It’s ski season, and skiers and boarders want to get out and carve on wide-open runs. It’s the best feeling in the world, like you have the mountain to yourself. For the least crowded ski resorts, head to quieter mountain areas, like the East Coast. In popular areas, skiers and boarders can find under-the-radar resorts too. Here are the Least Crowded Ski Resorts in the U.S.
Least Crowded Ski Resorts
Belleayre Mountain
Diamond Peak Ski Resort
Grand Targhee Resort
Killington Resort
Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe
Whiteface Mountain
Belleayre Mountain in New York
About 2.5 hours from New York City, Belleayre Mountain is nestled in the Catskill Park. The Catskills were set aside by the New York State Forest Preserve in 1885. Soon after, skiers began hiking up for backcountry skiing adventures.
In the late 1940s, the State of New York started construction at Belleayre Mountain. In 1949, the resort opened with New York’s first chair lift, five trails and an electrified rope tow.
It is the only resort in the Catskills that operates a gondola, the Catskill Thunder Gondola. Since the beginning, Belleayre Mountain has prioritized infrastructure improvements.
At the lifts, I waited only minutes on a Saturday in January. The only rush was predictably for the two lower lifts at 10 a.m. when everyone was suited up and heading up the mountain. Then at 1 p.m. for the lunch rush. Belleayre did an excellent job at dispersing guests across the resort.
Resort Review: Belleayre Mountain
Diamond Peak Ski Resort
The best views of Lake Tahoe are on the North Shore, with its pristine blue water of a lake that never freezes. Ringed by evergreen forests covered in glistening snow, Lake Tahoe is a winter paradise.
For travelers who enjoy the outdoors, Lake Tahoe Basin offers about a dozen ski resorts. Many of the Tahoe locals love Diamond Peak Ski Resort, especially with kids. Located in Incline Village, this resort caters to those in the know and based on the northern part of the lake.
With its convenient location in Incline, it’s an easy drive. For those staying locally, it even offers a ski shuttle. As a lesser-known resort, it doesn’t suffer from the crowded lift lines found elsewhere.
There are a few money-saving perks at Diamond Peak. Kids under 6 ski free. A shout-out to Grandma and Grandpa: take the kids skiing for free. Those over 80 get free lift passes, too.
Resort Review: Diamond Peak Ski Resort
Grand Targhee Resort in Wyoming
Grand Targhee is one of the top five powder resorts in the U.S., and an under-the-radar destination for skiers and snowboarders, especially families. On the western side of the Teton Mountains in Idaho (opposite side of Grand Teton National Park), this area is called Wydaho, since Idaho Springs is the gateway in the winter. However, a shuttle service is available from Jackson Hole.
Families and multi-gen groups dig Grand Targhee for a dedicated green area geared towards those starting out, lessons for every level, including adaptive, and a daycare for the littles. On a recent visit, the 65+ skiers loved the varied runs in the green area with all the scenic and crisp mountain air without aching joints.
For those with fresh and flexible knees, Grand Targhee’s 2,600 skiable acres offer some serious vert and lots of pow. Of its 93 runs, 70% are blue, with black and double-black runs too. Skiers and boarders will find two terrain parks (depending on conditions) with six lifts.
For those looking to branch out, Grand Targhee offers Nordic skiing, dogsledding, snowshoeing and guided Yostmark back-country skiing. The lodging fills up fast, and there’s even winter camping available. The dining runs the gamut from a food trailer to a sit-down, locally sourced restaurant serving upscale comfort food.
Grand Targhee and the Teton Valley
Killington Resort in Vermont
Located in Central Vermont, Killington Resort is the largest ski area on the East Coast, about 3 hours from Boston. Back in 1954, state officials wanted to develop a ski resort on the second-tallest peak in Vermont’s Green Mountains, Killington Peak. Known as the Beast of the East, Killington boasts the longest season in the region, with operations running most years from mid-November until May.
From its extensive web of long green runs to its variety of lodges, to on-site childcare, Killington offers extensive family-friendly offerings. It features 1,509 skiable acres, served by 21 lifts, including three gondolas, and some lifts are equipped with covers and windscreens.
Killington Resort is terraced, serviced by lifts to mid-mountain and then lifts to the peaks. Its peaks include: Killington Peak at 4,241 feet, Sowndon Mountain at 3,592 feet, Ramshead Mountain at 3,610 feet, Skye Peak at 3,800 feet and Bear Mountain at 3,262 feet. The base lodge elevation is 2,200, providing a vertical drop of 3,050 feet.
After visiting mountain resorts in seven different states, this is the most extensive network of green runs I have found. I was truly impressed with the variety and amount of long green runs that could be used to explore this resort and the lodging around it.
Resort Review: Killington Resort in Vermont
Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe
This Nevada gem boasts Lake Tahoe’s highest base on the western-facing Sierra Nevada mountains, about 45 minutes away from the glitz and the ritz of the other resorts. That means it’s the first resort to open and the last to shut down most years.
As the closest resort to Reno, powderhounds fly in at first light and ski for under 80 bucks. With specials from Hospitality Day to Two-fer Tuesday to Locals and Ladies Days, Mt Rose is a hub for those who own their gear.
Skiers and boarders will find two separate lodges, parking lots and completely different vibes. Mt. Rose doesn’t bottleneck like other Lake Tahoe resorts. It boasts 1,800 feet of vert and 1,200 skiable acres, and you can see Lake Tahoe from the Tahoe View Deck.
Families flock to its Main Lodge for the Wizard Lift, lessons and green runs, a total of 20% of the 70+ runs. With 30% blue, 40% black and 10% double-black (like its famed chutes), all types of skiers and boards are found on the mountain.
Winters Creek Lodge is the place for the slide bowl, chutes and a terrain park. It’ll be crickets if you need gear, lessons or an easy run. Mt. Rose is also lean on apres, and the resort clears out at the last lift call. Best of all, there is free parking and no need for shuttles.
Ski Resort Review: Mt Rose Ski Tahoe
Whiteface Mountain in New York
Whiteface Mountain boasts an Olympic Heritage in New York’s Adirondacks. The 1980 Lake Placid Winter Games held all its alpine events on its mountain. Driveable from NYC, skiers and boarders can get all the thrills of a ski weekend without the hassle of checking their boots.
With 3,166 feet of lift-served vert and 94 runs, Whiteface Mountain is not an East Coast bunny hill. That’s the most vertical drop east of the Rockies. Of those runs, over 75% are blue, black and double-black. In total, there are 25 miles of trails over three separate peaks. Best of all, the elevation is lower (topping out at under 5,000 feet), so hauling gear won’t leave you winded.
Whiteface Mountain isn’t managed by mega ski corp; it’s owned and operated by the Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA), a New York State public benefit corporation. It’s friendlier to your bottom line with adults walking up the window and walking away with a lift ticket for under $130. This keeps a pipeline of new skiers and boarders in its lift lines.
Guests will find all lessons and rental gear on the mountain, including adaptive. Dining runs the gamut from outdoor food trucks and waffle cabins to indoor dining areas.
Whiteface Mountain and Lake Placid
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