The northernmost end of the state has ski areas big and small, beckoning vacationers and locals alike to take to the slopes when the snow flies.

Here’s a look at places to ski and snowboard in North Idaho:

SCHWEITZER MOUNTAIN RESORT

The views from Schweitzer Mountain Resort, which take in scenic Lake Pend Oreille, three states and Canada, are often compared to the lake country of Switzerland. And that’s not the biggest attraction at Schweitzer, by any means: It’s the skiing and snowboarding, on a mountain known for its tree skiing, high-angle grooming, and a whopping 2,900 acres of skiable terrain, billed as the largest in either Idaho or Washington.

“Schweitzer’s terrain can accommodate a wide range of skiers and snowboarders,” said spokesman Taylor Prather. “There’s a groomed intermediate (blue) trail off of every lift, meaning groups with different abilities can chart their own line and meet at different stopping points where trails intersect.”

Schweitzer, near Sandpoint, has 10 lifts and 2,400 feet of vertical. Its terrain is classified as 10% beginner, 40% intermediate, 35% advanced and 15% expert. It’s a full-service resort with on-mountain lodging, dining, rentals, retail, multiple day lodges, and the Cambium Spa, which will be open for its first full winter season this year.

Also new at Schweitzer this year: A new high-speed detachable quad chairlift, the Creekside Express, which replaces the old Musical Chairs beginner-area double chair and connects a major new base village project, Schweitzer Creek Village, to the main base.

In addition to all the amenities on the mountain, the lively, artsy mountain town of Sandpoint is just 11 miles down the road from the resort. Schweitzer is on the Ikon Pass; last year, full-day lift tickets purchased online in advance started at $120. Said Prather, “We are scheduled to open Nov. 24, conditions permitting.”

Website: schweitzer.com

SILVER MOUNTAIN

Home of the longest gondola in the United States, Silver Mountain in Kellogg has come a long way from its folksy beginnings as little Jackass Ski Bowl in 1967. Owned or operated at various times by the Bunker Hill Mining Co. and the city of Kellogg, congressional approval of a $6.4 million grant to help build the gondola from the valley floor up to the mountain in 1987 set the stage for Silver Mountain’s debut in 1990.

The gondola is the only access point to the mountain, notes spokesman Gus Colburn. “Once you get to the top, you ski down to the lifts, sort of like an ‘upside-down’ ski resort,” he said.

Silver Mountain has seven lifts, 2,200 feet of vertical and 1,600 skiable acres. It’s classified as 20% beginner, 40% intermediate, 30% advanced and 10% expert. It’s known for short lift lines and “some of the best tree skiing in our region,” Colburn said, but he noted that Silver also has invested more than $1.5 million into new grooming equipment in the past two years, ensuring a smooth experience on corduroy-like groomed runs.

“The Chair 4 section of the mountain is a crowd favorite, where secret powder stashes and wide-open groomers abound,” he said. “Here is also where you can access Wardner Peak, our in-bounds hike-to terrain that provides stunning views of the surrounding mountains and untouched snow.”

Silver Mountain is on the Indy Pass multi-mountain season pass, and is a member of the Powder Alliance. It also features a huge indoor water park at the gondola base, Silver Rapids, the size of three football fields, with five water slides, a kids’ area, and a Flowrider surf simulator.

Day lift tickets for adults will be $71 on weekends and $65 weekdays if booked online. “Purchasing on-site at the window they will be a little bit more, but we don’t have that finalized yet,” Colburn said.

He recommends the resort’s ski-and-stay packages for condos at the gondola base, which come with daily waterpark tickets for every member of the party.

Website: silvermt.com

LOOKOUT PASS

Atop Lookout Pass on the Idaho-Montana border along I-90, Lookout Pass Ski & Recreation Area straddles not only two states but two time zones, and skiers and snowboarders can go back and forth between them during their ski day. “I tell people they can ski back in time here and then into the future,” said Matt Sawyer, director of marketing, with a laugh.

Last year, Lookout doubled its size with its Eagle Peak expansion, adding a new quad chairlift to the top of Eagle Peak. That added 500 new skiable acres and 640 more feet in elevation; it also added steeper terrain and tree skiing, expanding the variety of terrain available to skiers and snowboarders.

Lookout’s signature attraction is its snowfall, which averages more than 400 inches a year. It has no snowmaking, Sawyer said; it doesn’t need it.

“We are usually the first mountain to open and last to close in our region,” he said.

Long known as a mom-and-pop mountain with lots of snowfall and a signature free ski school for kids, Lookout now has five lifts, 1,023 skiable acres and 1,650 feet of vertical. Terrain is 20% easiest; 50% intermediate; 20% advanced; and 10% expert.

It’s still family oriented, and Sawyer notes that half the trails are usually groomed nightly. And there’s still free ski school for kids age 7 to 16.

Another distinction: “Extremely easy access,” said Sawyer. I-90 is just 200 yards from the ski area’s parking lot. “Not many other ski area roads are as well maintained as an interstate highway system,” he noted.

Lookout also offers a special deal for season pass holders from any other ski resort: $35 lift tickets on non-holiday Mondays through Thursdays. Another Lookout perk: Ski free on your birthday (with photo ID). Lodging in nearby Wallace is 12 miles away.

Website: skilookout.com

LOST TRAIL

This ski area on the Idaho-Montana border is something of a local secret, with eight lifts, 1,800 feet of vertical and 1,800 skiable acres. It’s open Thursdays through Sundays, and is located 46 miles from Salmon, Idaho, or 47 miles from Hamilton, Montana.

There are no high-speed quads or anything like that; the eight lifts are five double chairlifts and three rope tows, which you’ll ride to connect between different areas of the resort. So don’t bring your fanciest ski gloves!

Last year, a full-day adult lift ticket was $58. Lost Trail is on the Indy Pass, and is a member of the Powder Alliance multi-mountain season pass partnership.

It’s got lessons, rentals, two terrain parks, and lodge with cafeteria; terrain ranges from beginner to serious experts-only. The family-owned ski area first opened in 1938, and its summit atop the Continental Divide is at an elevation of 8,200 feet. Plus, you can ski in two states — Montana and Idaho — on a single run.

Website: losttrail.com

LOCAL SKI HILLS

Bald Mountain, near Pierce, has a T-bar and a rope tow; 684 feet of vertical; and 140 acres of varied terrain. Website: skibaldmountain.com Cottonwood Butte, on the Camas Prairie near Cottonwood, a T-bar and a rope tow; 845 feet of vertical and 260 acres of skiable terrain. There are rentals, a lunch counter, and ski lessons. Website: cottonwoodbutte.org Snowhaven Ski & Tubing Area 7 miles from Grangeville is a city-owned facility offering weekend skiing, snowboarding and tubing, with a T-bar and a tubing lift. It offers lessons and rentals, and with full-day lift tickets at $24, has the slogan, “Fun in the snow is affordable at Snowhaven!” Website: grangeville.us/snowhaven-ski-and-tubing-hill/