A Turner Mountain trip
By Brian Baxter
The uniqueness of our Turner Mountain Ski Hill is due to its location, history, and staff. The Kootenai Tribe was also known as the Deer Robe People. This was in part due to their method of brain tanning the deer hides, which gave them a beautiful whitish buckskin color and an extremely soft, pliable leather. Heading up to Turner Mountain from Libby, one crosses the mighty Kootenai River to the north on highway 37 and turns northwest on Pipe Creek Road. The Pipe, as it is called is named for the colorful clay pipes the Native Peoples created from the clays that lay deep in the nooks and crannies of the steep banked creek.
Heading up The Pipe on an early December afternoon, the fog and haze slowly begin to dissipate. At about 7 miles up, the traveler passes the Red Dog Saloon. Just past the Red Dog and the Bobtail Cutoff on the left, the road heading up to Blue Mountain takes off to the right. Very near here in early 1907, the first Pipe Creek Ranger Station was built by F.N. Haines, Ed Stahl, and other rangers to help house the ranger force. Approximately 13 miles up the pipe, we get our first glimpse of the ski hill as the road conditions worsen. Along this stretch, lower elevation sub-alpine fir and Engelmann spruce line the creek sides. We feel as if we are going over the river and through the woods to grandmother’s house. Mixed in with the tree species are some good sized Western larch. The Kootenai was once one of the top timber producing forests in the United States. Somehow, heading up this stretch with no other vehicles in sight, the feeling is reminiscent of those old logging hey-days.
Just north of the intersection of Pipe Creek Road and the turnoff for road # 471 that heads to Loon Lake is another historic site. Although not much remains, this is the site of the old Turner Ranger Station and Civilian Conservation Corps Camp. Turner Mountain and the Turner Ranger Station were both named for Frank Turner, an early trapper who trapped the Pipe Creek drainage from the late 1890s until the early 1920s. The 1914 Kootenai National Forest Map shows the guard station and a secondary lookout located on top of Turner Mountain. In 1924, the U.S. Forest Service built a trail to the top of Turner Mountain, and a lookout was constructed.
About a mile and a half further up the pipe is the turnout to Big Creek Baldy Lookout on the right. This is one you can rent from the Forest Service for a weekend during summer seasons. One more mile up is the turn-off for Turner on your left, and to the west. Now, as you begin to reach the ski hill, the remoteness becomes more evident. On the way up, tracks of whitetail and mule deer, moose and coyote crisscross the snowy road. As one climbs further in elevation, sign of a long tailed weasel’s 2 X 2 jumping pattern and mountain grouse tracks and snow roost make themselves evident. This is the wild Kootenai. In these areas elk move from summer to winter range, wolves roam in packs, bobcat hunt in family groups and a lone young male Canadian lynx seeks to establish his territory. Golden eagles scope the hillside openings for prey and owls call, echoing the stillness of the quiet night.
Up top, what is found is a roughly 16 run ski area with runs with names like Pneumonia Ridge, Upper Mambo, Sundance Bowl, Big Red, Seventh Heaven and Holes Hell. The double chair lift is just about paid for and the lodge, built in 2005 is more than adequate. There are no lift lines, and there are plans for a remote reporting weather station.
And last but not least, is the colorful staff. Amazingly, only three of Turner’s staff are paid employees. About 75 hard working volunteers give their time and efforts in exchange for season passes. The work is cold, demanding, and challenging. But this crew is up for it! Cut from a rugged cloth, like the Purcell Mountain terrain, these hearty stewards are men and women who are part of these mountains. Woods professionals, teachers, trades people, accountants, extreme alpine skiers, biologists, physicians, and folks from many walks of life contribute their time and energy. The result is a magnificent combination of rugged natural beauty, local history, friendly folks, and a most unique Steep, Deep, and Cheap Ski Area.