Lutsen Mountains facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lutsen Mountains |
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Upper Grizzly run on Moose Mountain,
overlooking Lake Superior. |
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| Location | Lutsen Township, Cook County, Minnesota |
| Nearest city | Lutsen |
| Coordinates | 47°39′50″N 90°42′50″W / 47.664°N 90.714°W |
| Vertical | 825 ft (251 m) |
| Top elevation | 1,688 ft (515 m) |
| Skiable area | 1,000 acres (4.0 km2) |
| Runs | 95 18 – Easiest 47 – More Difficult 25 – Most Difficult 10 – Expert |
| Longest run | 2 miles (3.2 km) |
| Lift system | 9 total: 1 gondola 7 chairlifts 1 surface lift |
| Snowfall | app. 115 in (290 cm) |
| Snowmaking | 231 acres (0.93 km2) |
| Night skiing | none |
| Website | lutsen.com/winter |
Lutsen Mountains is a super fun ski area in the north central United States. It's an Alpine skiing spot located in northeastern Minnesota, right on the North Shore of Lake Superior.
This awesome resort has 95 different ski runs across four mountains. The highest drop you can ski is 825 feet! On average, about 10 feet of snow falls here every winter. When it's not winter, Lutsen Mountains is a great place for hiking. You can also visit the nearby Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness or enjoy Lake Superior.
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Where is Lutsen Mountains?
Lutsen is one of the northernmost ski areas in the United States. Only places like Alaska, Montana, and Washington (state) have ski spots further north. It sits in the Sawtooth Mountains, which are hills near Lake Superior.
Lutsen gets lots of natural snow, sometimes even "lake effect snow" from the big lake. They also have special equipment to make snow. Lutsen Mountains is the biggest ski resort in the Midwest. It also has the third largest vertical drop in the Midwest. The ski season here lasts a long time, from November all the way into mid-April!
Exploring the Ski Runs and Mountains
The ski area is made up of four different hills. They are called Eagle, Ullr, Mystery, and Moose Mountain. The main base area is located at the bottom of Eagle and Ullr Mountains.
Eagle Mountain: Fun for All Skiers
Eagle Mountain has 21 main ski runs, plus two special areas for terrain parks. It also has 4 "side-country" runs, which are a bit more wild. Two chairlifts take you up the mountain. Eagle Mountain is usually open from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM during the ski season.
The runs here have different difficulty levels:
- 3 runs are super hard (double black diamond).
- 10 runs are very hard (black diamond).
- 9 runs are medium difficulty (blue).
- 3 runs are easy (green).
You can easily get to the main base and the gondola (which goes to Moose Mountain) from many of Eagle Mountain's runs. There are also two special courses for junior ski races, one bumpy mogul run, and two terrain parks.
Ullr Mountain: Shorter, Easier Runs
Ullr Mountain has 8 shorter runs. Seven are main runs and one is a side-country run. There's one chairlift and one surface lift to get you up.
The runs on Ullr Mountain are:
- 5 runs are medium difficulty (blue).
- 3 runs are easy (green).
All the runs on Ullr Mountain lead back to the base area and the gondola.
Mystery Mountain: A Mix of Challenges
You can get to Mystery Mountain from the bottom of Eagle Mountain. A chairlift takes you up to 10 runs. Two of these are main runs, and eight are side-country. One run has a terrain park with cool banked turns, jumps, and rollers!
The runs on Mystery Mountain include:
- 2 runs are very hard (black diamond).
- 8 runs are medium difficulty (blue).
Moose Mountain: Big Views and Many Runs
Moose Mountain is the largest of the four mountains. From its southeast side, you can see amazing views of Lake Superior! It has 52 runs, including:
- 9 super hard (double black diamond) runs.
- 13 very hard (black diamond) runs.
- 30 medium difficulty (blue) runs.
Moose Mountain also has one terrain park and one mogul run. You can reach this mountain from the main resort base by taking the Gondola. Or, you can ski over from Eagle Mountain using the Moose Access run. There are two chairlifts at the bottom of the east-facing slopes, including one that can carry six people at once. At the very top of the mountain, right off the Gondola, you'll find the Summit Chalet. Three super hard (double black diamond) runs go down the northwest side of the mountain.
History and Future Plans
In 1989, Lutsen Mountains added a special gondola to connect the base area with Moose Mountain. This gondola was the first of its kind at a ski resort in the middle of America! Lutsen is known as a great place for families to ski. It has even been named a Top 20 Family Ski Resort for two years in a row.
Lutsen Mountains has two resorts on site: Caribou Highlands and Eagle Ridge Resorts. They offer many types of rooms, condos, and townhomes. Many of these places let you ski right to and from the mountains!
In 2013, Lutsen announced they would put in a new, faster chairlift on Moose Mountain. This new lift can carry six people at a time. The old chairlift was saved and will be used again on the back side of Moose Mountain for expert skiers.
In 2014, Lutsen installed a new pipeline. This helps them get water for making snow from Lake Superior. This way, they don't have to take water from the Poplar River, which is an important stream for trout fish.
Lutsen Mountains has plans to grow even more in the future. They want to make their village bigger and add more services for skiers. They also plan to add more facilities on Eagle and Moose Mountains. Current plans include making the skiing area 150 acres larger. This would double the size of the resort! They also plan to add five or more new chairlifts and many new ski runs.
Famous Skiers from Lutsen
- Cindy Nelson (born 1955) is a famous skier who trained here. She won a silver medal at the 1982 World Championships. She also won a bronze medal at the 1976 Winter Olympics.
