Best snow destinations in North America
Best snow destinations in North America
Deep powder mountain bowls and frozen backcountry paths in North America
North America has some of the biggest ski areas in the world, and the Rocky Mountains alone could keep a skier busy for years.
In Canada, Banff and Lake Louise combine good skiing with frozen lakes and mountain views that look almost unreal on a sunny day. Utah is famous for its dry, light powder, and many of its resorts are less than an hour from the Salt Lake City airport. Colorado has big names like Vail and Aspen, which are as much about the après-ski as the slopes. If you want snow without skis, Yellowstone in winter is quiet and full of wildlife, while the Quebec Winter Carnival fills Quebec City with ice sculptures, parades and snow slides.
Lift tickets at the large resorts can be very expensive if you buy them at the window, so a multi-resort pass or booking online ahead of time usually saves a lot.
Lists by region
Mountain in United States
Copper Mountain
The Athlete's Mountain with natural terrain
Like a well sorted bookshelf, the runs here are grouped by skill, with beginner trails on one side, intermediate runs in the middle and expert terrain on the other. The base is right beside Interstate 70 about 75 miles west of Denver, so it is an easy drive for a day of skiing.
City in United States
Aspen
Rocky Mountain Glam Meets Outdoor Thrills
A silver mining camp in the 1880s became a ski town after a chairlift opened on Aspen Mountain in 1946. Four mountains close together in the Colorado Rockies, Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk and Snowmass, have runs for every level of skier and plenty of dry powder.
Valley in United States
Jackson Hole
Majestic cliffs frame serene river valleys
Teton Village lies about 12 miles northwest of Jackson in the Teton Range. The resort there has 4,139 feet of vertical drop and about 459 inches of snow a year. Corbet's Couloir is a famously steep run. A 100-passenger tram carries skiers up the mountain.
Town in United States
Telluride
Breathtaking box canyon mountain paradise
The old mining town is at the end of a box canyon in the San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado with peaks above 13,000 feet on three sides. Skiers ride a free gondola between town and Mountain Village while Black Iron Bowl and the Gold Hill chutes have steep runs for experts.
Lake in Canada
Lake Louise
Turquoise Gem of the Canadian Rockies
Across the valley from a frozen lake, the ski area has about 4,200 acres of terrain in the Canadian Rockies, including the Back Bowls, wide open slopes with deep powder. At the lake below, skaters circle a cleared rink under Victoria Glacier while ice carvers shape sculptures during the Ice Magic Festival in January.
Town in United States
Vail
Alpine Adventure with Luxe Charm
Après ski, the social hour after the lifts close, is a daily ritual in this Tyrolean style village built in 1962 where skiers gather for hot drinks and live music. The Back Bowls, seven wide open bowls with about 3,000 acres of terrain, have light powder on the days after a storm.
Mountain in Canada
Big White
Powder paradise with ski-in/ski-out village
In the Monashee Mountains above Kelowna in interior British Columbia about 24 feet of light powder falls each winter. Skiers pass through forests of snow ghosts, trees packed with frost and snow. The village at the base is ski in and ski out so no car is needed.
Ski Resort in United States
Killington
Snowy slopes and cozy alpine charm
The hum of snow guns on cold October nights is the sound of an early start, since the ski area often opens before most others in the East. Skiers get seven mountains and more than 150 trails in the Green Mountains of Vermont with the season often running into May.
State/Prefecture in United States
Alaska
Land of superlatives and adventure
Alyeska Resort in Girdwood has about 650 inches of snow in an average winter and its slopes look out over Turnagain Arm, an inlet near Anchorage. Heli skiers fly into the Chugach Mountains near Valdez while the northern lights often glow over the snow on clear nights.
Town in United States
Mammoth Lakes
Alpine Paradise in Eastern Sierra
Ski season on Mammoth Mountain often runs from November into June and in big snow years some runs are open on the Fourth of July. The mountain is part of a volcano in the Sierra Nevada with about 400 inches of snow in an average winter.
City in Canada
Whistler
Alpine Adventure, Epic Views, Year-Round Fun
Skiers ride the Peak 2 Peak Gondola for 2.7 miles between the tops of Whistler and Blackcomb mountains. The two mountains have more than 8,000 acres of terrain and about 450 inches of snow, while the car free village at the base is lit for evening strolls.
City in United States
Park City (Utah)
Where Olympic dreams meet culture
Like a mining camp that kept its main street, the old silver town has 19th century buildings along Main Street and more than 7,000 acres of skiing on Park City Mountain. Utah Olympic Park, built for the 2002 Winter Olympics, has bobsled rides open to visitors and ski jumps still used for training.
Ski Resort in United States
Sun Valley
Alpine charm meets world‑class downhill thrills
The air is cold and dry and the sun is bright on most winter days on Bald Mountain in central Idaho, where runs drop 3,400 feet from the top. The resort was built in 1936 by the Union Pacific Railroad and had the first chairlifts in the world.
Town in Canada
Revelstoke
Big Mountain Adventure, Small Town Soul
Railway workers built the town along the Columbia River in the 1880s and a resort opened on Mount Mackenzie in 2007 with 5,620 feet of vertical drop. Snow is deep in the surrounding Selkirk Mountains each winter and many skiers join cat or heli trips into the backcountry.
National Park in Canada
Jasper National Park
Untamed Wilderness and Starry Skies
In winter Maligne Canyon, a narrow limestone gorge, has frozen waterfalls that guided walkers reach on ice cleats along the canyon floor. Skiers go to Marmot Basin for runs with views of the Rockies while the Dark Sky Preserve overhead has clear nights for stargazing and sometimes the northern lights.
City in Canada
Quebec City
Old World Charm in North America
Bonhomme Carnaval is a snowman in a red hat and arrowed sash who greets crowds at the Carnaval de Québec. The event became annual in 1955 and has drawn up to one million people. An ice palace hosts the opening and closing ceremonies. It is a big draw for this city.
Town in United States
Breckenridge (Colorado)
Historic Mining Town Meets Ski Paradise
Each January teams from around the world carve huge blocks of snow into sculptures at the International Snow Sculpture Championships. Skiers ride the Imperial lift to 12,840 feet on Peak 8 for views of the Tenmile Range while the Victorian buildings of Main Street are a short free gondola ride away.
Town in United States
Keystone (Colorado)
Rocky Mountain skiing paradise
Opened in 1970 in the Colorado Rockies, the ski area has three mountains, Dercum Mountain, North Peak and The Outback, plus lit runs for night skiing on Dercum. Families like the wide groomed trails and the pedestrian village at the base, where ice skating on Keystone Lake is a short walk away.
State/Prefecture in United States
Vermont
Green Mountains, Maple Syrup, Pure Charm
Like a holiday card come to life, the Green Mountains have red barns, covered bridges and white steepled churches in the snow. Jay Peak near the Canadian border has about 350 inches of snow in an average winter, so it is one of the snowiest ski areas in the East.
National Park in Canada
Banff National Park
Majestic Peaks and Turquoise Lakes
Powder squeaks under ski boots in the cold dry air of the Canadian Rockies while steam rises from the Banff Upper Hot Springs. Three ski areas, Sunshine Village, Lake Louise and Mount Norquay, are inside the park and Sunshine Village often has snow into May while elk wander the valley roads.
State/Prefecture in United States
Colorado
Rocky mountains and red rocks
Locals call the morning after a big storm a powder day and plan work and school around it, so the lift lines form early at ski areas from Steamboat to Wolf Creek. Wolf Creek in the south has about 430 inches of snow a year, the most in the state.
State/Prefecture in United States
New Hampshire
Mountains, lakes and coastal charm
Locals spend winter weekends ice fishing from small shacks called bobhouses on Lake Winnipesaukee while skiers head to Cannon Mountain, Loon Mountain and Wildcat in the White Mountains. Mount Washington, at 6,288 feet, is known for fierce winter winds and deep snow that lasts well into spring.
State/Prefecture in United States
Utah
Nature's dramatic red rock playground
Salt Lake City hosted the 2002 Winter Olympics and many ski areas in the Wasatch Mountains are close by. Alta averages about 545 inches of snow a year. It is also one of only three U.S. resorts that ban snowboarders. Only skiers share its slopes.
National Park in United States
Yellowstone National Park
Geysers, wildlife and untamed wilderness
Steam from geysers drifts over deep snow when guided snow coaches and snowmobiles enter the park. Yellowstone was established in 1872 and covers about 2.2 million acres. Old Faithful erupts about every 90 minutes and is one of the most popular geysers in this national park.
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