Elk Mountain Intermediate Skiing

Intermediates have several options from the summit. The lone blue trail on the looker’s left side of the mountain (Delaware) is a long cruiser with sustained moderate pitch that will not scare strong beginner skiers. Delaware Chute, a spur off of the main Delaware trail, is home to Elk Mountain’s terrain park. The terrain park is serviced by its own rope tow. 

Heading the other direction, towards the lower parking lot base, skiers can hop onto either Mahican or Schuykill which will bring them to the top of the best blue runs on the hill. The best blue run on the mountain is unquestionably Kickapoo, a windy switchback trail that zig zags down the mountain in a series of hairpin turns. Even expert skiers will struggle to stay on their edges for the entire length of the run. Two other intermediate trails are also accessible from the end of the Mahican/Schuykill trails – Lenape and Wissahickon. Lenape runs along the perimeter of the property and is the more gentle of the two. It’s a relaxing low intermediate run from top to bottom with only one real pitch of any real consequence. Wissahickon has a bit more pitch, but is still on the easier end of the intermediate spectrum. The three parrallel black diamond runs (Chippewa, Tecumseh, and Wyalusing) are the steepest runs on this side of the hill. All three teeter on the edge of the blue/black desigation. In good conditions, confident intermediates will probably find these three runs to be a good, but doable test.

Elk Mountain’s other three intermediate trails are accessible from the Tioga trail. A series of three possible left turns bring skiers onto, in order from uphill to downhill, Tioga Spur, Lower Tunkhannock or Lackawanna Spur. Lower Tunkhannock is the best open blue slope on the mountain and is the only real opportunity to carve big gs turns on a moderate pitch.