Any of you guys have any info on an approach to rathdrum mt. It always looks so good right about now but I have no clue where to go in at an attempt. I know there is a lot of private land around it. It's not the most exciting of objectives but I think it would be fun to bag it one of these days and check out the view
Rathdrum mt. ???
- Thread starter Caleb
- Start date
I was pondering the same thing while at my parents house on Twin Lakes near Rathdrum. I read the summer trail requires a $10 permit, but couldn't find any info about shredding it in winter...
idsnowghost
Staff member
Up until a few years ago you could sled to the top from Twin Lakes.
Straightforward option would be starting at the IEP gate on Scenic Lodge Rd. But.. it's around 4 miles of winding roads to the saddle below the summit. Most the land is IEP (with the permit requirement) however a lot of the land on the Rathdrum facing side is State or City. The city owns some property on the Rathdrum side for the future park, even beginning there I think it's still 3 or 4 miles to skiing. State plans to clear cut their land on the summit in the next couple years, probably will open up even more terrain.
Low elevation snow depth is pretty solid right now, maybe a good time to get up there to explore.
Straightforward option would be starting at the IEP gate on Scenic Lodge Rd. But.. it's around 4 miles of winding roads to the saddle below the summit. Most the land is IEP (with the permit requirement) however a lot of the land on the Rathdrum facing side is State or City. The city owns some property on the Rathdrum side for the future park, even beginning there I think it's still 3 or 4 miles to skiing. State plans to clear cut their land on the summit in the next couple years, probably will open up even more terrain.
Low elevation snow depth is pretty solid right now, maybe a good time to get up there to explore.
I usually approach from the gated road on state land about a 1/2 mile above Hidden Valley. In the winter it's about a 7 mi climb on roads to the summit. You could certainly short cut that a bit by breaking trail off road, just plan on some route finding. It can be a bit of a maze of promising looking old logging roads that often let you down after a mile of winding...
Thanks guys. Good info! It will be back on my hit list if we see another big snow fall in the valleys. Or maybe if coverage is good enough for skiing it in spring corn. Otherwise I'm gonna stick to the bitterroots and the selkirks for February shenanigans. This site sure is great for sharing info! Cheers
idsnowghost
Staff member
Anyone get up there this season?
Thinking about trying for a corn harvest in the next couple weeks, coverage seems to have survived the rain so far.
Thinking about trying for a corn harvest in the next couple weeks, coverage seems to have survived the rain so far.
idsnowghost
Staff member
Skied a few corn runs at the end of last year and found some potential. Anyone interested in exploring in a few weeks as the snowpack builds up? If so send a PM.
I should be in the area around late jan into early feb staying in Twin Lakes and would love to give it a go.
Just curious if this ended up getting explored further... I always see this decent SE face full of snow. I'm going to attempt it one day after a decent storm at lower elevations. Does anyone know if you can drive on N Rathdrum Mtn Road? Google shows you can from west? Kind of out of the way (coming from CDA), but it shows going to a high point below the summit. I'll start scoping it out and respond if nobody follows up.
Most of the mountain is state land, last I read they were going to demolish it and put in a Sam's Club.
idsnowghost
Staff member
I've skied it a several times from the city park now.
I can share routes or beta, or tour up there with you sometime. It's a great ski when there's fresh snow in town.
SE side is done for the season now, I'd imagine. It's best from late January to end of March.
North Rathdrum Mt road is gated off Nelson Loop Rd, but an easy bike ride around to the North side and snow.
Nice, thanks for the info and offer. I'll take you up on that once it gets snow again! I think this would be a fun day without the drive to Silver Valley or up to the Selkirks.