 5.3 | Climbing this section would require skins and it would be a very difficult decent. This section may not be marked very well. |
| |
103 | May Cr. Tr. | Top of steep section - Cabinet Cr. Trail | More Difficult | 0.5 | 5.8 | Refer to Cabinet Cr. Tr. for mileages from this point. |
| Tot. |
103 | May Creek Trail |
5.8 |
||||
| 8/ 5a/ |
910 | May Cr. Ridge | May Cr. Trail MP 0.5 - Cabinet Cr. Tr. | Most Difficult | 5.0 | 5.5 | Mileage from sign. Map shows about 0.5 less. Caution this trail not marked well. Refer to Cabinet Cr. Tr. for mileages from this point. |
| Tot. |
225 | May Creek Ridge Trail |
5.0 |
||||
| 9/ 5/ |
101 | Shoofly Tr | Cabinet Cr. TH - N. End Meadow & Alt Trail Rt. | Easiest | 1.4 | 1.4 | Mileage source: Approx by GPS |
| 101 | Shoofly Tr | N. End Meadow - Top Ridge | Most Difficult | 0.4 | 1.8 | Alt route to right about 0.6 miles. More Difficult. (Easier Route) | |
| 101 | Shoofly Tr | Ridgetop - Scooter Tr. Jct. | Easiest | 0.1 | 1.9 | An alternate "Most Difficult" route goes straight downhill. | |
| 101 | Shoofly Tr | Scooter Tr. Jct. - Alt Trail Jct & Cr. | More Difficult | 0.6 | 2.5 | The alternate (steeper) trail is probably slightly less than 0.6 miles. | |
| 9/ 5/ |
101 | Shoofly Tr | Alt Trail Jct & Cr. - Hogan Meadow | More Difficult | 0.6 | 3.1 | |
| 101 | Shoofly Tr | Hogan Meadow - Hogan's Cabin | Easiest | 0.4 | 3.5 | Watch for Snowmobiles. Maps list 3.5 miles too. | |
| Tot. |
242 | Shoofly Trail |
3.5 |
About 3.7 miles if easier route is taken | |||
| 10/ 5/ |
Scooter Cr Tr. | Chief Joe Timber Trail by Windy Corner - Start Scooter Tr | Easiest | 0.1 | 1.5 | Miles from GPS. Approx 1.5 miles from CJ Parking lot to start Scooter Cr. Tr. No Dogs. | |
| |
Scooter Cr Tr. | Start Scooter Cr Tr - End at Shoofly Tr. | More Difficult | 3.0 | Mileage source: Above web site & GPS | ||
| Tot. |
Scooter Creek Trail |
3.1 |
|||||
| 11/ | Ander-Rich Tr. - North Section | Anderson Mtn Rd TH - Start Richardson Rdg Tr. | Easiest | 2.0 | Mileage source:
http://www.fs.fed.us/r1/bdnf/ski.htm Trail only lightly used. Some diamonds hard to find. |
||
| |
Ander-Rich Tr. - South Section | Richardson Ridge Tr. - Anderson Mtn. Rd |
Easiest ++ | Mileage not know yet. Some diamonds are hard to find. Trail seldom used. | |||
| Tot. |
2.0 |
||||||
| |
5734 | Saddle Mtn Rd | Lost Trail Ski Area Lodge - End of Road | More Difficult ++ |
5.5 |
Segment miles to be added later. Caution the lower porting of this trail is the Ski Area "Cat Track" | |
| Tot. |
Saddle Mountain Road Trail | 5.5 |
|||||
| Grand Total |
42.1 | Note: This is approx. maybe a little low. | |||||
| 1/ |
|
Unless otherwise noted, these trails are NOT groomed and all are open to dogs. However dogs are not allowed on the groomed Chief Joseph trails. See descriptions for groomed trails elsewhere. Total trail miles are often listed on the Forest Service trail description, but individual trail segments usually are not. Miles listed here are a combination of those from the trail descriptions, as scaled off an earlier more accurate map, by vehicle odometer, and in some cases by GPS. | |||||
| 2/ | |
Gibbons Pass Rd. is a
groomed snowmobile Trail. It's open for dogs, but be careful of the
snowmobiles. This road can also be accessed (but not with dogs) by skiing on
the road that goes north from the Chief Joseph Broadway Trail, or on the road
that goes north of the Solitude Trail ("Windy Corner") past the
Scooter Trail. Mileage for these segments to be added later. Mileage listed
is from my interpretation of the trail description. |
|||||
| 3/ | |
The Anderson Mtn. Road is technically open to snowmobiles. But is seldom used based on a "gentleman's agreement with local clubs. This trail gets heavy skier use, so it's often ski packed. It's a good route to take dogs on, however PLEASE REMOVE YOUR DOG DROPPINGS from the trail. | |||||
| 4/ | Richardson Ridge Trail is good for advanced X-C skiers and beginning telemark skiers. One can ski up from the trailhead (skins are advised), but it's more commonly skied from the top leaving a shuttle vehicle at the Trailhead. Strong beginning skiers can ski out on the Anderson Mtn. Road and part way on Richardson Ridge and then turn back to Chief Joseph Pass. Note that this trail is often miss-named Richardson Cr. Trail. That trail name should be used for a trail on the map that goes right up the creek and is not a ski trail. Condition not known. | ||||||
| 5/ | The Richardson Ridge, Cabinet Cr., Scooter, and Shoofly Trails are often skied down from CJ to a Shuttle Vehicle at either the Richardson Ridge TH or the Cabinet Cr./Shoofly TH. Before committing to a through ski, check to ensure the trailhead parking areas have been plowed. In 2003-2004 the Cabinet Cr/ Shoofly TH was not plowed which required a 0.7 mile walk along the road. As of Feb. 2007 both trailheads were being plowed periodically, but sometimes a high clearance 4 wheel drive is needed. Richardson Ridge TH is exactly 3 miles east of Chief Joseph Pass at Hwy Mile marker 4, and the Cabinet Cr TH is 3.7 miles east. There is a plowed turnout exactly 2 miles east of CJ which is an alternative for Richardson Ridge. | ||||||
| 5a/ | May Cr. and May Cr. Ridge Trails could be skied as stated in footnote 5 but this is not recommended unless you are very familiar with these trail and current conditions. They are described here as an up and back ski from the bottom. Note that as of 12DEC2005 the May Cr. pullout is being plowed. | ||||||
| 6/ | Cabinet Cr. Tr. is similar
to the Richardson Ridge Tr. (See Footnote 4 & 5), but is somewhat more
difficult and longer. As with the above trail it can be skied up and back and
sometimes is skied as part of a loop with the May Cr. or May Cr. Ridge
Trails, but usually it's skied from the top leaving a shuttle vehicle at the
TH. CAUTION: Sometimes the Cabinet Cr. TH is not plowed and one needs to use
the Richardson Ridge TH and walk back along the road. |
||||||
| 7/ | May Cr. Trail mileage up to the 4.9 mile point at the start of the steep section was logged with a fairly accurate bicycle odometer. Mileage up to Cabinet Cr. Trail measured from an earlier larger scale map. Caution a through trip from Chief Joseph pass is not recommended unless you are very familiar with this trail and current conditions. It would be at least an 11.3 mile trip, with one very steep section which may not be marked well. | ||||||
| 8/ | The May Cr. Ridge Trail has the same caution against skiing as a through trip from Chief Joseph Pass as listed for the May Cr. Trail. The map states that this trail is primarily marked with blazes on trees with blue diamonds only about every 1/4 mile. Thus it's probably best to ski up this trail with skins so if you lose the trail you can backtrack. This could be skied as a loop returning to the Cabinet Cr. Trailhead. | ||||||
| 9/ | The
Shoofly Trail starts across the road from the combined Shoofly/Cabinet Cr.
TH, and provides the shortest access to Hogan's Cabin. The trail crosses
Joseph Cr. and then goes north along the right side of a meadow for about 1.4
miles where there is a signed fork in the trail. The main trail continues
quite steeply for about 0.4 miles to the top of the ridge. The right fork is
+/- 0.2 miles longer, but not as steep. However it's still rated "More
Difficult". At the top of the ridge the right fork joins from the right.
The trail then continues straight down the other side of the ridge at a very
steep grade. It may be better to bear to the left (west) and ski about 0.1
miles to a fork in the trail. Here the Scooter Trail goes (or enters from) the
left and the Shoofly Trail bears right and drops at a moderate grade through
some meadows. Again, this easier section of trail is still rated "More
Difficult". In another 0.6 miles the trail meets the steeper trail
coming from the right and then crosses a creek and climbs and decends a small
hill. The trail then bears right and reaches a large meadow with the Hogan's
Cabin Barn visible to the NE. It's about 0.6 miles from the Creek/Trail
Junction to this point. After skiing north easterly along the west edge of
the meadow for 0.4 mile you will reach Hogan's Cabin and the end of the
Trail. To the left (west) of the barn is an old road which accesses the Lost
Trail - Gibbons Pass Road. Looking east from the cabin on the other side of
the meadow you will see a sign that indicates the Trail Cr. Road. These are
two alternative routes to Hogan's Cabin. Please note that when carrying a
backpack, even the "easier routes" are difficult for all but expert
skiers. Be sure to check with the Forest Service as to the easiest way for
your group to access Hogan's Cabin for an overnight stay. For example, back
in 2005 the Shoofly parking area was not plowed. Currently (Feb. 2007) it's
periodically plowed but often requires a high clearance 4 wheel drive. Other
access routes to Hogan's Cabin include the Gibbon's Pass Road, the Trail Cr
Road, or the Scooter Trail (to access the second portion of the Shoofly
Trail). |
||||||
| 10/ | The Scooter Cr. Trail goes from ungroomed road 1260G to the Shoofly Trail (See footnote 9). Access is usually by skiing from the CJ parking lot via the groomed Timber Trail to Windy Corner in "Sentinel Meadow", and then skiing north on road 1260G for about 0.1 mile. It's about 3.0 miles to the junction with the Shoofly Trail. Folks then often ski down to the Shoofly / Cabinet Cr. TH, or ski out and back from Hogan's Cabin and then to the TH. | ||||||
| 11/ | Ander-Rich Trail. | ||||||
| |
|
Note: Use the above mileages to annotate your
map. By Cliff Keene. |
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| Prepared 12/10/2005 Minor Updates on 03/06/2007 & 03/27/2007 | |||||||
| By Cliff Keene | |||||||