Saddle Mountain Trail

Trail Overview

Saddle Mountain Trail is a really fun drive or ride to do while you are in the area. The trail starts in the parking lot of Lost Trail Ski Area and takes you up through the ski area, to the top of the ski area, and behind the ski area up to Saddle Mountain. As you start, you will be driving up a cat track used for skiing in the winter. You will see a fair amount of ski run signs and drive under a chairlift, which is cool. The start of the trail is a little bit hidden because it starts next to the repair garage in the Lost Trail parking lot. The trail is plenty wide for a full-size vehicle and there are a fair amount of places that are wide enough to pass oncoming vehicles. When you get to Saddle Mountain, the view of the southern Bitterroot Valley near Sula is awesome. There are some good views into Idaho as well as you drive up the trail. Unless you are on a dirt bike, you will have to come back out the way you went in. Do not attempt this trail from November to May as the ski area is leased from the Forest Service for the winter and does not allow motorized travel through the ski area.

Photos of Saddle Mountain Trail

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Difficulty

This is an easy trail with no obstacles or water crossings. There is one switchback that is a little bit steep but it should be no problem for virtually any vehicle. The trail is gravel the whole way and turns into more of a double track trail towards the end.

History

The top of Saddle Mountain was established as a camp in 1939 and had a fire lookout tower which was built in 1941. Unfortunately, the tower was taken down in 1972. For the history of Lost Trail Ski Area follow this link to the ski area's website: https://losttrail.com/about-lost-trail/

Technical Rating