Where are the best ski destinations in the US?

There’s so much to see and do across the US throughout all seasons of the year, but during the winter months nothing beats the thrill of skiing, and you may be surprised to hear that there are more than 500 ski resorts in the US.

Whether you are traveling from Los Angeles International (LAX) or Boston Logan (BOS), the US is home to some of the best ski resorts in the world, so you are sure to find the perfect one for you.

No matter your abilities, whether you’re a pro on the slopes or a complete novice, this report reveals the best ski resorts across the US, analyzing factors such as annual snowfall, customer reviews, and the cost of a ski pass.

The Best Ski Resorts in the US for 2023/2024

Breckenridge, Colorado – Overall Ski Index Score 8.81

In the top spot is the historic mining town of Breckenridge, Colorado. In the summertime, this resort is alive with plenty of family-friendly activities, and during Fall Oktoberfest is often enjoyed. However, it is during the winter months that the resort transforms into a seasonal wonderland.

Scoring 8.81, this resort has a lot to offer with a total slope length of 153km and 284” of snowfall 2020/2021 season. The resort is also popular on Instagram with over 930,000 mentions, making it easy for you to identify grid-worthy parts of the resort before you go.

Vail, Colorado – Overall Ski Index Score 8.22

Out of the top three resorts shown, Vail has the longest length of slope at 234km and adult season passes start at the same price as those for Breckenridge at $859. Vail also saw 218” of snowfall during the 2020/2021 season. On social media, Vail isn’t as popular as the other top two resorts, however, it is still well known with 228,281 mentions on Instagram.

Park City, Utah – Overall Ski Index Score 8.16

In third place is Park City, in Utah, the only resort in the top five from outside of Colorado.

Park City is one of the country’s major destinations for skiers and has hosted the U.S. Ski Team for training camps. It is also the most Instagrammable resort on this list (1.3 million posts), and the joint biggest in terms of the length of its slopes (250km).

The Longest Ski Slopes

Park City, Utah & Big Sky, Montana – Length of Slope 250km

When it comes to sheer scale, two resorts are tied in first place, each with a total slope length of around 250km.

The first is Park City, Utah, which is the largest lift-served ski resort in the country, after being combined with the neighboring Canyons Resort via a gondola.

The other is Big Sky in Montana, which is also the second-largest ski resort in the US by acreage, with more than 5,800 acres of coverage.

The Ski Resorts with the Cheapest Season Passes

Arapahoe Basin – Adult Ski Pass From $599

The cheapest resort for an unlimited season pass for adults is the Arapahoe Basin Ski Area, with a price of $599.

A-Basin is an alpine resort in the Rocky Mountains and is of great value as it has a longer season than most, staying open until early June or sometimes, July.

The Ski Resorts with the Most Snowfall

Jackson Hole, Wyoming – Average snowfall 437”

With 437” of snow in the 2020/2021 season, Jackson Hole resort tops the list as the snowiest resort. Plenty of snow makes the destination perfect for a ski trip, or for a magical winter experience. The views of the mountains and snow-filled wonderland are perfect for the grid and according to our research, the place is pretty picture-perfect with 973,997 mentions on Instagram.

The Most Insta-Worthy Ski Resort

Park City, Utah – 1,313,970 Instagram Hashtags

When looking at popularity on Instagram we discovered that the most mentioned resort was Park City in Utah, with over 1,000,000 hashtags! This resort offers amazing landscape views of the surrounding resorts of Deer Valley and Utah Olympic Park, which held the 2002 Winter Olympics. The scenery makes for awesome pictures so it’s no surprise that Park City made the first position.

The Most In-Demand Ski Resorts

Heavenly, California – 823,000 Avg. Monthly Searches

Heavenly Ski Resort in California takes the top spot when it comes to average monthly Google searches, with a total of 823,000. 246,000 of these searches come from the US alone and perhaps it’s no wonder; with breathtaking views of Lake Tahoe, it is an incredible place to ski and simply take in the scenery.

Now you have all of the details you need to choose the best ski experience for you and your family to enjoy, we hope you have an awesome time on the slopes.

Methodology

In total 523 ski resorts in the US were refined down to 50 based on those with the highest review scores as of October 17th, 2022, according to Skiresort.info.

Each ski resort was ranked on the following factors and was given a normalized score out of 10 before creating an average overall score.

• Length of Slopes was sourced from Skiresort.info
• The number of Ski Lifts was sourced from Skiresort.info
• Adult Ski Pass Price was sourced from On the Snow. Where resort details were unavailable prices were retrieved directly from the resort website.
• Instagram Hashtags were sourced from Instagram and are based on the number of posts mentioning the resort. Instagram research was undertaken between 16/09/2022 to 19/09/2022. The mentions of resorts with generic names included more specific phrases e.g. ‘heavenlyskiresort’.
• Snowfall was sourced from On the Snow and the total snowfall for the 20/21 ski season was analyzed.