In a Consumers Power brochure from about 1959, this area is described as being 4 miles south of the intersection of M-55 and US-27 and 1.5 miles west of US-27. It had 16 runs, 9 rope tows, instruction, snowmaking and a lodge with rentals, ski shop and snack bar. On Dec. 24, 1959, The Luddington Daily News listed the Houghton Lake Snow Bowl with a 4 to 6″ base and fair to good skiing. On Feb. 10, 1961, the same paper had them with 3″ fresh powder over a 4″ base with good skiing. On Jan. 4, 1968, The Cass City Chronicle printed the AAA Guide to Winter Sports Fun in Michigan which listed Snow Bowl with 27 runs, 13 tows, and snowmaking.
Memorialized by Snow Bowl Road, which crosses US-27 south of Houghton Lake, the area seems to have been on a ridge of small hills at the south end of a small lake. On the satellite, I cannot identify the remains of any trails; strange for an area that apparently had this many.
If you have any information about skiing at Snow Bowl, please post it or follow the instructions on the About page to send it to us.
Here are the coords for Snow Bowl – Houghton Lake
44°16’18.01″N, 84°50’3.84″W notice how the surrounding roads are Bowlin &
Snowbowl Rd. on Google Earth. I have other coords for ski areas & old brochures on
some of the ski areas you have listed, I’ll be glad to share those later!!
Really nice website, happy to see someone else interested in Midwest Lost ski areas.
I have worked at some of those midwest ski areas – very fond memories!!
Thanks for the info. I’ll look forward to seeing your brochures.
I know the area very well; we had a cabin on the Muskegon River back in the 60′s thru 2008. I grew up there as a kid and it was a great area for dirt biking and the the ski lodge was abandoned. It was an awesome place for hill climbing and riding. The place was packed on weekends and especially holiday weekends I know the place is all fenced off now, looks like it’s been sold off. I have a lot of great memories spendind time there with my dad.
Howdy,
Spent most of my Summers at my grandparents cabin in Prudenville. In the mid to later 60s, long before I knew what skiing was, my Dad got a gig painting the outside of the Snow Bowl lodge. Although pretty young I remember my grandpa coming down his ladder like a rabid raccoon covered in Yellow Jackets.
Skiing had a pretty big competitor just hitting stride at Houghton Lake, Snow Mobiles ruled the frozen waves of Michigans big inland lake for years to come.
Brad”Hoser” Miller
PSIA-C alpine ed staff
Coach TC Central