Just because the snow has melted doesn’t mean the adventure has stopped at Whitefish Mountain Resort.
The ski resort’s summer activities officially kick off for daily bookings and activities on June 7. For the two weeks between Memorial Day weekend and June 7, the resort is open on the weekends only for activities. The summer season at Whitefish Mountain Resort ends on Sept. 14.
Those activities include scenic lift rides, zip line tours, mountain biking, alpine slides, an aerial adventure park, huckleberry picking, and hiking. There’s also a two story kids climbing tower called Spider Monkey Mountain.
Scenic lift rides run from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. during the summer season. The open chair lift rides provide views of the Flathead Valley, Whitefish Lake, Glacier National Park and the Northern Rockies. Food is available at the Summit House until 3 p.m.
The resort’s two alpine slides run from the village area down to the base lodge. The sleds can be controlled with a hand brake, and riders can take Chair 6 back to the top of the slides once they’ve reached the bottom.
The resort’s aerial adventure park is made up of five obstacle courses of different difficulty levels. In total, there are more than 60 obstacles to navigate, including a trapeze, rope ladders and cable bridges. Tickets buy two hours of time in the park, which is designed for adults, and kids ages 7 and older.
The resort claims to be home to the longest lift-served zip line tour in the state, including a line that runs for over a third of a mile. The six lines carry participants up to 300 feet above the ground, and the tour lasts about two hours and is led by two guides. The tour also involves some hiking.
Mountain bikers can explore more than 20 lift-accessed biking trails, with a variety of terrain that is suitable for riders of different skill and experience levels. WMR advises that beginners will enjoy some of the more “flowy trails” with “modest features,” while other more aggressive riders will appreciate the chance to perform jumps, navigate berms and drop into technical, rocky areas. The mountain biking park is divided into the Bad Rock Zone, the B-side Zone, and the Summit Zone, and some of the trails wind their way down to the face of the mountain. When riders reach the bottom, they can take a chairlift back to the top. Riders must purchase passes. Bike rentals are also available.
Hiking trails include the o 3.8-mile Danny On Memorial Trail, the 3.6-mile Flower Point Loop, the 1-mile East Rim Loop, the 1-mile Bob Cedar Trail, and the 5.4-mile Danny On Trail and Flower Point Loop. For those interested in huckleberry picking, the berries can be found along the Danny On Trail, Flower Point Loop and the East Rim Loop. The Flower Point Loop and East Rim Loop both start and end at the mountain’s summit, while the Danny On Memorial Trail runs from the village to the summit, or vice versa. The Bob Cedar Trail runs from the Base Lodge to the Whitefish Trail or vice versa.
For more information, including prices, online ticket and pass purchases, dates and hours of operation, go to skiwhitefish.com.
Glacier Journal is the Beacon’s annual guide to summer in Northwest Montana. Pick up a copy on newsstands across the valley or read a digital version here.