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Best winter sports destinations in North America

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Whistler
Alpine Adventure, Epic Views, Year-Round Fun
8.8
Whistler's original lifts opened in 1966, financed partly by investors chasing a Winter Olympic bid. That dream finally arrived decades later when Whistler co-hosted the 2010 Winter Games. Logging and mining had shaped the valley for decades before skiing took over. Two connected mountains, Whistler and Blackcomb, now share an extensive lift network.
Highlights:
  • 🥾 Hike to Garibaldi Lake’s turquoise waters
  • 🚠 Ride the Peak 2 Peak Gondola for alpine views
  • 🎿 Ski or snowboard the legendary Whistler Blackcomb slopes
Vail
Alpine Adventure with Luxe Charm
8.3
Earl Eaton and Pete Seibert discovered Vail's back bowls while scouting terrain in the 1950s. They opened the resort in 1962 on land once used for sheep grazing. Vail grew into one of the largest single-mountain ski resorts in the country. A Tyrolean-style village built from scratch still forms the resort's base area today.
Highlights:
  • 🚡 Ride the scenic Vail Gondola for panoramic views
  • 🌺 Stroll through the colorful Betty Ford Alpine Gardens
  • ⛷️ Ski or snowboard on Vail’s renowned mountain slopes
Aspen
Rocky Mountain Glam Meets Outdoor Thrills
8.8
Silver mining built Aspen into a boomtown during the 1880s before the industry collapsed. Skiing arrived after local investors and Swiss instructors developed early lifts in the 1940s. The Tenth Mountain Division, trained nearby for WWII combat, later helped shape the ski industry. Victorian-era buildings from the mining boom still line downtown Aspen.
Highlights:
  • 🗻 Explore the scenic Maroon Bells and capture the perfect photo
  • 🚡 Ride the Silver Queen Gondola for breathtaking alpine views
  • 🎿 Ski or snowboard the iconic Aspen Mountain slopes
Breckenridge (Colorado)
Historic Mining Town Meets Ski Paradise
8.3
Prospectors founded Breckenridge during an 1859 gold rush along the Blue River. Mining shaped the town for nearly a century before skiing arrived in 1961. Victorian buildings from the mining era still line much of Breckenridge's historic Main Street. The resort later expanded across five interconnected peaks above the old mining town.
Highlights:
  • 🚠 Ride the BreckConnect Gondola for stunning mountain views
  • 🏘️ Stroll through historic Main Street and visit local boutiques
  • 🎿 Ski the world-class slopes at Breckenridge Ski Resort
Park City (Utah)
Where Olympic dreams meet culture
8.2
Mining built Park City into a boomtown during the 1870s before the mines closed. Miners' tunnels beneath the town were later repurposed as part of the ski area. Park City hosted alpine skiing during the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics. Historic Main Street buildings from the mining era still house shops and restaurants.
Highlights:
  • 🎢 Ride the thrilling Alpine Coaster at Park City Mountain
  • 🏘️ Stroll Historic Main Street’s shops, galleries, and cafes
  • 🎿 Ski or snowboard at Deer Valley Resort, world-class slopes
Sun Valley
Alpine charm meets world‑class downhill thrills
8.8
Union Pacific Railroad executive Averell Harriman built Sun Valley as a destination ski resort in 1936. Engineers there developed an early chairlift design, adapted from banana-loading equipment. Hollywood stars helped popularise the resort during its early decades of operation. Sun Valley Lodge, built for the resort's opening, still hosts guests today.
Highlights:
  • 🌅 Enjoy sunset over the Sawtooth Mountains from Brundage Peak
  • 🥾 Hike the scenic trails of White River Canyon
  • ⛷️ Explore Sun Valley ski slopes during winter season
Colorado
Rocky mountains and red rocks
9.2
Colorado's ski industry grew from mining towns that repurposed old infrastructure for winter tourism. The Tenth Mountain Division trained troops for mountain warfare near Camp Hale during WWII. Many veterans later returned to found or work at Colorado's postwar ski resorts. More than two dozen ski areas now operate across the state's mountains.
Highlights:
  • 🚗 Drive along the scenic Trail Ridge Road
  • 🎿 Ski the world-class slopes of Aspen or Vail
  • 🏞️ Hike through Rocky Mountain National Park’s alpine trails
Banff National Park
Majestic Peaks and Turquoise Lakes
9.2
Canada established Banff National Park in 1885, sparked by hot springs found by railway workers. The Canadian Pacific Railway built a grand hotel there to draw tourists. Skiing developed later on Sunshine Village and Mount Norquay starting in the 1920s. Banff Springs Hotel still anchors the townsite much as it did a century ago.
Highlights:
  • 🌊 Explore the scenic Johnston Canyon waterfalls trail
  • 🏞️ Hike to Lake Louise and admire turquoise waters
  • 🚡 Ride the Banff Gondola for spectacular mountain views
Lake Louise
Turquoise Gem of the Canadian Rockies
8.9
The Canadian Pacific Railway built a lakeside chalet at Lake Louise in the 1890s to draw tourists. Skiing developed on the surrounding slopes decades later, starting in the 1950s. Its turquoise lake, fed by glacial meltwater, sits framed by the Victoria Glacier. The Fairmont hotel still overlooks the same lakeshore view from a century ago.
Highlights:
  • 🚡 Ride the Lake Louise Gondola for panoramic alpine scenery
  • 🥾 Hike to the Lake Agnes Tea House for stunning mountain views
  • 🛶 Canoe on the iconic turquoise waters of Lake Louise
Revelstoke
Big Mountain Adventure, Small Town Soul
8.0
Revelstoke grew as a railway town after the Canadian Pacific Railway reached the valley in 1885. Avalanche control along the line became one of North America's earliest such programmes. A ski resort opened relatively recently, in 2007, built around the area's steep terrain. Its base sits where two mountain ranges converge above the historic town.
Highlights:
  • 🥾 Hike the alpine trails in Mount Revelstoke National Park
  • 🚠 Ride the gondola for sweeping Columbia Valley views
  • 🎿 Ski deep powder slopes at Revelstoke Mountain Resort
Big Sky
Adventure Awaits in Montana
7.8
Television broadcaster Chet Huntley helped found Big Sky as a ski resort in the 1970s. Montana ranchland around the resort had supported cattle grazing for generations before that. Big Sky later merged its lifts with neighbouring Moonlight Basin to form one large area. Lone Peak's tram, added decades later, now carries skiers to its summit.
Highlights:
  • 🌲 Experience zip-lining adventures over rugged terrain
  • 🥾 Hike to scenic Ousel Falls in nearby trail
  • 🎿 Ski the expansive slopes of Big Sky Resort
Mammoth Lakes
Alpine Paradise in Eastern Sierra
8.1
Dave McCoy began towing skiers up Mammoth Mountain with a rope tow in 1941. He later built the operation into one of California's largest ski resorts. Volcanic activity shaped Mammoth Mountain itself, part of a larger volcanic complex. Old mining camps from a brief 1870s gold rush still dot the surrounding area.
Highlights:
  • ♨️ Relax in the natural Hot Creek geothermal springs
  • 🪨 Hike to Devils Postpile National Monument
  • 🎿 Ski the famous slopes of Mammoth Mountain
Telluride
Breathtaking box canyon mountain paradise
8.2
Prospectors founded Telluride during an 1878 gold rush in a box canyon in the San Juans. Butch Cassidy is said to have robbed a bank there in 1889. Mining declined through the 1900s before a ski resort opened on the slopes in 1972. A free gondola now connects the historic downtown to the resort above.
Highlights:
  • 🎬 Attend the Telluride Film Festival in late summer
  • 🚡 Ride the free gondola for sweeping mountain views
  • 🎿 Ski world-class slopes at Telluride Ski Resort
Jackson Hole
Majestic cliffs frame serene river valleys
7.9
Jackson Hole opened as a ski resort in 1965, built around steep inbounds terrain. Fur trappers once used the valley as a rendezvous point in the early 1800s. The Aerial Tram, added in 1966, carries skiers up more than 4,000 vertical feet. Ranching shaped the valley for decades before the resort brought winter tourism.
Highlights:
  • 🎨 Visit the Jackson County Museum of Art
  • 🚶‍♂️ Stroll along the Illinois River Trail
  • 🏪 Explore historic downtown Jackson’s antique shops
Deer Valley
Luxury slopes and alpine elegance
8.7
Deer Valley opened in 1981 on the site of a former silver-mining operation. Its developers built the resort around a ski-only, limited-ticket luxury model uncommon at the time. Deer Valley hosted alpine and freestyle skiing events during the 2002 Winter Olympics. Groomed runs and a no-snowboarding policy have defined the resort since it opened.
Highlights:
  • 🍺 Taste craft brews at a microbrewery
  • 🎨 Explore local art galleries downtown
  • 🏞️ Hike to Deer Valley Falls in summer
Mont-Tremblant
Year-Round Adventure in Québec
7.6
Joe Ryan, an American businessman, built Mont Tremblant into a resort starting in 1938. Algonquin peoples had long considered the mountain sacred, giving it its name. The resort's original village, modelled on New England architecture, still forms its base area. Mont Tremblant later hosted World Cup skiing events on its steep eastern slopes.
Highlights:
  • 🧗‍♂️ Experience ziplining over the Laurentian forest canopy
  • 🥾 Hike scenic trails in Mont-Tremblant National Park
  • 🚠 Ride the panoramic gondola for breathtaking mountain views
Utah
Nature's dramatic red rock playground
8.2
Utah's mountains receive some of the driest, lightest snow in North America, drawing skiers for decades. Mining towns across the Wasatch Range later repurposed old infrastructure for winter tourism. Salt Lake City hosted the 2002 Winter Olympics, using resorts across the surrounding mountains. Several ski areas trace their lifts back to mining-era roads and tunnels.
Highlights:
  • 🚗 Drive the scenic Capitol Reef National Park Scenic Drive
  • 🧡 Explore the colorful hoodoos of Bryce Canyon National Park
  • 🧗‍♂️ Hike the iconic Angels Landing trail in Zion National Park
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