Schweitzer Mountain in Summer

Schweitzer Mountain ski resort is a must-do in the summer. Yes, I said Summer. My sister, sons, and nephew were visiting in July and I took them up to Schweitzer. Almost didn't go, but so glad we did, because at the end of their week-long visit they all ranked Schweitzer very high on their list of favorites. 13 mi from downtown Sandpoint, Schweitzer is a world-class ski resort featured in several magazines 

For $10 ea ($38 /family…or FREE if you go on opening day of the summer) you can ride the chairlift to the top of the mountain. It's a relaxing ride and the views of Lake Pend Orielle and Sandpoint are stunning from up there. I wanted to fling my arms and sing "The Hills are Aliiiiive !!!!" (i.e. Sound of Music)...... One bummer on the day we visited: the view was a bit hazy because wildfires were raging nearby. Still amazing, though.

When we got off the chairlift at the top, I immediately said “Oh man, this is so COOL, why didn’t we bring some wine or beers or...” and as if the universe heard us, boom! there was The Wang Shack, a tiny place selling beer and ice cream. Thank you Universe!

 Sadly, the Wang Shack is scheduled for demolition...which is probably why they let us write on the walls. Schweitzer is making way for a brand new restuarant & lodge up at the top.

There's a frisbee disc golf course at the top, and you can rent a set of discs for $5 in the Village. Just be careful and don't throw your discs over the side of the mountain like I did.

 Here are my wonderful boys scampering down the mountain to find it and say me the $5 deposit :-)

You can relax in a cool "Bungo" chair or on a picnic table at the top, and there are horseshoes and other games just sitting around waiting for someone to play them. 

Bungo Chair, super comfy

We had a blast playing a game called Slammo. It's very peaceful up top and we easily spent an hour taking in the view and watching folks go up and down the chair lift. A few people were bringing mountain bikes up and riding the trails down. The bike course is pretty rocky and I personally wouldn't take beginners or kids down it, and even the staff agreed with me on that one. 

View on the way down. We just saw a baby moose !

Schweitzer Village is quiet in summer, but still has two restaurants, a deli, and a coffee shop open to grab a bite. If you have younger kids, there are a few amusing things in the village: a rock wall, a gyro trampoline thing, a short zip line, and they can also pan for gold. Our boys were all too old for that, but I saw a twinkle in their eyes as they passed each attraction.

JJ popped into the Coffee Shop for some Evans Bros coffee (a local favorite) and I picked up a loaf of fresh baked garlic gooey cheesy bread over in the deli shop which got devoured on the ride back to Sandpoint.     Ahhh Schweitzer, we'll be back!