Nordic Ski MacDonald Pass

MacDonald Pass

Located 15 miles west of Helena off of Highway 12 on your way toward Elliston, “Mac Pass” offers groomed cross country ski trails. The plowed parking lot is on the north side of the highway, about a third mile east of the highway summit. There is a toilet located one km down the trail. For more information on MacDonald Pass visit www.lcnsc.org.

We look forward to seeing you on the MacDonald Pass ski trails, just 15 miles west of Helena, where fourteen kilometers of groomed classic and skate cross country ski trails (map) await your kicking and gliding.

The Nordic ski trails on Mac Pass are open, snow permitting, December through April. To make the most of an often shallow snowpack, the Last Chance Nordic Ski Club, in cooperation with the Helena National Forest, grooms these popular (see MacDonald Pass statistics) cross country ski trails almost daily. As a result, cross country skiing is usually great.

There’s no charge to ski, although skiers are encouraged to join the Club or make a donation to help defray grooming costs.

You’ll find a plowed parking lot on the north side of Highway 12, about one-third of a mile east of the highway summit. Please park considerately and don’t block the gate to Frontier Town. A toilet is located about one kilometer (0.6 miles) down the trail, near where the Access Trail intersects the Microwave Road Trail.

Please do not walk your dog, ride bicycles, or use snowshoes on the trail. These activities churn up the carefully groomed surface and make Nordic-style skiing difficult or dangerous (see LCNSC’s Trail Use Guidelines). Thank you for your cooperation.

Information courtesy of Last Chance Nordic Ski Club