Best winter vacations in the US (2026-27)

1. 1. Yellowstone National Park in winter Wyoming and Montana

   Best for wildlife and geysers in the snow

   Most park roads close to cars in winter and open only to snowmobiles and snowcoaches from mid-December to mid-March. The road from the North Entrance at Gardiner to the Northeast Entrance stays open to cars all year, passing Mammoth Hot Springs and Lamar Valley. Two lodges stay open in winter, Old Faithful Snow Lodge and Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel.

   • • Snowcoach or snowmobile tour: guided winter tours run to Old Faithful and other sites.
   • • Lamar Valley drive: the North to Northeast Entrance road stays open to cars all year.
   • • Old Faithful Snow Lodge: you can reach it in winter only by commercial snowcoach or snowmobile.
   • • Wildlife watching: expect bison on the roads, and stay 100 yards from bears, wolves and cougars and 25 yards from other animals.

   When to go

   Mid-December to mid-March. The 2025-26 winter season began December 15, 2025.

   Getting there

   BZN (Bozeman). Yellowstone Airport (WYS) in West Yellowstone has commercial service only from June through September.

   Snow next 7 days

   0.1" at Big Sky

   Hotels in West Yellowstone ↗ Condos and houses ↗ Big Sky snow report

2. 2. Jackson Hole Wyoming

   Best for elk herds, steep skiing and a cowboy town square

   The National Elk Refuge borders the town of Jackson and holds an average of 7,500 elk each winter. Horse-drawn sleigh rides take visitors out among the herd. Jackson Hole Mountain Resort is 12 miles north of town, and Snow King, the first ski area in Jackson, rises right above it.

   • • Sleigh ride on the National Elk Refuge: run by the concessionaire Double H Bar. The 2025-26 season ran December 20 to April 4.
   • • Town Square: walk under four arches built from more than 8,000 elk antlers.
   • • Ski Jackson Hole Mountain Resort: 12 miles north of Jackson.
   • • Ski Snow King: established in 1930 as Jackson's first ski area, at the edge of town.

   When to go

   Sleigh rides on the elk refuge run from late December to early April (2025-26 season: December 20 to April 4).

   Getting there

   JAC (Jackson Hole Airport). It is seven miles north of Jackson and the only commercial airport in the US inside a national park.

   Snow next 7 days

   0.0" at Jackson Hole

   Things to do in Jackson Hole in winter →

   Hotels in Jackson ↗ Condos and houses ↗ Jackson Hole snow report

3. 3. Lake Placid New York

   Best for Olympic history and a frozen lake in the Adirondacks

   Lake Placid hosted the Winter Olympics twice, in 1932 and 1980. The 1980 Games brought the 'Miracle on Ice', when the US hockey team beat the Soviet Union 4 to 3. Mirror Lake sits at the edge of the village and freezes over for skating, pond hockey and a toboggan chute.

   • • Toboggan chute: a 30-foot converted ski jump trestle sends sleds 1,000 feet or more across frozen Mirror Lake. It needs at least 12 inches of ice, which may not come until early February.
   • • Skating on Mirror Lake: the ice is free and open to the public around the clock when conditions allow.
   • • Pond hockey: a tournament is held on Mirror Lake each February.
   • • Ski Whiteface: about 13 miles away in Wilmington.

   When to go

   The toboggan chute often opens around the first week of February, once Mirror Lake has 12 inches of ice.

   Getting there

   SLK (Adirondack Regional Airport, near Saranac Lake). Cape Air flies there from Boston and New York JFK.

   Snow next 7 days

   12.9" at Whiteface

   Hotels in Lake Placid ↗ Condos and houses ↗ Whiteface snow report

4. 4. Leavenworth Washington

   Best for a Bavarian-style village under holiday lights

   Leavenworth was a struggling logging and railroad town until 1962, when a civic project began to remake it as a Bavarian village. Its Village of Lights festival runs on weekends from Thanksgiving to Christmas Eve, and the lights stay up through Valentine's Day. The Cascades around town offer Nordic trails, sledding, tubing and sleigh rides.

   • • Village of Lights: the 2026 festival runs November 27 to December 24.
   • • Nordic skiing: groomed trails at Icicle River, the golf course, Leavenworth Ski Hill and Plain Valley.
   • • Leavenworth Ski Hill: tubing park, two rope tows, a historic lodge, and about 7 km of Nordic track with 5 km lit for night skiing.
   • • Sledding: the Leavenworth Golf Course opens its slopes to sledders once there is enough snow.
   • • Sleigh rides: horse-drawn rides run from outfitters just outside town.

   When to go

   Late November through February. Festival dates are November 27 to December 24, 2026, and the lights stay up through Valentine's Day.

   Getting there

   EAT (Pangborn Memorial Airport, four miles east of Wenatchee), with Alaska Airlines service to Seattle. Drivers from the west cross Stevens Pass, which can require chains or traction tires in storms.

   Snow next 7 days

   14.4" at Stevens Pass

   Hotels in Leavenworth ↗ Condos and houses ↗ Stevens Pass snow report

5. 5. Sun Valley and Ketchum Idaho

   Best for classic ski resort glamour and outdoor skating

   Union Pacific Railroad chairman W. Averell Harriman built Sun Valley, and its lodge opened on December 21, 1936. The world's first chairlifts were installed on its Proctor and Dollar mountains that same fall. The outdoor rink at Sun Valley Lodge is one of the few year-round outdoor ice rinks in the country.

   • • Ski Bald Mountain: 13 chairlifts and 65 runs.
   • • Ice skating: the outdoor rink outside Sun Valley Lodge looks out at Bald Mountain, and skates are for rent.
   • • Walk Ketchum: by 1920 it was the largest sheep-shipping center in the West.
   • • Hemingway history: Ernest Hemingway lived near Ketchum and is buried in the Ketchum Cemetery.

   When to go

   Ski season. No month-by-month source checked.

   Getting there

   SUN (Friedman Memorial Airport in Hailey), about 15 miles south of Ketchum. Delta, United, Alaska and American serve it, some routes seasonal.

   Snow next 7 days

   0.0" at Sun Valley

   Hotels in Sun Valley ↗ Condos and houses ↗ Sun Valley snow report

6. 6. Fairbanks for the northern lights Alaska

   Best for seeing the aurora borealis

   Fairbanks sits under the auroral oval, a ring-shaped zone over the far north where aurora activity is concentrated. Explore Fairbanks says the aurora is visible on an average of four out of five nights when the sky is clear and dark. Visitors who stay at least three nights and go out in the late evening can push their odds above 90 percent.

   • • Aurora viewing: go out in the late evening, and stay three nights or more for the best odds.
   • • Dog sled ride: some tours combine mushing with aurora viewing.
   • • World Ice Art Championships: held in Fairbanks since 1991, from mid-February into March.
   • • Chena Hot Springs: 56.5 miles northeast of Fairbanks, with the year-round Aurora Ice Museum.

   When to go

   Aurora season runs August 21 to April 21. The ice art championships run from mid-February into March.

   Getting there

   FAI (Fairbanks International Airport), three miles southwest of downtown.

   Hotels in Fairbanks ↗ Condos and houses ↗

7. 7. Taos New Mexico

   Best for high desert culture plus big mountain skiing

   Taos Pueblo, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has been lived in for nearly a thousand years. The town grew into an art colony, and six painters formed the Taos Society of Artists in 1915. Taos Ski Valley sits 19 miles away, with a summit of 12,481 feet.

   • • Ski Taos Ski Valley: base at 9,200 feet, summit at 12,481 feet, founded by Ernie and Rhoda Blake in 1955.
   • • Taos Pueblo: a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1992.
   • • Taos Plaza: the heart of the Taos Downtown Historic District.
   • • Rio Grande Gorge Bridge: carries US 64 over the gorge just west of town.

   When to go

   Ski season. No month-by-month source checked.

   Getting there

   TSM (Taos Regional Airport), eight nautical miles northwest of town, with limited Contour and JSX flights. Santa Fe (SAF) is the next option.

   Snow next 7 days

   0.0" at Taos Ski Valley

   Hotels in Taos ↗ Condos and houses ↗ Taos Ski Valley snow report

8. 8. Santa Fe New Mexico

   Best for adobe streets, farolitos and a ski hill near town

   Santa Fe was founded in 1610 and is the oldest state capital in the US. It is also the highest state capital. On Christmas Eve, thousands of farolitos (paper bags holding sand and a candle) line Canyon Road for a walk that began in the 1970s.

   • • Canyon Road Farolito Walk: Christmas Eve from about sunset. It is free and needs no reservation.
   • • Canyon Road galleries: the street is known for its many art and craft galleries.
   • • Santa Fe Plaza and the Palace of the Governors: the original seat of New Mexico's government.
   • • Ski Santa Fe: about 16 miles from the city, with a base at 10,350 feet and 88 trails.

   When to go

   December for the Christmas Eve farolito walk. Expect temperatures below freezing by evening.

   Getting there

   SAF (Santa Fe Regional Airport), 10 miles southwest of the city center, with American Eagle and United Express flights.

   Snow next 7 days

   0.0" at Ski Santa Fe

   Hotels in Santa Fe ↗ Condos and houses ↗ Ski Santa Fe snow report

9. 9. Lake Tahoe California and Nevada

   Best for skiing above a giant alpine lake

   Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake in North America and the second deepest lake in the US, at 1,645 feet. The state line splits it, with two-thirds in California and one-third in Nevada. Ski resorts ring the lake, and Olympic Valley hosted the 1960 Winter Olympics.

   • • Ski Heavenly: it straddles the California and Nevada border, tops out at 10,067 feet, and has a gondola from Heavenly Village.
   • • Ski Palisades Tahoe: in Olympic Valley, site of the 1960 Winter Olympics.
   • • Donner Memorial State Park: at the east end of Donner Lake near Truckee, where the Donner Party was snowbound in 1846.

   When to go

   Ski season. No month-by-month source checked.

   Getting there

   RNO (Reno-Tahoe International Airport), three miles southeast of downtown Reno.

   Snow next 7 days

   0.0" at Palisades Tahoe

   Things to do in Lake Tahoe in winter →

   Hotels in South Lake Tahoe ↗ Condos and houses ↗ Palisades Tahoe snow report

10. 10. Breckenridge Colorado

    Best for a gold rush town with winter festivals

    Breckenridge was founded in 1859 as a gold mining camp. Its historic district has 249 structures and is one of the largest in Colorado. Each winter the town hosts Ullr Fest in December and the International Snow Sculpture Championships in January.

    • • International Snow Sculpture Championships: every January, sculptors carve 20-ton blocks of snow.
    • • Ullr Fest: a week of December events honoring the Norse god of snow.
    • • Walk the historic district: 249 historic structures in the old town east of the Blue River.
    • • Ski Breckenridge: the resort sits right above town.

    When to go

    December for Ullr Fest, January for the snow sculpture championships.

    Getting there

    DEN (Denver International Airport), 23 to 25 miles from downtown Denver.

    Snow next 7 days

    0.0" at Breckenridge

    Things to do in Breckenridge in winter →

    Hotels in Breckenridge ↗ Condos and houses ↗ Breckenridge snow report

11. 11. Stowe Vermont

    Best for a New England village with the state's highest peak

    Stowe has long called itself the Ski Capital of the East. Its ski resort is on Mount Mansfield, the highest mountain in Vermont at 4,393 feet. The Trapp family, of 'The Sound of Music', runs a 2,600-acre lodge in town with cross-country trails they began in the winter of 1968-69.

    • • Ski Stowe Mountain Resort: on the east side of Mount Mansfield, one of the oldest ski areas in the US.
    • • Cross-country ski at Trapp Family Lodge: 67 km of groomed trails and 100 km ungroomed, as of 2008.
    • • Walk Stowe village: a 153-acre historic district that includes the 1833 Green Mountain Inn.
    • • Stowe Recreation Path: 5.3 miles from the village to TopNotch.

    When to go

    Ski season. No month-by-month source checked.

    Getting there

    BTV (Burlington International Airport in South Burlington), by far the busiest airport in Vermont.

    Snow next 7 days

    10.9" at Stowe

    Things to do in Stowe in winter →

    Hotels in Stowe ↗ Condos and houses ↗ Stowe snow report

12. 12. Mammoth Lakes California

    Best for deep Sierra snow on a volcano

    Mammoth Mountain is a group of lava domes that formed between 110,000 and 57,000 years ago on the edge of the Long Valley Caldera. It gets about 400 inches of snow a year. Its summit is at 11,059 feet, and a gondola is the easiest way to the top.

    • • Ski Mammoth Mountain: about 400 inches of snow a year, summit 11,059 feet.
    • • Ride the summit gondola: the easiest way to the top, with views over the Long Valley Caldera.
    • • Mining history: a gold rush in 1878 brought about 1,500 people to Mammoth City.

    When to go

    Ski season. No month-by-month source checked.

    Getting there

    BIH (Eastern Sierra Regional Airport, two miles east of Bishop), with United Express service to Denver and San Francisco.

    Snow next 7 days

    0.0" at Mammoth Mountain

    Things to do in Mammoth Lakes in winter →

    Hotels in Mammoth Lakes ↗ Condos and houses ↗ Mammoth Mountain snow report

13. 13. Steamboat Springs Colorado

    Best for hot springs and ranch town skiing

    Steamboat Springs is a ranching town named for a bubbling spring that sounded like a steamboat. It has produced more Winter Olympians than any other town in North America. Howelsen Hill, in town, is the oldest ski area in North America that has run without a break.

    • • Old Town Hot Springs: heated outdoor pools fed by natural hot springs, right downtown.
    • • Strawberry Park Hot Springs: about a 20-minute drive from downtown. In winter, take the shuttle, and book ahead because reservations are required.
    • • Ski Howelsen Hill: the oldest continually operating ski area in North America.
    • • Winter Carnival: founded by Carl Howelsen, who brought ski jumping to town in 1913.

    When to go

    Ski season. No month-by-month source checked.

    Getting there

    HDN (Yampa Valley Regional Airport near Hayden), about 25 miles west of town. Most flights there are seasonal and run from December to April.

    Snow next 7 days

    0.0" at Steamboat

    Things to do in Steamboat Springs in winter →

    Hotels in Steamboat Springs ↗ Condos and houses ↗ Steamboat snow report

14. 14. Mount Rainier National Park in winter Washington

    Best for snowshoeing in one of the snowiest places on Earth

    Paradise, on the south side of Mount Rainier, gets an average of 637 inches of snow a year. It once held the world record for snow in a single season, with 1,122 inches in 1971-72. Rangers lead snowshoe walks there on winter weekends.

    • • Ranger-led snowshoe walk: usually Saturdays and Sundays, late December through March, from the Jackson Visitor Center at 11 am. About 1.5 miles in 2 hours, limited to 25 people aged 8 and up.
    • • Cross-country ski or snowshoe on your own from Paradise.
    • • Longmire: ski and snowboard information is available daily at the Longmire Museum.

    When to go

    Late December through March for ranger snowshoe walks.

    Getting there

    SEA (Seattle-Tacoma). Ashford, outside the Nisqually Entrance, is 85 miles from Sea-Tac. All vehicles must carry tire chains in winter, and the road from Longmire to Paradise closes every night.

    Snow next 7 days

    11.2" at Crystal Mountain

    Hotels in Ashford ↗ Condos and houses ↗ Crystal Mountain snow report

15. 15. Telluride Colorado

    Best for a mining town in a box canyon

    Telluride sits in a box canyon ringed by steep mountains, with Bridal Veil Falls at its head. Its historic district is one of Colorado's 20 National Historic Landmarks. A free gondola links the town to Mountain Village and the ski area in 13 minutes.

    • • Ride the free gondola: 13 minutes from town to Mountain Village.
    • • Ski Telluride: the ski area rises from Mountain Village and the edge of town.
    • • Walk the historic district: Telluride was founded in 1878 after silver and gold strikes.

    When to go

    Ski season. No month-by-month source checked.

    Getting there

    TEX (Telluride Regional Airport), six miles west of town at 9,078 feet. It is the highest airfield in the US with scheduled passenger flights.

    Snow next 7 days

    0.0" at Telluride

    Hotels in Telluride ↗ Condos and houses ↗ Telluride snow report

More: Best ski towns · Best places to ski in November · Getting to the resorts