Idaho’s Kellogg My family and I were searching for an asterisk-filled ski vacation last year.
The mountain needed to have enough terrain to accommodate my husband’s and my children’s vastly disparate skill levels. We desired accommodations and, ideally, childcare on-site. Additionally, we didn’t want to go over budget.
We discovered all of that, along with an indoor waterpark, at Silver Mountain in quaint Kellogg, Idaho. I know it seems a bit too good to be true, but listen.
In the Silver Valley of Idaho, Kellogg is a community of around 2,400 people, located about 70 miles east of Spokane. A section of the 73-mile paved Coeur d Alenes Trail runs parallel to the Coeur d Alene River, which flows through the town like a ribbon.
The town, which bears the name of Noah Kellogg, a 19th-century gold prospector, was a major lead ore mining hub. The first veins were found after Kellogg’s burro, Bill, went missing, according to local tradition. Silver Mountain Resort was christened Jackass Ski Bowl in Bill’s honor when it originally opened in 1967.
The ski area saw several ownership changes over the years, including a name change in the late 1970s and financial difficulties in the early 1980s due to the collapse of the local mining economy. At a time when daily lift tickets were $14, the resort was considered too costly to run.
With a multimillion-dollar gondola that spans 3.1 miles from the valley floor to the lodge at Midmountain, the resort reopened as Silver Mountain Resort in 1990.
The atmosphere of Silver Mountain is a little out of date at times. The lodge at Mountain House is simple and unkempt. Double black diamonds are being torn off of jeans. But because of this, it feels almost revitalizing, like a trip back in time to the 20th century. All in all, I see myself going back to Silver Mountain again and again. Here is a summary.
The mountain
A 30-minute gondola journey is required to access Silver Mountain’s exciting snow activities, which include skiing, riding, tubing, and snowshoeing. Consider it a chance for excitement to build and a chance to have a soothing beer or hot chocolate. Before you go on either end, use the restroom, especially if you have small children. The last ride up is at 3:30 p.m. daily and the gondola shuts down at 5 p.m.
Silver Mountain Resort in Idaho offers skiing, snowboarding, tubing, snowshoeing and an indoor waterpark.The Silver Mountain Resort provided the image.
Just to ride the gondola, tickets are $22.95 for adults (kids 3 and younger are free). Snow tubing (including the gondola ride) is $29 for adults, $26 for kids ages 4-17 and $15 for kids 2-3. Lift tickets start at $68 for adults midweek and peak at $77 for adults on holidays; kids 6 and younger are free (also including gondola ride). There are half-day tickets and discounts for students, seniors and military vets, too.
The gondola unloads at the Mountain House, where there s a rental shop, an on-mountain child care center (for kids ages 2 to 7), the cafeteria-style Mountain House Grill restaurant, and Mogul s Lounge, which is a full-service restaurant and bar. It s a comfortable, well-used lodge with all the greatest hits of ski-hill food: nachos, burgers, fries and dogs. Upstairs at Mogul s Lounge, there are sandwiches ($12-$16) and a dozen beers on tap, plus strong cocktails and plenty of Red Bull.
As for playing on the mountain itself, there are five chairlifts, a covered surface lift and 1,600 skiable acres traversing Kellogg and Wardner peaks.
Truly, there s something for every skier in your family; Silver Mountain has a good mix of beginner, intermediate and expert trails, plus plenty of glades to whoosh through. There s a small terrain park for daredevils, and four tubing lanes for anyone who doesn t ski or ride.
We were there over midwinter break last year, and despite the less-than-ideal conditions from last winter s low snowpack, the Mountain House was lively and friendly. It should be even better this year as the Northwest gets ample snow.
For full details about the mountain, from rentals and lessons to trail maps, lift tickets and more, seesilvermt.com/ski-ride.
The sleepy village
Where the Mountain House felt full of life, the Gondola Village at Silver s base camp was a bit of a ghost town.
There s a shop for coffee and frozen yogurt called Mo s Froyo & Joe, though it doesn t open until 4 p.m. during the week, and other businesses similarly have limited hours (especially if you re visiting midweek). A representative from Silver Mountain said most visitors are day trippers from nearby Spokane and Coeur d Alene, which could account for quiet nights.
But my family marveled in the quiet, especially as ski hills in western Washington can feel overrun on busy days. We ran into another Seattle family and practically high-fived each other for having discovered what feels like a hidden gem in the crazy-expensive world of ski vacations.
There were some screaming deals on outerwear and gear at the Silver Mountain Sports Shop, with plenty of sizes left, and we had a wonderful dinner in the Gondola Village at Noah s Canteen, a family-friendly restaurant that s got everything from flatbreads and burgers to steaks, tacos and pastas at fair prices. Blackened fish tacos with chips and salsa sets you back $18 while a 14-ounce rib-eye plus sides is $40.
There s also a great grocery store in town Yoke s Fresh Market that was well stocked, perfect for the one-bedroom condo we booked at the resort s Morning Star Lodge, which had a full kitchen. Basic accommodations at the Lodge start at the mid-$100s on weekdays and rise into and above the $300s on peak weekends. A full one-bedroom like the unit we rented starts at $260 per night.
Another perk was the Silver Rapids Indoor Waterpark admission to which is free if you stay at the lodge, or $45 a person if you re staying elsewhere in town.
We took a rest day from skiing to hit the waterpark one day and it was great. Now, typically, a hot, humid indoor park might send me screaming what with the giant buckets of water being dumped, the cacophony of screams and an eye-burning amount of bleach in the air. But Silver Rapids was clean without being overly chemical. Calm yet fun. And sure, there were two water features continuously filling and dumping, but it wasn t a sensory overload. And the joy that my girls had while repeatedly zipping down the waterslides was contagious.
I m not fully converted to the indoor waterpark lifestyle, but I get the appeal more now than I did before. If you re not into the waterpark scene, there are a few outdoor hot tubs scattered around the Gondola Village for soaking.
Whether or not you have kids, from the village to the lodge and the mountain, I think you ll find something to love at charmingly retro Silver Mountain.
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