Snowkite
Good spot for snowkiting
Mullan Pass
Submitted by JoelB on Tue, 01/12/2010 - 11:36pmLocation
46° 37' 56.4492" N, 112° 19' 21.936" W
Description:
Mullan Pass is located near Macdonold Pass just seven miles north of highway 12. Take the Mullan Pass road at the base of Macdonald Pass on the west side and follow it to the where Montana Rail Link has their posted Private Road sign. From there it is 1/2 mile up a snowmobile trail to where the forest service property begins. The best wind is west or SW and is thermal driven like Macdonald pass but it holds better snow and has a lot less hazards. This place is wide open and kiter friendly.
Directions:
Take the Mullan Pass turn off located at the base of Macdonald Pass on the west side. (hwy 12) follow the road 7 miles north to where the snow mobile parking area starts and just follow the tracks to the public land.
Jackson Hot Springs
Submitted by JoelB on Sat, 10/17/2009 - 9:44pmLocation
45° 22' 5.8008" N, 113° 24' 32.5188" W
Description:
Jakcson Hot Springs and Jackson, MT is located in the south end of Big Hole Valley. This town has a wild west feel to it and is in the heart of snow country, There's miles of explorable terrain on both public and private lands, and when you get done, you can soak in the natural hot springs and relax in a nice lodge setting.
for more information go to http://www.jacksonhotsprings.com/jackmap.htm
Directions:
Jakcson Hot Springs and Jackson, MT is located in the south end of Big Hole Valley. This town has a wild west feel to it and is in the heart of snow country, There's miles of explorable terrain on both public and private lands, and when you get done, you can soak in the natural hot springs and relax in a nice lodge setting.
for more information go to http://www.jacksonhotsprings.com/jackmap.htm
Big Hole Pass
Submitted by JoelB on Sun, 07/26/2009 - 10:39pmLocation
45° 20' 1.7016" N, 113° 14' 51.9252" W
Description:
Big Hole Pass Web Camera & Weather Data
Great wind all winter long, best wind is from west or south west, with a occasional rock steady east thermal as well. There's a big parking lot at the top of the pass with a public access road to the kiting south of the highway.There's a lot of private land around this site as well so its good to have a map to know where the public land boundary is located.
This site also features a web camera with weather data. Twenty miles away is Jackson Hot Springs, with a hotel/bar/food. A nice place to stop after a long day of kiting.
Southwest Montana Kite Locations
Submitted by JoelB on Tue, 02/10/2009 - 9:27pmLocation
Description:
Here is a quick locat0r map of some of Montana's popular snowkiting areas. For more info on these locations or to add more information and additional locations go to our Kite Spots page. Enjoy the Winter while it lasts, Joel
Bronken fields
Submitted by Morgan on Sat, 12/20/2008 - 8:23pmLocation
Description:
Great kite spot if the soccer goals aren't up!
SnowMO Park
Submitted by Snowkite_Soldier on Wed, 10/17/2007 - 1:01pmLocation
Description:
The Camas Valley is vast. I have listed this area because of easy access, parking, lauching and consistant West Winds. This is the more intermediate of the two. The options for exploration are endless. Heading North towards Soldier Mountain, kiters will find large hills and a few cliff bands. Traffic from both kiters and snowmobilers can get crowded on the weekends. Take to the south side of the road for the best exploration. A large cliff band (we call it Tipple Overhead) is very accessible for those who cross over highway 20 and launch their kites. Everyone from the road will stop to watch and if you go past this cliff band, riders will find more cliffs and more hills. This valley is about 10 miles across and we have explored a small part of it. The highway runs down the middle of the valley. This is nice because those wishing to link the two areas have easy access to a shuttle service.
Directions:
Take I84 from Boise towards Salt Lake City and turn onto Highway 20. You will come to a summit, marked by the Sawtooth National Forest Sign.(your close) Coming from Salt Lake City take I84 West and turn off towards Sun Valley from Twin Falls, ID. In route to Sun Valley make a left onto highway 20 and take it toward Fairfield, ID. This spot is located 16 miles west of Fairfield and 2 miles west of Hill City. Once your eyes start popping out of your head...... your close. A snowmobile sign is on the north side of highway 20. It has a bathroom and a warming hut. This is one of two buildings for miles so it should be easy to spot. Park on the right hand side. Scroll below to Pine Turnoff RWIS to find camera and wind report.
Brown's Lake
Submitted by criznach on Tue, 09/18/2007 - 11:07pmLocation
46° 57' 26.568" N, 113° 0' 38.646" W
Description:
Nice big lake for snowkiting and water kiting. Brown's Lake offers great camping and regular wind in the Summer months. Another big plus for this spot is there is a weather data station located a mile away. The wind typically blows NW or W, and an occassional Easterly thermal.
for weather data updated weather data go to the Helmville data link at: http://www.mdt.mt.gov/travinfo/weather/rwis_list.shtml
Directions:
Just south of highway 200 near Ovando. There are two ways in. If there is much snow you'll need to take the west way near Ovando and drive out and around the southwest side of the lake. If it's early/late season and the snow cover is minimal, you can drive right in just west of the WPA parking lot. You'll want a high-clearance 4wd and might not make it all the way to the main parking area, but this way is closer if the snow permits.
Kiddie Pool
Submitted by Triplethreatsno... on Tue, 01/02/2007 - 9:12amLocation
Description:
State land permit required. Five minutes from my house outside of Bozeman
Directions:
take Kagy Blv, east to Ft ellis rode. park and ride
Island Park - Henry's Flat
Submitted by noah on Fri, 12/29/2006 - 1:18pmLocation
44° 34' 0.2856" N, 111° 20' 0.2004" W
Description:
Kiting at the Henry's Flat is done east of Hwy 20. This area offers easy beginner terrain and some intermediate/advanced boosting potential off the river terrace. No big mountains here but a long season (October to May), lots of snow and frequent wind.
All the property that we've kited on since 2002 is called the Flat Ranch and is owned by the Nature Conservancy. Please be respectful. I don't want to be banned from kiting there as I'm sure you don't either. If you see wildlife, including sandhill cranes, keep your distance and go the other way.
Directions:
There are basically two places to park to snowkite on the Henry's Flat on the north end of Island Park, Idaho.
First off, don't park on the side of the road or at just any pull out. Idaho Highway Patrol will ticket.
The most legit public parking is the snowmobile parking lot at the Red Rock Road. This is the first right after crossing the Henry's Fork River outlet heading south. There are some mailboxes there. One has to walk across the Hwy 20 and go down a small hill to get on the flats to kite. Watch for traffic on this often icy road.
The second spot is at the Hungry Bear Market. It is private property and they like people who are courteous. They are cool about parking here, if you are nice. I kite from the south side of their lot, fewer fences to deal with here. Please be respectful of the cemetery on the north side of the market. Don't kite or boost over any grave stones, please. They can be hard to see later in the winter, just smooth ramps of snow.
Island Park, ID
Submitted by JoelB on Thu, 12/28/2006 - 10:53amLocation
44° 37' 4.2384" N, 111° 20' 10.086" W
Description:
Large open valley with consistent wind. Very accessible, kiter friendly.
There a few places to pull over. Two of the main spots are "the store" which is the only gas station in the main valley. it has a big parking area, grocery store, and the people there are full of good information.
Another spot is the Lazy Trout Motel parking area, there number is 877 529 9432, they have several cabins for rent and you can walk across the street and kite for miles
Directions:
From Bozeman, MT head south on hwy 191 , 88 mi to West Yellowstone, then head south on U.S. 20 for 25 mi to Island Park, ID.
From Idaho Falls take U.S. 20 85mi north to Island Park.
