Overview
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Sugar Hills lay south of Grand Rapids in Itasca County, off Highway 169 near Sugar Lake. It took its name from nearby Lake Sissebakwet, a name the 1963 account translated as sugar hills.1,2
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6 events · swipe
Memories
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Lost near Sugar Hills
The closest other lost ski areas, as the crow flies.
- 1963–1998 · 12.2 mi away · MinnesotaA ski hill and lodge resort on Quadna Mountain near Hill City, Minnesota, that opened in 1963 or 1964 and ended downhill skiing in 1998.
- 1958–1970 · 61.3 mi away · MinnesotaA ski area north of Virginia, Minnesota, that opened in 1958 with Minnesota's first chairlift and closed in 1970.
- 1953–1987 · 61.3 mi away · MinnesotaA family-run ski lodge resort on Deep Lake north of Park Rapids, with a hotel and restaurant, that offered skiing from 1953 to 1987.
History
Written by aurora.ski from the 5 pages below, each sentence numbered to its sources.
Sugar Hills lay south of Grand Rapids in Itasca County, off Highway 169 near Sugar Lake. It took its name from nearby Lake Sissebakwet, a name the 1963 account translated as sugar hills. The Grand Rapids Junior Chamber of Commerce launched the project, and in December 1960 attorney Charles Skinner led New England ski area designer Sel Hannah through the thick woods to see the hills. Sugar Hills, Inc., a corporation of local businessmen, sold stock to 40 shareholders and added a $150,000 Small Business Administration loan and other funds for a $300,000 outlay. Construction began in July 1962 on Hannah's ski circus plan, with runs laid out in a loop so skiers could roam all day.1,2
By January 1963 the area was open with two T-bars, rope tows and snowmaking pipes running about a mile, and Skinner as manager. In 1971 it had a chairlift, three T-bars and eight rope tows, with lodging at its own Sugar Lodge and Sugar Towne Inn. A 1987 guide listed six lifts, two of them chairs, and 400 feet of vertical. The Midwest Lost Ski Areas Project gives 1963 to 1988 as its years.1,3,4,5
Timeline
- 1960Sel Hannah surveys the wooded hills with Charles Skinner in December1
- 1962Construction of the $300,000 ski center begins in July2
- 1963Open by January with two T-bars, rope tows and snowmaking1,3
- 1971Guide lists a chairlift, three T-bars and eight rope tows4
- 1987Listed with six lifts and a 400-foot vertical drop5
- 1988Closing year given by MWLSAP3
Sources for this history (5)
- 1Star Tribune · Grand Rapids Achieves Goal—a Major Ski Area (Ben Kern)
- 2The Duluth News Tribune · Work Begins on $300,000 Ski Center in Rapids Area
- 3Midwest Lost Ski Areas Project · Sugar Hills — Minnesota
- 4Post-Bulletin · Skiing Variety Offered in Minnesota — Post-Bulletin (Rochester), November 12, 1971, p. 14 (clipping hosted by MWLSAP)
- 5Star Tribune · Ski Minnesota
Photos
No photographs of Sugar Hills we may republish yet
Its old photos and trail maps live on the sites that collected them, and Google finds the rest.
Memories
What skiers remember of Sugar Hills, in their own words.
Facts
Location
47.1328° N · 93.6705° W · Minnesota
OpenSkiMap lists it as abandoned.
Years operated
1963–1988
Closed after the 1988 season. It stays here as part of the record of U.S. ski areas.
Its numbers
all 2all 2, in one list
Terrain contours: USGS 3D Elevation Program, public domain