The United States has more than 500 ski resorts spanning 37 states — from the massive Rockies superresorts of Colorado and Utah to the intimate hills of the Midwest and the rugged backcountry terrain of Alaska. This interactive US ski resorts map plots 544 facilities drawn from OpenStreetMap, covering downhill ski areas, Nordic centers, and snowboard parks. Use it to explore the skiing landscape near you, compare resort density by region, or plan a winter road trip.

How to Use the Ski Resorts Map

• Search: Type a resort name (e.g. “Vail”) or a city or ZIP code to jump straight to that area. Hitting Enter will geocode any location in the US.
• State filter: Use the dropdown to narrow the map to a single state. Counts in parentheses show how many resorts each state has.
• My location: Click to centre the map on your current GPS position so you can find the nearest ski area.
• Click any marker for the resort’s name, top elevation (where available), vertical drop, lift count, operating status, a Google Maps driving-directions link, and an OnTheSnow search link for snow reports.
• Basemaps: Toggle between Light (default), Topographic (useful for reading terrain), and Satellite via the layers control in the top-right corner.
• Share: The Share button copies a permalink that preserves your current zoom level, centre point, and active state filter.

Where Are America’s Ski Resorts?

Ski resorts cluster where mountains and reliable snowfall meet. The Rocky Mountain states dominate the top of the count — New York leads with 95 facilities, a reflection of its many small community hills and ski clubs across the Catskills, Adirondacks, and western regions. Colorado follows with 53 resorts, including some of the world’s most celebrated destinations: Vail, Breckenridge, Aspen, and Steamboat Springs. Minnesota ranks third with 44 resorts despite its modest terrain, owing to the sheer density of small hills that serve the Twin Cities and outstate communities. Idaho (43) and Michigan (32) round out the top five.

The pattern reflects both topography and population. The Northeast has many small, accessible ski areas within a few hours of major metro areas — essential for a region that gets consistent lake-effect and orographic snow. The mountain West has fewer but far larger resorts, with vertical drops measured in thousands of feet and terrain spanning tens of thousands of acres. States like Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, and Pennsylvania serve as the primary ski destinations for the eastern seaboard’s 50+ million residents.

America’s Top Ski States

Colorado

Colorado is the crown jewel of American skiing. With 53 mapped resorts and a statewide average base elevation above 9,000 feet, it offers the driest, lightest powder in the country — a snowpack famously described as “champagne powder.” Vail Mountain (5,317 skiable acres), Breckenridge, Beaver Creek, Keystone, and Arapahoe Basin collectively attract more than 5 million skier visits per year. Summit County alone packs four world-class mountains within 90 minutes of Denver International Airport, making Colorado the most accessible big-mountain skiing destination in North America.

Vermont

Vermont punches far above its size in skiing. With 13 mapped resorts, it anchors New England skiing with destinations like Stowe (home of the original American ski resort culture), Killington (the largest ski area in the East with 155 trails), Jay Peak (the most snowfall of any eastern resort thanks to its proximity to the St. Lawrence Valley storm track), and Sugarbush. Vermont’s ski industry generates over $1.5 billion annually for the state economy.

New Hampshire

New Hampshire’s 25 ski areas include Loon Mountain, Cannon Mountain (site of the first aerial tramway in North America, opened in 1938), Waterville Valley, and Wildcat. The state’s proximity to Boston — most resorts are under 3 hours away — makes it one of the most skied states per capita in the country. Mount Washington’s Tuckerman Ravine draws extreme skiers well into spring for steep headwall descents that require a 3.5-mile hike to access.

New York

New York’s 95 ski facilities include everything from the destination skiing of Whiteface Mountain (host of the 1980 Winter Olympics alpine events) in the Adirondacks to dozens of community hills and ski clubs across the state. Gore Mountain, Belleayre, and Hunter Mountain serve the Hudson Valley and New York City market. Lake-effect snow from Lake Ontario and Lake Erie delivers consistent natural snowfall across western and northern New York from November through March.

California

California’s 19 ski areas are concentrated in the Sierra Nevada, with Lake Tahoe as the hub. Mammoth Mountain (3,500 acres, 3,100-foot vertical drop) is the state’s largest, while Palisades Tahoe hosted the 1960 Winter Olympics and remains one of North America’s premier resorts. California skiing is defined by big vertical drops, sunny weather, and the occasional “Sierra Cement” heavy snowpack. The state’s resorts typically operate from late November through May, with Mammoth sometimes skiing into July in good snow years.

Utah

Utah markets itself as having “The Greatest Snow on Earth” — a legally trademarked phrase that reflects its exceptionally dry, light powder. The state’s 20 mapped resorts are concentrated in the Wasatch Mountains east of Salt Lake City, with most major resorts (Park City, Deer Valley, Alta, Snowbird, Solitude, Brighton) within 45 minutes of Salt Lake International Airport. Park City Mountain is the largest ski resort in the US by acreage. Utah hosted the 2002 Winter Olympics, with competition venues at Park City, Snowbasin, and Solitude.

Maine

Maine’s 27 ski areas range from Sugarloaf — New England’s second-largest ski area and the only resort in the East with above-treeline skiing — to Sunday River, Saddleback, and dozens of smaller community areas. Maine receives some of New England’s highest natural snowfall totals, and its remoteness from major metro areas preserves a less-crowded, more traditional ski culture.

Ski Resorts by Region

Rocky Mountains (CO, UT, WY, ID, MT, NM)

The Rockies host the most iconic ski destinations in North America. Colorado and Utah alone account for 73 resorts on this map, but the quality of terrain — deep powder, high vertical drops, and multi-mountain ski passes — drives a disproportionate share of the nation’s skier visits. Wyoming’s Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, with a 4,139-foot vertical drop, is the steepest major ski resort in the US. Montana’s Big Sky Resort boasts 5,850 acres of skiable terrain, the largest in the country.

Northeast (NY, VT, NH, ME, MA, CT, PA, NJ, WV)

The Northeast is home to the oldest ski culture in America — the first American ski tow opened in Woodstock, Vermont in 1934 — and to the highest density of ski areas per square mile. While vertical drops rarely exceed 2,500 feet, strong snowmaking infrastructure (nearly 100% coverage at most New England resorts) compensates for variable natural snowfall. Pennsylvania, with 28 resorts, leads the mid-Atlantic in facilities and relies almost entirely on snowmaking. West Virginia’s Snowshoe Mountain serves the mid-Atlantic and Southeast as the region’s most significant mountain ski destination.

Pacific (CA, OR, WA, AK)

Pacific skiing spans climates from the maritime snowfields of Washington’s Cascades to the sunny Sierra Nevada of California. Washington’s Crystal Mountain and Stevens Pass offer some of the most challenging terrain in the Pacific Northwest. Oregon’s Mount Hood is unique in the country for year-round skiing — Timberline Lodge operates a summer ski season on the Palmer Snowfield. Alaska’s Alyeska Resort outside Anchorage receives over 600 inches of snowfall annually and offers 304 acres of in-bounds terrain alongside unlimited backcountry access.

Midwest (MN, WI, MI, IA, OH, IL, IN)

Midwest skiing is defined by community hills, Nordic centers, and weekend family destinations rather than destination resorts. Minnesota’s 44 ski areas — the third-highest count in the nation — include Lutsen Mountains on Lake Superior’s North Shore (the largest ski area in the Midwest, 1,000 acres, 1,000-foot vertical). Michigan’s Upper Peninsula surprises visitors with challenging terrain and heavy lake-effect snow from Lakes Superior and Michigan, with Marquette Mountain and Ski Brule attracting skiers from Wisconsin and Illinois. Despite limited vertical, Midwest ski culture is deeply rooted in Scandinavian immigrant traditions that date to the late 19th century.

The US Ski Industry: Economic Scale

American skiing is a roughly $50 billion annual industry when ski resort revenues, travel, lodging, equipment, and apparel are combined. The National Ski Areas Association counts approximately 470 operating ski areas in the US, down from a peak of over 700 in the 1980s as consolidation and marginal-snow-year closures thinned the field. The surviving resorts are bigger and better-equipped than ever, with the industry investing heavily in snowmaking, high-speed lifts, and on-mountain amenities.

The US recorded approximately 60 million skier and snowboarder visits in a typical recent season (National Ski Areas Association data), with Colorado accounting for roughly 25% of all visits despite having only about 11% of the nation’s ski areas. Destination resorts — those where visitors travel more than 50 miles and stay at least one night — capture a disproportionate share of revenue through ski school, lodging, dining, and retail. Climate variability is the industry’s greatest long-term challenge: the ski season has shortened by an average of two weeks since the 1980s, and low-elevation resorts in the Northeast and Pacific Northwest face increasing pressure from warming winters.

About the Data

This map is built on OpenStreetMap data queried via the Overpass API in May 2026. OSM tags used include leisure=ski_resort, leisure=resort with sport=skiing, and landuse=winter_sports. The dataset covers downhill ski areas, Nordic/cross-country centers, snowboard parks, and ski clubs. State assignment uses the OSM addr:state tag where present, with coordinate-based lookup for facilities lacking that tag.

Elevation and vertical drop data from OSM are sparse — OSM contributors add the ele tag inconsistently, and few facilities have tagged vertical drop or lift count. For authoritative resort statistics (trail counts, acreage, lift capacity), consult each resort’s website directly or resources like OnTheSnow and the National Ski Areas Association. Status is set to “seasonal” for all resorts in this dataset as no resort-level operating-status data was available in OSM at query time.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many ski resorts are there in the United States?

The National Ski Areas Association counts approximately 470 operating ski areas in the US, with this map plotting 544 facilities from OpenStreetMap (which includes some smaller clubs and Nordic centers not counted in NSAA figures). The number has declined from a peak of over 700 in the 1980s as marginal operations consolidated or closed.

Which state has the most ski resorts?

New York leads this dataset with 95 ski facilities, reflecting its many small community hills and ski clubs. Colorado has 53 destination-quality resorts and generates by far the most skier visits of any state — roughly 12-15 million per year — despite ranking second in resort count.

What is the largest ski resort in the United States?

By skiable acreage, Park City Mountain Resort in Utah leads with approximately 7,300 acres of skiable terrain across two connected mountains. By vertical drop, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort in Wyoming tops the list at 4,139 feet. By snowfall, Alyeska Resort in Alaska receives over 600 inches annually.

Which US ski resort receives the most snowfall?

Alta, Utah typically records the highest annual snowfall of any major lower-48 resort at 500+ inches, though Alta and neighboring Snowbird occasionally record 600+ inch seasons. In Alaska, Alyeska averages over 600 inches. In the Northeast, Jay Peak in Vermont leads with 355+ inches on average thanks to its northerly location and proximity to the St. Lawrence Valley storm track.

When is ski season in the United States?

Most US ski resorts open between Thanksgiving and mid-December and close in late March or April. High-elevation Colorado resorts like Arapahoe Basin and Loveland typically ski into May or June. Mammoth Mountain in California often operates into July in good snow years. Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood, Oregon is the only continental US resort with a year-round ski program, running a summer ski camp season on its upper mountain.

What are the best ski resorts for beginners?

Deer Valley (Utah), Beaver Creek (Colorado), and Sunday River (Maine) consistently top beginner and family rankings for their gentle learning terrain, strong ski schools, and well-groomed runs. In the Midwest, resorts like Lutsen (Minnesota) and Crystal Mountain (Michigan) offer beginner-friendly programs at lower price points than destination resorts.

Do I need a car to ski in the US?

It depends on the resort. Colorado’s Breckenridge, Keystone, and Copper Mountain are served by the Epic Mountain Express shuttle from Denver International Airport. Vail and Beaver Creek are accessible by bus from Denver. In Utah, the Utah Transit Authority’s Ski Bus connects Salt Lake City to most Wasatch resorts. Most other US ski destinations require a rental car or shuttle service from the nearest regional airport.

Explore Related US Maps

• US Mountain Peaks Map — explore the 68,000+ named summits that define ski resort terrain across every state
• US National Parks Map — many of the nation’s finest backcountry ski zones sit inside National Parks and monuments
• National Forest Trails Map — National Forests surround most major ski resorts and offer extensive backcountry access
• US Campgrounds Map — find dispersed camping and established campgrounds near ski areas for budget-friendly trips
• US Scenic Byways Map — many of America’s most spectacular mountain drives lead directly to ski country