ILLINOIS 14 lost areas MWLSAP Homepage Any information or assistance on the lost ski areas of Illinois would be greatly appreciated: mark@mwlsap.org If you would like to share your memories or pictures of these lost ski areas please go to our Facebook page.

LOST AREAS Barberry Hills Fox River Grove, IL - northeast Illinois v: 145 ft; o: early 1960s Google Maps / Google Earth 42.20453524191829, -88.21339822565129 42°12'16.3"N 88°12'48.2"W Fox River Picnic Grove, Grove Marina, Barberry Hills Ski Area - History of area The Lost Ski Areas of Illinois - coloradoskihistory.com - Scroll down Buffalo Park / Buffalo Mountain* - See: Raging Buffalo Camden Park Rope Tow (Mt. Camden) Milan IL - northeast Illinois Google Maps / Google Earth 41.42582899347047, -90.56383252935717 41°25'33.0"N 90°33'49.8"W Ski, Sled, or Skate - Quad City Times, Dec. 31, 1987, p. 48 Hit the slopes, ride the hills,and . . . - Quad City Times, Jan. 12, 1989, p. 52 Facebook Post and Comments on Skiers and Snowboarders of the Midwest Group - see comment by Chad Mayerhofer picture1 picture2 picture3 (Facebook) Fox Trails Sports Area Cary, IL - northeast Illinois v: 135 ft.: o: 1962 c: 1974 2 rope tows Google Maps / Google Earth 42.19788113356138, -88.26291763901874 42°11'51.9"N 88°15'46.5"W We Skied At Fox Trails in Cary -(pictures) Facebook Page Fox Trail Sports Area Harry Hopes - Chicagoland history Fox Trails Ski Resort - The Remains - Vimeo video Cary, Illinois haunted abandoned "ski lodge" - Forum post The Lost Ski Areas of Illinois - coloradoskihistory.com - Scroll down skimap.org Fox Valley Ski Hills Cary, IL - northeast Illinois - 3 mi. N of Cary RR depot v: 200 ft was operation 1951-52 1951-52 Directory Winter Sports Playgrounds, Chicago and North Western Railroad Chicagoland Boasts Many Ski Areas - Chicago Tribune, Sun, Feb 3, 1952 Fyre Lake Sherrard, IL - northwest Illinois (Quad Cities) Google Maps / Google Earth 41.31329514431609, -90.48833108411365 41°18'47.9"N 90°29'18.0"W Discover Excitingly Beautiful, Completely Private, Fyre Lake - Quad City Times, Sept. 12, 1971, p. 26 Gander Mountain Spring Grove, IL - northeast Illinois (adjacent to Wilmot Mountain WI, which is still open) v: 200 ft.; o: 1962? c: 1973 6 rope tows, 3 poma lifts Google Maps / Google Earth (just south of, and adjacent to, Wilmot Mountain Ski Area across the border in Wisconsin) 42.49370066099, -88.19354030949593 42°29'36.6"N 88°11'36.9"W Ski Conditions for Week-end - Chicago Tribune, Feb. 23, 1962 SKI Magazine, Dec. 1974 - Chicago Metro Areas (third paragraph) coloradoskihistory.com Gander Mountain Ski Strassheim - Chicago Tribune, Dec. 30, 1966, p. 33 Trail Map / Location Map The Lost Ski Areas of Illinois - coloradoskihistory.com - Scroll down New Ski Facilities - Sports Illustrated, Nov. 23, 1959 - ERROR: listed under Wisconsin advertisement GANDER MOUNTAIN Vintage 1972 HTF LOST AREA Ski Brochure Wilmot WISCONSIN Travel - ebay skimap.org Hidden Valley* (see Lost Valley) Holiday Park (Holiday Park Safari Resort) Ingleside, IL - northeast Illinois v: 220 (208) ft. ; o: 1967 c: 1986 In 1978 (Skalka): 5 rope tows, 1 chairlift Google Maps / Google Earth (I heard that the hill has been bulldozed for houses) 42.36796400342421, -88.15936548923823 42°22'04.7"N 88°09'33.7"W Aerial View - vintageaerial.com Picture - Fox Lake District Library Facebook SKI Magazine, Dec. 1974 - Chicago Metro Areas The Lost Ski Areas of Illinois - coloradoskihistory.com - Scroll down advertisement skimap.org Illiniwek Forest Preserve Hampton, IL - northwest Illinois Google Maps / Google Earth 41.56276536410957, -90.40201057631305 41°33'46.0"N 90°24'07.2"W Ski Heil! - Quad City Times, Feb. 5, 1961, p. 39 From the notebook by Eloise - Daily Times (Davenport, Iowa), Jan. 29, 1955 Facebook Post and Comments on Skiers and Snowboarders of the Midwest Group - see comment by Lauren Wolfe Picture 1, picture 2 - Facebook James Park Evanston, IL (located in southwest Evanston near Dodge Ave and Oakton St.) - northeast Illinois v: 65 ft.; o: 1977 (1974) c: mid 1980s 2 rope tows Google Maps / Google Earth 42.023484338021994, -87.70555084182416 42°01'24.5"N 87°42'20.0"W Mt. Trashmore - wikipedia A Downhill Rush The Lost Ski Areas of Illinois - coloradoskihistory.com - Scroll down skimap.org (0 maps) Lincolnshire Resort (Marriott) Lincolnshire, IL - northeast Illinois v: 60 ft. Google Maps / Google Earth 42.193438338456644, -87.92414599592138 42°11'36.4"N 87°55'26.9"W In 1978 (Skalka): 1 poma lift SKI Magazine Spring 1977 The Lost Ski Areas of Illinois - coloradoskihistory.com - Scroll down skimap.org Lost Valley (originally named Hidden Valley) Spring Grove IL - northeast Illinois - 3 1/2 miles N of Fox Lake on US 12 to Meyer Rd. (1/2 mi. W of Wilmot Rd), to Holian Dr. to intersection of Cherrywood Ln. slopes faced N now a housing development v: 120 ft.; o: 1974 as Hidden Valley, became Lost Valley in 1976 c: 1979; 2 chairlifts, 3 rope tows; lodge at top (upside down) Google Maps / Google Earth 42.43239606548105, -88.22655237649393 42°25'56.6"N 88°13'35.6"W In 1978 (Skalka): 3 rope tows and 2 chairlifts SKI Magazine, Jan 1978 Picture of Lodge - flickr The Lost Ski Areas of Illinois - coloradoskihistory.com - Scroll down Lost Valley ski area celebrates grand opening - The Daily Herald (Chicago) Jan 10, 1976. Spring Grove IL - northeast Illinois SKI Magazine, Dec. 1974 - Chicago Metro Areas (Hidden Valley, third paragraph) skimap.org Mt. Camden* - see Camden Park Rope Tow Mt. Hoy^ (never became active) Planned chairlift BUT never became a lift served ski area Warrenville, IL (DuPage County) - northeast Illinois Blackwell Recreational Preserve v: 150 ft. Google Maps / Google Earth 41.832271538101324, -88.18014973732474 41°49'56.2"N 88°10'48.5"W Blackwell Preserve Map showing Mt. Hoy #FunFactsFriday: Mount Hoy AKA Mount Trashmore - Warrenvillehistorical.org Turning garbage into ski slopes - Chicago Tribune, Nov. 29, 1973 p. 111 Mt. Trashmore* (see James Park) Pere Marquette Grafton, IL (north of St. Louis) southwest Illinois (5 miles east of Pere Marquette State Park Lodge on Highway 100) v: 420 ft.; o: 1972 (1974?) four rope tows, 1 chair Google Maps / Google Earth ??? 38.97456003321953, -90.47196906454677 38°58'28.4"N 90°28'19.1"W Ski Area To Be Ready In December - St. Louis Post dispatch, Sept. 24, 1972 SKI Magazine, Jan. 1972 - brief mention The Lost Ski Areas of Illinois - coloradoskihistory.com - Scroll down Quincy Park Quincy, IL - west central Ilinois - York St.?? Google Maps / Google Earth ?? 39.92915105215366, -91.41513467637274 39°55'44.9"N 91°24'54.5"W SKI Mag, Sept. '67 ?? The Lost Ski Areas of Illinois - coloradoskihistory.com - Scroll down "QUINCY PARK ( ?? ), [very obscure], New lift in 1967. [Sep 67 SKI] " Raging Buffalo Snowboard Park (previously called Buffalo Park and later Buffalo Mountain ) Algonquin, IL - northeast Illinois v: 200 ft. o: 1964-83 and 1993?-2019 now Buffalo Park Forest Preserve, Kane County, Illinois Google Maps / Google Earth 42.14763991117609, -88.29385201372283 42°08'51.5"N 88°17'37.9"W 1992 Brochure 1 / 1992 Brochure 2 Thank you to Jon Pofahl Skiers and Snowboarders of the Midwest Facebook Group Transworld Snowboarding Magazine SKI Magazine, Dec. 1974 - Chicago Metro Areas (scroll down) At Raging Buffalo, no chance of getting snow bored - Chicago Tribune, Feb. 7, 2003 Ski Conditions for Week-end - Chicago Tribune, Feb. 23, 1962 The Lost Ski Areas of Illinois - coloradoskihistory.com - Scroll down skimap.org Wagon Wheel Resort Rockton, IL (1.5 mi south) - north central Illinois - Route 75 and Wagon Wheel Road v: 80 ft. o: 1977 1 rope tow and 1 T-bar Google Maps / Google Earth 42.445612448613176, -89.07963422282077 42°26'42.6"N 89°04'46.5"W Pictures and News Articles from Wagon Wheel historian Gary Glaser picture of T-bar - flickr SKI Magazine, Dec. 1976 Future Developments: " .. expected to open 1977-1978" SKI Magazine, Spring 1979 Hit the slopes, ride the hills,and . . . - Quad City Times, Jan. 12, 1989 Memories of the Wagon Wheel Resort skimap.org (0 maps) MWLSAP Homepage WORKING ON: near Raceway Woods Carpentersville, IL - northeast Illinois - north of Raceway Woods Forest Preserve; south of Miller Rd. Skiers and Snowboarders of the Midwest Facebook Group - see comments by Steve Drecoll "There were remnants of a rope tow (rims/wheels from cars attached to poles) just north of Raceway Woods on the same side of Rt 31. Not sure if they're still there." "I think where the rope tow was is the property next to Raceway south of Miller Rd (about a mile south of Raging Buffalo), the house there is vacant, but with all the foliage I couldn't see the upper part of the hill. Might try another reconnaissance at a later date." MWLSAP Homepage STILL OPEN Chestnut Mountain Resort (formerly Chestnut Hills) Galena, IL - northwest Illinois v: 475 ft.; 1959 Ski Heil! - Quad City Times, Feb. 5, 1961, p. 39 SKI Magazine, Jan. 1977 website skimap.org Four Lakes Lisle, IL - northeast Illinois v: 100 ft. SKI Magazine, Feb. 1985 website skimap.org Plumtree (also called Lake Carroll) - private Lanark, IL (Lake Carroll) - north central Illinois webpage Illinois Ski Areas - skibum.net YouTube skimap.org Ski Snowstar Winter Sports Park Andalusia, IL - northwest Illinois v: 262 ft. o: 1981 website skimap.org Snowpark at Alpine Hills Rockford, IL website skimap.org (0 maps) Villa Olivia Bartlett, IL - northeast Illinois v: 180 ft. o: 1966 website skimap.org MWLSAP Homepage

1956 Lost Wisconsin Ski Areas Facebook Page - omissions noted

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