Iowa — It doesn’t look like much, but Fun Valley was once an important part of Iowa’s ski industry.
According to the Midwest Lost Ski Areas Project, Fun Valley operated from 1969 until 2007. It was even featured in a viral news segment from the 1990s. It closed around 2007, but the property wasn’t abandoned.
In a video by Skiers & Snowboarders of the Midwest, he captured the remains of the old ski slopes. Some of the terrain has grown in, but you still see what the old trails.
At its peak, the ski area featured 14 trails, six lifts, and a vertical drop that was smaller than Snowbird’s. The one caveat to their trail count is that they not only counted the tubing park but also the individual lanes. Attention ski industry: don’t take any notes.
Today, the site is home to a motorsports retailer and repair shop, an events center, and camping sites. Now, only three active ski areas remain in Iowa. A separate ski area closed, but now hosts skiers and tubers on a synthetic slope in the offseason.
Image/Video Credits: Skiers and Snowboarders of the Midwest, skimap.org
