MacDonald Pass Cross Country Ski Trails

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 await your kicking and gliding.

Download the Trail Map

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 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. Thank you for your cooperation.

Trail Use Guidelines

MacDonald Pass Usage Statistics

Last Chance Nordic Ski Club counts the number of skiers passing along the Access Trail, in order to better time grooming and plan maintenance activities. Additionally, it helps the Club evaluate its relative success towards it mission, that is, encouraging cross country skiing in the Helena area.

Skier Counts on MacDonald Pass Cross Country Ski Trails
Season	Nov	Dec	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	Total	# Days Counted	Dates Counted
2010-2011	–	78*	1686	1517	950	371	4602	122	12/30/10 to 5/1/11
2011-2012	38*	1266	1669	1640*	closed	closed	4613	81	11/21/11 to 2/20/12
2012-2013	–	1581*	1881	1742	880	50	6134	144	12/8/12 to 4/30/13
2013-2014	10*	980	1749	1300	958	171	5168	164	11/18/13 to 4/30/14
2014-2015	67*	1178	1197	662	443	4*	3551	135	11/22/14 to 4/5/15
2015-2016	–	1154	1583	770	244	13*	3764	130	12/1/15 to 4/5/16
2016-2017	17*	978	1386	887	423	13*	3704	160	11/21/16 to 4/30/17
2017-2018	125*	673	1516	844	990	315*	4463	164	11/11/17 to 4/24/18
2018-2019	69*	1052	2130	731	897	71	4950	158	11/21/18 to 4/28/19
2019-2020	–	869*	1996	1648	1226	427*	6166	136	12/09/19 to 4/23/20
2020-2021	46*	1154	2066	1427	1112	30*	5835	157	11/17/20 to 4/23/21
2021-2022	–	942*	2293	1422	700	15*	5372	115	12/15/21 to 4/9/22

Note: * Denotes partial month counted
Thanks to Luke Osborne for helping crunch these numbers.