HomeMy Public PortalAboutCougar Mountain LodgeStatesman Feb 6, 1995 Page 1 of 3
Cross-country heaven
By Karen Bossick
The Idaho Statesman
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Cross- country
There's a new playground for
Idaho's cross - country skiers.
The area — the first new
Nordic area to open in southern
Idaho in the past dozen years — is
in the heart of snowmobiling coun-
try, about halfway between Boise
and McCall.
The new Cougar Mountain Nor-
dic Ski Area sports about 18 miles
of ski trails groomed for both tradi-
tional and skate skiers. The trails
meander along the banks of the
North Fork of the Payette River as
it flows through the Smiths Ferry
area. Then the trails arch up and
over Cougar Mountain on some off -
the- beaten -path logging roads.
"This area, for some reason, usu-
ally gets as much snow as McCall.
And it's an hour closer than Mc-
Call and the ski trails at Ponderosa
State Park," says Kevin Ward, who
developed the new ski area.
The cross - country trails actually
are part of a four -year plan by
Kevin's uncle, Jerry Ward, to turn
the 57- year -old Cougar Mountain
Lodge into a destination resort.
The landmark lodge, cut out Qf
dark brown logs and green shin-
gles, once was used by loggers and
people traveling back and forth be-
tween McCall and Boise on bus%
ness when the journey took a lot
longer than it does today.
Jerry Ward, a 60- year -old retired
Air Force man who grew up near
Garden Valley, bought it last March.
He'd like to open up the eight
rooms sitting above the restaurant
and grocery for lodging. He also
would like to develop a recreation-
al- vehicle site along 2,500 feet of
river frontage just north of the
lodge and put a couple hot tubs
down by the riverside. And he'd
like to put in a crafts store featur-
ing crafts by local artists — after
he takes care of a few necessities,
like a new septic system.
Last summer Ward began work-
ing with the Bureau of Land
Management to set up a take-
out for kayakers and rafters
floating the Payette River from
Cabarton. He started remodel-
ing the lodge, which sports his-
toric photos of the area and cou-
gar and bear skins on its knotty
pine walls. This summer, he
aims to decorate the exterior in
alpine style, with shutters and
window boxes.
"I have lots of plans for the
old place, lots of them," he says.
"Our plan is to make it into a
little resort where people can
come and spend a week to hike
and bike and just take in the
beauty of the area."
Kevin Ward, on the other
hand, is a lab manager at Valley
County Hospital and a longtime
cross- country ski enthusiast
who used to help the Idaho Park
'N' Ski program groom trails in
the Cascade area.
When his uncle bought the
lodge, he saw the opportunity to
expand the options open to Nor-
dic skiers along the highway,
which stretches 100 miles be-
tween Boise and McCall.
The trail he designed loops
around in an open flat meadow
area on state land just south of
the lodge. Local resident foxes
that visit the lodge for table
scraps every night have left tiny
indentations in the fresh snow.
Just before the southernmost
point of the loop, the trail cross-
es Idaho 55 and heads up and
around the 5,500- foot -tall Cou-
gar Mountain.
Snow deposited the night be-
fore drops from stands of Doug-
las fir and ponderosa pine as
storm clouds give way to blue
sky and bright sunshine bathes
the lodge below.
As the skiers wind around the
side of the hill, which sits a
thousand feet above the lodge,
they pause to watch a train
stacked with lumber thread
fe ) d,/gg5
Pd e I of 3
Cougar Mountain
Lodge, which
boasts the first
new Nordic ski
area in southern
Idaho in more
than a decade,
could become_ a
destination
. resort one day,
through the valley. In the dis-
tance, the Payette River sits qui-
etly, as if in hibernation, cov-
ered with snow.
The rumble of logging trucks
grinding up and down Idaho 55
fades away as the skiers glide
around the mountain.
The steep jaunt behind, the
trail lopes off in roller- coaster
fashion, dipping into a pine -cov-
ered area that seems far re-
moved from any hint of civili-
zation.
Statesman Feb 6, 1995 Page 2 of 3
From here, skiers can choose
a variety of loops of varvine
difficulties on Boise Cascade
land.
"The trail system's pretty'
good for a beginning - intermedi
ate skier," says Brian Frasure,
of Boise. "The steep hill got my
heart beating.
"I usually ski at Idaho City,
but I think I will add this to my
itinerary. It's a pretty gorgeous
place, although I'd like it better
if it were part of the Park 'N'
Ski system so I didn't have to
pay extra for another pass."
The area has long been popu-
lar with snowmobilers who of-
ten use Cougar Mountain Lodge
as a jumping -off point to Sage -
hen Reservoir several miles to
the west and Terrace Lakes
about 20 miles to the southeast.
But Ward says the cross - country
ski tracks cross land that was
rarely used by snowmobilers.
Ward speaks with the satisfac-
tion of a man who's done what
he set out to do.
"This makes a nice place to
come and hang out and stay a
few days. The ski trails have
something to offer people of all
skills."
But Ward isn't finished. He's
examining ways he can level out
some of the steeper portions of
the trail next winter. He's study-
ing the possibility of erecting a
yurt where skiers can spend the
night.
And he's trying to talk some
folks at Cascade into helping
him put together a trail extend-
ing from Cascade to Cougar
Mountain.
"Such trails have proved ex-
tremely popular in places like
Washington," he says. "People
could use them for hiking and
biking in the summer and skiing
in the winter. What a great way
to make use of what we have to
offer around here."
�'fid1esvilah Feb b, 1995
Pale p of 3
Eighteen miles of trail wander along the North Fork of the Payette before
climbing up Cougar Mountain for views of the lodge and meadows.
If you go
What: Cougar Mountain
Nordic Ski Area
When: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
daily
Where: 55 miles north of
Boise along Idaho 55 at
Smith's Ferry
Cost: Trail passes cost $6
for a ful I day and $4 for a half
day, available at the Cougar
Mountain Lodge. Children 12
and under ski for free.
Three -day passes cost
$15; season passes are $85
for an individual and $160 for
a family.
Information: 382 -4464
Statesman Feb 6, 1995 Page 3 of 3
Photos by Katherine Jones /The Idaho Statesman
Kevin Ward — who developed the new Cougar Mountain Nordic Ski Area — skis up a trail.