There are many ski areas to choose from, but what is the best one for your vacation. There are six regions to choose from, all with top-notch ski areas like Alaska/Western Canada, Pacific Northwest, Sierra Nevadas, Rocky Mountains, and the East Coast. These are some of the most popular ski areas, for several reasons including:
- Plenty of activities both on- and off-slopes.
- Consistent ranking at the top of ski magazine lists.
- Numerous ski accommodations in all styles: resorts, lodges, chateaus, villas, condos, townhomes and private homes.
- Ski deals and packages available.
- Self-contained skiers’ paradise.
Photo Credit: Sergio R. Nunez C.
Wyoming, Montana and Utah in the northern Rocky Mountains offer awesome skiing with great powder, deep chutes and bowls and plenty of backcountry skiing in these areas:
- Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, Wyoming – In Teton Village, Jackson Hole offers 2,500 acres of skiiable terrain on 2 mountains, Rendezvous and Apres Vous, 4,000-foot vertical drop, 116 named trails, 12 lifts, and 3,000 acres of backcountry skiing.
- Grand Targhee, Wyoming – At the edge of Wyoming in the Caribou/Targhee National Forest, 1 hour from Jackson Hole, Grand Targhee, which Ski Magazine ranks as one of the top 3 family resorts in the world, has 2 mountains, over 1,500 lift-served acres and 500+ acres of Snowcat Adventures, and over 500 inches annual showfall.
- Moonlight Basin, Montana – More than 2,000 skiiable acres, 92 trails, 6 lifts, 2,720-foot lift-served vertical, Moonlight Basin is Montana’s newest ski resort. In concert with local ski resorts, skiers can ski 5,512 acres and access 220+ trails on one free ticket.
- Big Sky Resort, Montana – With 150 named runs covering 85 miles on 3 separate mountains, Big Sky, located between West Yellowstone and Bozeman, offers a 4,000-foot vertical ski run at Lone Peak, 21 lifts and has been voted the favorite resort in the 2009 OnTheSnow Visitor’s Choice awards.
- Bridger Bowl Resort, Montana – Just outside Bozeman, Bridger Bowl Resort’s nonprofit community ski area offers affordable world-class skiing since the 1940s on over 2,000 acres of skiiable terrain, 2,700-foot vertical, 71 trails, 8 lifts, terrain park and 350 inches of annual snowfall.
- Whitefish Mountain, Montana – Located in northwest Montana’s Rocky Mountains, just 30 miles from Glacier National Park and partially in the Flathead National Forest, Whitefish Mountain has more than 3,000 miles of pristine skiiable terrain and plenty more in backcountry, 2,500-foot vertical and 335 inches of snow each year.
- Alta, Utah – Just 25 miles southeast of Salt Lake City International Airport, Alta, at the top of Little Cottonwood Canyon, is a skiers paradise (no snowboarding), with2,200 skiiable acres, 2,020-foot vertical drop, 116+ runs, 11 lifts and 500 inches of snow each year.
- Snowbird, Utah – One mile down canyon from Alta, Snowbird has 500 inches of annual snowfall, 2,500 skiiable acres, 3,240-foot vertical, 89 runs, 11 lifts, terrain park, and superpipe.
- Brighton Ski Resort, Utah – At the top of Big Cottonwood Canyon, Brighton has more than 500 inches annual snowfall, 1,745-foot vertical drop, 1,050 skiiable acres, 100 percent accessible by high-speed quads, 7 lifts, 3 terrain parks and 68+ runs.
- Park City Mountain Resort, Utah – Forty minutes from Salt Lake City, Park City Mountain Resort is one of the top 10 family resorts with more than 3,300 acres of skiiable terrain, 7 peaks, 9 bowls, 107 trails, 1 superpipe, 16 lifts, 4 terrain parks and 355 inches of annual snowfall.
- The Canyons, Park City, Utah – The Canyons is Utah’s largest, and one of 5 largest in the U.S. single ski and snowboard resorts, with 8 peaks, 5 bowls, 6 natural halfpipes, 2 terrain parks, 3,700 skiiable acres, 163 trails, 17 lifts, and 355 inches of snow yearly.
- Snowbasin, Utah – A short 33 miles from Salt Lake City, Snowbasin is one of the nation’s oldest continuously operating ski resorts (since 1939), with 2,800 skiiable acres, 2,959-foot vertical, 108 runs, 10 lifts and snowfall that averages 400 inches each year.
With so many resorts to choose from in the Rocky Mountains, you're sure to find the spot that's right for you and your family. Make sure you choose the perfect northern Rocky Mountain vacation rental to complete your stay!
