Where To Ski In New York

Loon Mountain New Hampshire

This pretty, pristine resort is surrounded by White Mountain National Forest, and is a fave of ours for skiing and embracing nature. Case in point: During our past trips to Loon and nearby Wildcat Mountain, weve encountered *actual* moose on the road. At Loon, you can enjoy 2,100 vertical feet, a wide variety of terrain and three separate peaks. The resort also allows you to explore this winter wonderland by snow tubing, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing or a thrilling zipline ride over the Pemigewasset River.

Where to stay:

Whats The Skiing Like

The beginner area is just in front of Buffalo Lodge, where you can use the magic carpet and tow to get to the top of the hill. There are two simple runs in the beginner area, Upper and Lower Zoo which will enable you to find your feet.

From there you have the run of the mountain, as there are easy runs from the top of each of the three lifts. You can start off on green and then graduate to more challenging blue runs as your confidence grows.

Thunder Ridge Ski Area

• Distance from NYC: 68 miles
• Experience Levels: All levels
• How to get there: By car, Thunder Ridge is about one hour north of NYC on I-87. For those without a car, you can get to Thunder Ridge on the Metro-North Ski Train during ski season.

Thunder Ridge Ski Area is a smaller gem of a ski resort, and it made our list for two reasons: its less than two hours from New York, and lift tickets are much cheaper compared to some of the larger, more commercial resorts. This means that skiing here is accessible and affordable to many New Yorkers, and its not hard to get to.

There are just over 20 trails, with a pretty even mix of easy, intermediate, and expert slopes. Thunder Ridge also has two beginner ski areas and a terrain park for first-timers to get some experience under their belt.

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Bristol Mountain New York

The town of Canandaigua is a lovely little year-round place in the Finger Lakes. Its wild to think you can spend summers on the lake in a pontoon boat and winters on the slopes of Bristol Mountain with views over the very same lake. Just a short ride to downtown Canandaigua, one of the best reasons to visitbesides 1,200-feet of vertical fun and trails for all ages and abilities, plus nordic trailsare the excellent restaurants and shopping in the charming town.

Where to stay:

Mohawk Mountain Cornwall Ct

3 hours away

A great option for a daily trip or short weekend getaways, Mohawk Mountain will keep beginners feeling safe and sound and excited to learn the ropes, while still offering the trail space and steep slopes to keep a more seasoned skier satisfied. From the 3,000-foot summit tower and points below, skiers and boarders can look forward to a range of difficulty and plenty of places to work on their shred game. Uphillers and snowshoers are welcome to trek too!

Mon noon-8pm, Tuesday-Thursday 10am-8pm, Friday 10am-10pm, Sat 8:30am-10pm, Sun 8:30am-4pm. Lift tickets: midweek $35, weekends $70. Equipment rental: $50, helmet $13. 75-minute group lesson: $58.

Getting there:Its roughly a three-hour trip from the city by car, with no major transport hubs along the way. Your best bet is a friend with wheels or a rental. Ample parking is available at the mountain.

Where to stay:

Save: A little ways down the road but at an unbeatable price point, pick the Days Inn Torrington to relax, unwind and enjoy free breakfast daily.

SplurgeThe Amselhaus is the perfect place to recover from a day on the slopes, with cozy beds, private entrances and a fully-equipped kitchen for every suite. Stunning views at sunrise and sunset complement the trip.

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For A Luxury Stay: Peekn Peak Resort & Spa

At Peekn Peak, every black diamond trail has a corresponding green circle trail so that everyone can get down the mountain in whichever way works best for them. Theres also a seven-lane tubing hill, four terrain parks, and excellent skiing and snowboarding instruction if youre looking to learn. But Peekn Peak is more than a ski destination, it is a resort and spa! It has a beautiful pool complex with hot tubs great for soaking sore musclescurrently open with advanced tickets to limit capacity. Take your relaxation even deeper at the spa with massage therapy, body treatments, facials, and more, by appointment only. Plus, thanks to the lake effect of Lake Erie, the area tends to get a lot of snowfall each winter. Clymer, Chautauqua-Allegheny

Best Ski Area For Beginners: Mount Peter Warwick New York

If you’re a newbie and want to dip your toes in the sport without laying out a large sum for rentals and lessons, Mount Peter offers FREE beginner lessons multiple times a day on the weekends for skiers ages 6 and older. Customizable mommy or daddy-and-me or family lessons are also available. If you’ve got a toddler or preschooler dying to be on the slopes, check out Pete’s Pals lessons for potty-trained kids ages 3-4. With all the little kid programs, it’s no wonder we consider it one of the “friendliest” mountains we’ve visited. If your kid is a seasoned skier and interested in joining a team, Mount Peter offers five different racing teams for various ages and experience levels. For 2022, tickets must be purchased ahead of time, and masks must be worn in lift lines, on lifts, and inside. The ski team program is substantially limited this season. Guests are asked to use their cars as base lodges this season to boot up. Base lodges are restricted to 50% capacity with a 30-minute per table time limit.

Nearby Campgaw is great for the littlest skiers.

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Titus Mountain Family Ski Center

Affordable family fun is what you’ll find at Titus Mountain. Located at the northern reaches of the Adirondack Mountains near the Canadian border, this smaller property is a great weekend destination. A decent vertical drop of 1,200 feet spread across three mountains and 50 trails ensures plenty of skiing and snowboarding for everyone in your group.

One of the most popular family activities at Titus Mountain Family Ski Center is snow tubing. There’s nothing quite like sliding down an icy chute on a round piece of rubber to elicit shrieks of laughter.

Titus is also a hot spot for boarders and freestylers. The Moon Valley terrain parks have all the usual features of humps, jumps, rails, boxes, and jibs.

Many of the skiers are from Canada since the border is only a short distance away, and the ski hill frequently offers Canadian dollars at par.

How Did We Order This List

To help rank our top selection of ski resorts for this list we compared the following ranking factors:

We gave each factor its own weighting depending on how important we feel it is for family fun across all ages. For example, a resort with more beginner trails is higher ranked than a resort with a lower-priced family ticket with all else being equal. Thats because while cost is a factor, its not a primary one. We may also use our editorial judgment to remove or add resorts that we believe should make the list.

When taking all of this into account, it gives us our awesome list above. We hope it was helpful in planning your next family ski vacation.

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For Thrills: Catamount Mountain Resort

Okay thrill-seekers, this ones for you! Catamount Mountain Resort has some of the most diverse and challenging slopes around, including a 1,000-foot vertical drop. Even though its particularly loved by experienced skiers, beginners will find lots of long runs that they can conquer. Plus, several of the trails take you through the woods for a lovely change of scenery. Come here if youre looking for a challenge! Hillsdale, Hudson Valley

Best Ski School: Windham Mountain Windham New York

Your kids will be in good hands at Windham’s Children’s Learning Center, which provides lessons for ages 3-14. Children ages 2-6 can be dropped off at the center for half- or full-day supervision, too, while you freely explore the 54 trails. Windham is a family-friendly resort with exceptional amenities, including an adventure park, full-service ski shop, multiple dining facilities, and nearby lodging. It’s a welcoming choice for a weekend getaway. Masks are required for indoor settings in 2022 and proof of vaccine is required for guests entering the spa. Group lessons are available for kids 3-12. Lodge capacity has been cut in half.

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For Beginners: Bristol Mountain

Bristol Mountain in the Finger Lakes is a fantastic destination if youre new to skiing or havent had many opportunities to try it. Of the 138 acres of skiable terrain, Bristol’s 38 trails break out into 32% beginner, 50% intermediate, and 18% advanced level. Almost every trail also features lights for night skiing. So even if youre still figuring out how to make pizza vs. french fries with your skis, Bristol has plenty of fun options for newbies. Best of all, it has state-of-the-art snowmaking technology, so when the weather doesnt cooperate with your skiing plans, Bristol has you covered. Canandaigua, Finger Lakes

Skiing In New York State

In the list of the best ski resorts in New York State, the ski resort Whiteface Lake Placid is top with 3.7 out of 5 stars. The largest ski resorts offer up to 58 kilometres of slopes . The highest ski resorts for skiing in New York State extend up to an altitude of 1,340 metres . And our tip for the best value for money is the ski resort Titus Mountain.

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Greek Peak Mountain Resort Ny

And last, on our list of ski resorts in New York, its Greek Peak Mountain Resort. This place is one of the most family-friendly options for ski resorts in New York, so if youre looking for a great ski resort for a family weekend away, then this is a perfect pick! There are 56 trails at Greek Peak Mountain Resort, and a focus on beginner trails and great learning facilities.

The Best Ski Resorts In Upstate New York

Skiing in Upstate New York is magical. There are two major mountain ranges that dominate much of the landscape, the Catskill Mountains and the Adirondack Mountains. But the best Upstate New York ski resorts arent limited to just these two regions. The Finger Lakes region also has some popular New York State ski resorts that many families rave about.

Each of the New York State ski regions offers something special for your family ski vacation. Here is a quick breakdown of what makes each one unique.

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Windham Mountain Windham Ny

2 hours awayOpen to season pass holders late November, others welcome starting early December, tickets must be purchased in advanceThis Catskills ski area offers Friday and Saturday night-skiing until 9pm on eight of its 49 trails, ensuring that you’ll spend less time traveling to the mountain and more time on it. While terrain ranges from 12 novice-appropriate trails to seven satisfyingly steep double-black runs, nearly half the runs are rated intermediate, making the mountain a great place for those who know what they’re doing but want to avoid frequent face-plants. The mountain also offers ice skating, snowboarding, tubing, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and more. MonFri 9am4pm Sat & Sun 8am4pm. Lift tickets: Starting at $71 per day. Equipment rental: starting at $65. 105-minute group lesson $99-325.

Getting there:There are several bus packages available through Windham , including Island Ski Tours’ Windham Shuttle, which departs from the Grand Hyatt Hotel next to Grand Central Terminal, and Urban Sherpa Travel, which picks up both in downtown and uptown Manhattan.

Where to stay:Save: Rooms at the budget-friendly Cave Mountain Motel have a lived-in, country-cabin appeal. A basic complimentary Continental breakfast served each morning by the kitchen’s wood-burning stove only sweetens the deal.

Where to stay:

2 hours awayOpens the second week of December, weather-permitting

Where to stay:

Save: Retire from your day on the mountain in the Holiday Inn .

Best Ski Area Via Public Transportation: Thunder Ridge Patterson New York

If you thought not having a car would limit your wintertime recreation to exploring the city’s best sledding hills, think again. Thunder Ridge is accessible via Metro-North’s Harlem Line. The shuttle is waiting on weekends and holidays, but midweek skiers can call the resort upon arrival at the station for an on-demand ride the resort is only a mile away. Purchase the Thunder Ski Package to get a discounted round-trip train ticket and lift ticket. There’s a free shuttle from the train station that takes you to the resort. It runs at 9am, 11am, and 3pm.

All photos courtesy of the resorts. This article, originally published in December 2008, is updated annually.

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For Family Skiing: Plattekill Ski Mountain

If you want to introduce the little ones to skiing, the family-owned Plattekill is the perfect place. They offer fantastic ski programs for kids that are broken out into five different levels depending on their skill and comfort. They even have a SNOWKIDDING program for kids ages 46 which turns skiing fundamentals into fun games. Your child will receive one-on-one attention from quality instructors at every level and the staff is widely known to be warm and friendly. Roxbury, Catskills

Catamount Mountain Ski Resort

Located in the Berkshires, right on the Massachusetts border, Catamount is a smaller property with a 1,000-foot of vertical drop. One-third of the trails at this resort are rated as beginner, making is a favorite with families.

Catamount is a great place to learn how to ski, but lots of terrain exists for those looking for cruisers. Catamount is also noted for its double black diamond-rated Catapult run, one of the steepest ski runs in the entire Northeast.

The resort also has two terrain parks and a progression park to provide all the challenges you’re looking for. For 2020/2021, you’ll likely find the runs with even more wonderful corduroy to slide around on. The reason for this is the addition of a brand new groomer to the mountain’s stable of equipment.

Catamount is part of the Indy Pass program.

Official site:

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Explore New York Ski Resort Statistics:

All New York Ski Resort Statistics are current as of 2017.

Both ISkiNy.com and NYSkiBlog.com are excellent resources on skiing and riding in New York. Do you think you can ski at all of these ski areas? Have fun and stay safe out there!

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Dry Hill Ski Area Watertown Ny

Next up on our list of ski resorts in New York, its the Dry Hill Ski Area. This is a pretty small option for ski resorts in New York, but its small and charming. There are 12 trails here, and whilst its not the kind of ski resort youd spend days visiting, its a perfect choice for a day trip, if you fancy a day on the slopes.

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Windham Mountain Windham New York

In the Catskills, a two-hour drive from the city, Windham Mountain’s 1,600-foot vertical drop encompasses a terrain so varied that it allows for seven double-black diamond trails for experts, along with a dozen gentle runs for beginners and almost half of the 54 trails for intermediates. Boarders can ride at six separate terrain parks with more than 80 jumps, rails, pipes, and boxes, plus an inflatable Air Bag for practicing jumps.

Nearly all the 285 skiable acres – the most of any resort in this list – is covered by snowmaking, which has been enhanced in the past two years by major investments in equipment. Lighting extends the ski day on Friday and Saturday nights. Or extend the day right from the start with the First Tracks program that allows you to ski with a guide in the morning before the lifts open to the public. The multi-lane tubing park is open until 8pm on Friday and Saturday, and the resort offers ice-skating and cross-country skiing.

Hotel rooms and condos at the Winwood Inn include the free shuttle to the ski area.

Address: 19 Resort Drive, Windham, New York