Skidale
- 1.1 mi
- round trip
- 314 ft
- climb
- 2,417 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
- May–Jun, Aug–Oct
- best months
Skidale is an easy, short hike in Ski Dale Park on county land in northwest Montana, about a mile from the town of Libby. The trail is an out-and-back that rises about 314 feet from a low point of 2,102 feet to a high of 2,417 feet, and it is open from April 1 to November 30. The most comfortable months for a visit are typically June and September. Typical averages from the nearby Libby weather station show June highs around 76°F and September highs around 72°F, with July the warmest month at about 87°F. The trail is natural-surfaced and allows bikes, so it works for hikers and riders alike. The closest parking is at Parmenter Flat TH 817. Nearby, Shorty's Loop and Tongue Dragger are both about 2.8 miles away, and Parmenter Creek is about 3 miles off. Timberlane Campground sits roughly 7.5 miles away.
Local outfitters
- Kootenai River Campground18 mi away
- Indian Springs Montana44 mi away
Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.
Best time to go · May–Jun, Aug–Oct
Best time to visit Skidale
Best months: May–June and August–October. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.
Jan
32° / 21°
Feb
37° / 21°
Mar
48° / 26°
Apr
58° / 31°
May
69° / 39°
Jun
76° / 45°
Jul
87° / 49°
Aug
84° / 48°
Sep
72° / 40°
Oct
55° / 32°
Nov
38° / 27°
Dec
31° / 21°
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Libby, MT, 0.8 mi away at 2,140 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Keep exploring — more trails worth the drive
Photo: Tony Webster, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)Sheldon Mountain Tie M
~6 min drive
1.05-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 149 ft elevation gain.
Photo: Tony Webster, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)Whoop Up
~6 min drive
2.97-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 66 ft gain and 639 ft loss.
HIKE
Parmenter Creek
~5 min drive
10.13-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 3,040 ft gain.
HIKE
Sheldon Mountain Tie J
~7 min drive
0.64-mile out-and-back trail on Sheldon Mountain with 212 ft gain.
Photo: Tony Webster — CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)Timberlane
~13 min drive
0.79-mile loop trail in Montana with 18 ft of elevation gain.
Photo: Forest Service - Northern Region, Public Domain Mark (via Flickr)Grambauer Ridge Tie
~13 min drive
4.72-mile out-and-back trail on Grambauer Ridge in Montana with 1,565 ft gain.
HIKE
Norman Mountain
~7 min drive
5.93-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 2,350 ft elevation gain.
HIKE
Scenery Mountain Tie
~9 min drive
0.88-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 536 ft elevation gain.
HIKE
Flower Bypass A
~5 min drive
0.64-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 243 ft of elevation gain.
HIKE
Flower Bypass
~6 min drive
3.91-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 469 ft gain.
