Skip to content

Top Navigation

Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure
  • Trip Inspiration
  • Travel Guides
  • Plan Your Trip
  • World's Best
  • Destination of the Year
  • A-List Travel Advisors
  • Cruises
  • Travel Tips
  • News
  • Food + Drink
  • Travel Accessories
  • Check-In

Profile Menu

Join Now

Account

  • Join Now
  • My Profile
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Join T+L Club this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Help
  • Logout
My Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • My Profile
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Join T+L Club this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Help
  • Logout
Login
Subscribe
Book Now
Pin FB

Explore Travel + Leisure

Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure
  • Explore

    Explore

    • World's Best

      World's Best

      The greatest islands, cities, hotels, cruise lines, airports, and more — as voted by you. Read More
    • The 50 Best Places to Travel in 2022

      The 50 Best Places to Travel in 2022

      Whether you're traveling solo or planning a family vacation, here are the 50 best places to visit in 2022. Read More
    • Let's Go Together Podcast

      Let's Go Together Podcast

      Start listening to T+L's brand new podcast, Let's Go Together! Hosted by Kellee Edwards. Read More
  • Trip Inspiration

    Trip Inspiration

    • Trip Ideas
    • Weekend Getaways
    • Spring Travel
    • Summer Travel
    • Fall Travel
    • Winter Travel
    • Solo Travel
    • Romantic Getaways
    • Luxury Travel
    • Beach Vacations
    • Adventure Travel
    • Road Trips
    • Family Travel
    • National Parks
    • Holiday Travel
    • Travel Photography
    • Photo of the Day
    • Culture + Design
    • Like a Local
    • Travel To
    • 50 Years of Travel + Leisure
  • Travel Guides

    Travel Guides

    See All Travel Guides
    • Mexico City
    • Maui
    • Charleston
    • Tulum
    • New York City
    • London
    • Paris
    • Iceland
    • Los Cabos
    • See More Travel Guides
  • Plan Your Trip

    Plan Your Trip

    Norwegian Cruise Line Will Require Vaccinations for All Passengers and Crew

    Norwegian Cruise Line Will Require Vaccinations for All Passengers and Crew

    Norwegian Cruise Line hopes to resume sailing out of the U.S. on or around July 4.
    • Travel Deals
    • Attractions
    • Travel + Leisure GO
    • Amusement Parks
    • Festivals + Events
    • Bus and Train Travel
    • Flight Deals
    • Budget Travel
    • Hotels + Resorts
    • Disney Vacations
    • Airlines + Airports
    • Ground Transportation
    • Get Outside
    • Wanderlust
  • World's Best

    World's Best

    • Top Hotels
    • Top Cities
    • Top Islands
    • Domestic Airlines
    • International Airlines
    • Tours
    • Safaris
    • See All World's Best
  • Destination of the Year
  • A-List Travel Advisors
  • Cruises

    Cruises

    • Find A Cruise
    • Caribbean Cruises
    • River Cruises
    • European Cruises
    • All-Inclusive Cruises
    • Family Cruises
    • Alaskan Cruises
    • Disney Cruises
    • See All Cruise Vacations
  • Travel Tips

    Travel Tips

    • Travel Trends
    • Packing Tips
    • Points + Miles
    • Budgeting + Currency
    • Customs + Immigration
    • Responsible Travel
    • Travel Etiquette
    • Travel Warnings
    • Weather
    • Mobile Apps
    • See All Travel Tips
  • News

    News

    • Wellness
    • Celebrity Travel
    • Animals
    • Jobs
    • Offbeat
    • See All News
  • Food + Drink

    Food + Drink

    • Restaurants
    • Wine
    • Beer
    • Cocktails + Spirits
    • Bars + Clubs
    • Celebrity Chefs
    • Cooking + Entertaining
    • Food Fairs + Festivals
    • World's Best Restaurants
    • A Spirited Occasion
    • See All Food + Drink
  • Travel Accessories

    Travel Accessories

    • Travel Bags
    • Shoes
    • Travel Tech
    • Shopping
    • Style
    • Gift Guides
    • See All Travel Accessories
  • Check-In

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Join Now

Account

  • Join Now
  • My Profile
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Join T+L Club this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Help
  • Logout
My Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • My Profile
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Join T+L Club this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Help
  • Logout
Login
Sweepstakes
Book Now

Follow Us

  1. Home
  2. Trip Ideas
  3. America's Best Ski Towns
Travel To Logo

America's Best Ski Towns

By Kayleigh Kulp and Elizabeth Rhodes Updated September 23, 2021
Skip gallery slides
Pin
People Enjoying Day on the Slopes
Credit: Doug Bennett/Getty Images

Whether you're looking for challenging terrain, a buzzy après-ski scene, luxury ski lodges, or plenty to do on and off the slopes, America's many ski towns offer something for every traveler. You don't have to be an advanced skier to enjoy the cozy atmosphere and postcard-perfect views at these winter vacation destinations. 

From the famed Colorado mountains to the Northeast's charming spots, we've rounded up a range of small towns located near ski areas and big-time ski destinations that everyone should visit at least once. Here are 11 of the best ski towns in the U.S. 

Related: More ski trip ideas

Start Slideshow

1 of 11

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Park City, Utah

Ski slopes, lodges, lifts and hotels of Park City Resort Center a year round recreational area in the Wasatch Mountains of northern Utah
Credit: Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Hundreds of thousands of visitors descend on Park City each year, whose Main Street still has the rugged good looks of a 19th-century western mining town. It puts skiers within easy reach of mountain resorts (including Deer Valley Resort and Park City Mountain), hosts the Sundance Film Festival, and has become a culinary hotbed. The ski-in High West Saloon offers flights of their whiskeys alongside dishes infused with the spirits. Luxury hotels include the Waldorf Astoria Park City, Stein Eriksen Lodge, and Montage Deer Valley. 

1 of 11

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 11

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Taos, New Mexico

Skiers and snowboarders at the base of Taos, New Mexico ski resort
Credit: Getty Images

At the turn of the 20th century, artists Bert Phillips and Ernest Blumenschein stopped to have a broken wagon wheel replaced in Taos and decided to stay. Then socialite Mabel Dodge Luhan brought well-known artists like Ansel Adams, Willa Cather, and Georgia O'Keeffe, who fell for the drama of this desert town surrounded by the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The art colony spirit lives on in Taos, where the walkable downtown is rife with art galleries and adobe inns. After a day out skiing, retreat to El Monte Sagrado, where treatments include massages and astrological birth chart readings. 

2 of 11

3 of 11

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Bend, Oregon

People Enjoying Day on the Slopes
Credit: Doug Bennett/Getty Images

Beer and snow go hand in hand in this town, which has over two dozen breweries along the Bend Ale Trail. The compact historic downtown fits an impressive number of breweries (of course), restaurants, and boutiques. And while Bend receives less than 12 inches of rain annually, Mt. Bachelor — under 30 minutes away by car — gets an average of more than 400 inches of snow. The ski area has 101 runs over 4,300 skiable acres. 

3 of 11

Advertisement

4 of 11

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Telluride, Colorado

The San Juan Mountains and Mountain Village, Telluride, Colorado
Credit: Getty Images

This former mining town lies in a box canyon, surrounded on three sides by 14,000-foot peaks, so few places can rival its natural beauty or solitude (the town is home to just a couple thousand residents). A free, scenic gondola links Telluride to the neighboring Mountain Village, and Telluride Ski Resort itself counts 148 trails, multiple terrain parks, and an average annual snowfall of 280 inches. 

4 of 11

5 of 11

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Ketchum, Idaho

Skiers on a mountain
Credit: Getty Images

The artsy town of Ketchum is about one and a half miles from Sun Valley Resort, built in 1936. The ski resort has 121 runs across more than 2,000 skiable acres, ranging from easy to expert-only. Plus, there's year-round ice skating at indoor and outdoor rinks. After a day on the slopes, grab some hot cocoa and look up — Ketchum and Sun Valley are located within the Central Idaho Dark Sky Reserve, so they offer some incredible stargazing. 

5 of 11

6 of 11

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Stowe, Vermont

Views of the bucolic village of Stowe, as seen on March 1, 2020 in Stowe, Vermont.
Credit: Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images

A church steeple rises over this quaint colonial town chartered in 1763 amid the Green Mountains. Vermont's highest peak, Mount Mansfield, is here, as are both double black diamond trails and plenty of beginner runs. Aside from skiing several distinctive areas at Stowe Mountain Resort, there are simple pleasures like the Ben & Jerry's ice cream plant and old-fashioned Shaw's General Store. If you're in the mood, splurge on a stay at Topnotch Resort, where a CBD massage caps off a day on the slopes.

6 of 11

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 11

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Breckenridge, Colorado

Breckenridge, Colorado in winter at dusk.
Credit: Sean Pavone/Getty Images

Colorado's largest historic district is in Breckenridge, which was settled during the 1859 Gold Rush. But it wasn't until the 1960s that Western-movie-set-like "Breck" got its first ski runs. The free Summit Stage bus service to Copper Mountain and Keystone makes it easy to hop between mountains, so you can ski lots of terrain during your trip. To get going on snowshoe and cross-country ski trails, turn to the Breckenridge Nordic Center. Breck, like many great ski towns, has a namesake brewery and distillery, plus the Gold Pan Saloon (with the longest continuous liquor license west of the Mississippi). 

7 of 11

8 of 11

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Jackson, Wyoming

Rear view of skiers walking on field against snowcapped mountain
Credit: Getty Images

Jackson Hole's namesake ski resort in Teton Village features terrain for all levels and plenty of other snowy outdoor activities, plus convenient, upscale digs like the Four Seasons Resort and Residences Jackson Hole. But Jackson, a half hour from the village and Jackson Hole Airport, is marvelous in its own right — and still the kind of town where "dressed up" generally means jeans. Plus, it's just a short drive from Grand Teton National Park. 

8 of 11

9 of 11

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

North Conway, New Hampshire

Female in red skis down Baldface Mountain, NH on a cold morning.
Credit: Getty Images/Cavan Images RF

Located amid the White Mountain National Forest, North Conway makes a striking statement with its pastel-colored Victorian architecture. It's within a half hour of more than 10 ski resorts and cross-country centers with hundreds of trails. Take a ride on the Mount Washington Cog Railway for scenic views of the surrounding mountains.  

9 of 11

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 11

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Vail, Colorado

Empty ski lift by snowy evergreen tree in Vail, Colorado
Credit: Raisa Nastukova/Getty Images

One of the nation's most famous ski destinations, Vail offers world-class skiing at Vail Ski Resort, five-star hotels, and a lively bar and restaurant scene. Vail's charming ski villages — Vail Village and Lionshead Village — offer a picture-perfect setting at the base of the massive ski resort, where you'll find more than 5,000 acres of skiable terrain.  

10 of 11

11 of 11

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Whitefish, Montana

Two small children learning to ski
Credit: Noah Clayton/Getty Images/Tetra Images RF

Located just a short drive from Glacier National Park in Montana's Rocky Mountains, Whitefish is a nature lover's dream. Whitefish Mountain Resort, just seven miles north of the town of Whitefish, offers skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, and snowmobiling across its 3,000-plus acres of skiable terrain. The Snow bus provides free transportation between Whitefish and Whitefish Mountain Resort, making it easy to hit the slopes during the day and grab a beer at a local Whitefish brewery at night. 

11 of 11

Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

By Kayleigh Kulp and Elizabeth Rhodes

    Share the Gallery

    Pinterest Facebook
    `
    Travel To Logo
    View Series
    • The 8 Best Spas in New England to Visit This Winter
    • The 5 Best Ski Passes to Buy This Winter
    • The 10 Best Small Towns in Colorado
    • The Ultimate Après-ski Guide — From What to Wear to Where to Go
    Trending Videos
    Advertisement
    Skip slide summaries

    Everything in This Slideshow

    Advertisement

    View All

    1 of 11 Park City, Utah
    2 of 11 Taos, New Mexico
    3 of 11 Bend, Oregon
    4 of 11 Telluride, Colorado
    5 of 11 Ketchum, Idaho
    6 of 11 Stowe, Vermont
    7 of 11 Breckenridge, Colorado
    8 of 11 Jackson, Wyoming
    9 of 11 North Conway, New Hampshire
    10 of 11 Vail, Colorado
    11 of 11 Whitefish, Montana

    Share & More

    Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message
    Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure

    Magazines & More

    Learn More

    • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Content Licensing this link opens in a new tab
    • Accolades this link opens in a new tab
    • Travel + Leisure Wine this link opens in a new tab

    Connect

    Follow Us
    Subscribe to Our Newsletters
    Sign Up
    MeredithTravel + Leisure is published by Meredith Corporation under license from Travel + Leisure Co. Copyright 2022 Travel + Leisure Co. All Rights Reserved. TRAVEL + LEISURE is a registered trademark of Travel + Leisure Co., registered in the United States and other countries. Travel + Leisure magazine may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
    © Copyright Travel + Leisure. All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.travelandleisure.com

    View image

    America's Best Ski Towns
    this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.