While the City of Boston is famous for its rich history and landmarks, ski resorts are probably not at the top of the list for most visitors. However, locals to the area know that there are plenty of great options for skiing and snowboarding within a short drive from ‘Bean Town’.
New Englanders have an appreciation for winter sports. And since the states that comprise New England are relatively close to each other, Boston visitors can choose from multiple ski resorts within a 3 hours drive.
Whether you’re looking for Nordic trails, downhill slopes that are open at night, tubing, lessons, or daycare, the ski areas near Boston have something for everyone. Making Boston your base camp gives you access to numerous nearby resorts, such as visiting a resort referred to as the “Beast of the East”.
Being that not all of these locations are in Massachusetts, we have categorized each area by state:
- Ski Resorts in Massachusetts near Boston
- Ski Resorts in New Hampshire near Boston
- Ski Resorts in Vermont near Boston
Here are ski resorts close to Boston, MA:
Massachusetts Ski Resorts near Boston
Within the state of Massachusetts, both visitors and Bostonians can choose from three notable ski areas less than a 1.5-hour drive from the city.
Blue Hills Ski Area – Canton: 18 miles | 25 minutes
Since Blue Hills is the only ski resort within the Boston metro area, it’s a trendy place for youngsters to grow up learning how to master the slopes. This resort’s environment is unassuming and great for beginners, offering some of the best rates for day passes.
Blue Hills Ski Area is spread across 60 acres of skiable terrain, all of which are equipped with snowmaking capabilities. The base elevation is only 326 feet and its summit sits at 635 feet, giving this resort a modest 309-foot drop. There are just four lifts that service 16 runs, with over half of the slopes aimed at advanced riders.
Additionally, Blue Hills offers night skiing, allowing guests to enjoy the slopes after dusk. For visitors looking for a bite to eat, there is a cafeteria on-site that offers a great variety of hot meals.
Blue Hills has equipment rentals available right on-site and also provides skiing and snowboarding lessons for any newcomers. The retail store carries any essentials that guests may have forgotten back at home, including hats, gloves, and goggles.
4001 Washington St, Canton, MA 02021 (Map) | 781-828-5070
Nashoba Valley Ski – Westford: 37 miles | 45 minutes
Nashoba Valley Ski Area opened for its first season in 1964, using tow ropes to get people to the top of the slopes until 1972, when they got their first lift. This resort was also one of the first in the country to allow snowboarding on its runs and has hosted several events throughout the last few decades.
Nashoba is a full-service ski area with multiple amenities, including equipment rental, lessons, and an on-site restaurant. They also have two terrain parks and an on-site snow tubing park with 16 lanes and over 600 tubes to use.
The base elevation at Nashoba Valley is only 200 feet and goes up to a peak elevation of 440 feet, which means the vertical drop is 240 feet. There 17 runs at Nashoba Valley, with around one-fourth rated for beginners, nearly half for intermediates, and the rest for advanced users.
Nashoba’s 52 skiable acres are all equipped for snowmaking machines and are illuminated at night for twilight skiing. The 11 lifts that service the resort include four chairlifts, four conveyors, and three rope tows, allowing for an uphill capacity of 11,600 visitors per hour.
79 Powers Rd, Westford, MA 01886 (Map) | (978) 692-3033
Wachusett Mtn – Princeton: 53 miles | 1.25 hours
Just an hour from downtown Boston, Wachusett Mountain is a trendy ski area that has something for everyone. The mountain has 112 skiable acres, 104 of which are equipped for night skiing, with 100% snowmaking capability.
Wachusett’s base starts at 1,006 feet, with a peak elevation of 2,006 feet and a vertical drop of even 1,000 feet. In addition to two terrain parks, there are 27 on-site runs which are mostly aimed at intermediate riders.
Group and private lessons are offered for all ages and skill levels, and the mountain’s lodge has plenty of options for hot beverages, snacks, meals, and lounges. For anyone with an Alexa device, Wachusett Mountain has it’s own function to report conditions at the ski resort. To activate it, simply tell the echo device to “enable Wachusett Mountain.”
499 Mountain Rd, Princeton, MA 01541 (Map) | (978) 464-2300
New Hampshire Ski Resorts near Boston
So you want to get out of Massachusetts and try out some other ski areas in New England? Then head north to New Hampshire, where 5 more resorts are waiting for you!
Crotched Mtn – Bennington: 77 miles | 1.5 hours
Just across the state line in New Hampshire, visitors will find Crotched Mountain, a place where skiers and snowboarders of all experience levels can find a trail that suits them best. The terrain at Crotched Mountain has a reputation for being well-groomed and maintained, and there is also a glades area for anyone who enjoys tree skiing.
Crotched Mountain Ski Resort has 100 skiable acres with total snowmaking capabilities. The difficulty levels of its 25 runs are divided pretty evenly between beginner, intermediate, and advanced, which is not always the case for resorts near ‘Bean Town’. Additionally, the resort has three terrain parks and offers night skiing on all of its trails, with the slopes staying up as late as 3 AM.
If you’re hungry, the resort has a diverse cafeteria and the Onset Pub & Lounge, and for those looking to stay the night, there are a few places located both on and off the mountain for lodging.
615 Francestown Rd, Bennington, NH 03442 (Map) | (603) 588-3668
Pat’s Peak Ski Area – Henniker: 77 miles | 1.5 hours
Another New Hampshire ski resort that is less than an hour and a half away from Boston is Pat’s Peak Ski Area. Pat’s Peak is a very beginner-friendly resort and has been a favorite New England ski area since January 1963.
Pat’s Peak has 115 skiable acres, 93 of which are open for night skiing, with 100% snowmaking capability. The resort’s base sits at an elevation of 690 feet with a peak elevation of 1,460 feet, giving Pat’s Peak a vertical drop of 770 feet. There are 28 runs on the property, and while half of them are for beginners, there are trails for intermediate, advanced, and even expert riders.
The atmosphere at Pat’s Peak is very family-friendly. There is a daycare center for the youngsters who are too small to hit the slopes and group and private lessons are offered for all age groups and skill levels.
While there are no accommodations on the mountain, several are located in Henniker and Weare. If you’re hungry, the Tradewinds Cafe and Sled Pub are both great on-site options for a meal.
686 Flanders Rd, Henniker, NH 03242 (Map) | 1 (888) 728-7732
W.V. Resort – Waterville Valley: 138 miles | 2.25 hours
Waterville Valley Resort first opened its doors, and slopes, in the 1930s and has provided a snowy haven for New Hampshire natives and Bostonians. This resort is one of the area’s largest, with on-site accommodations, dining, lodges, and various activities to do on the mountain.
Waterville Valley has a whopping 265 skiable acres with total snowmaking capabilities. The base elevation of the resorts sits at 1,984 feet with a peak elevation is 4,004 feet, giving riders a vertical drop of 2,020 feet.
Waterville Valley has 62 runs, 15% of which are designed for beginners, 57% for intermediates, 25% for advanced athletes, and just 3% for expert riders. Additionally, the resort offers 46 miles of Nordic skiing and a snow tubing area.
Equipment rental, sports lessons, and retail locations are also found at the Waterville Valley Resort, making this site a vacation destination. Waterville Valley Resort has not only been sought after by locals but also by big-time winter sports lovers as many international races and World Cups have been hosted here.
1 Ski Area Rd, Waterville Valley, NH 03215 (Map) | (603) 236-8311
Loon Mountain – Lincoln: 135 miles | 2.35 hours
Loon Mountain is a popular ski area for visitors coming from Boston, and while it’s slightly more costly than its neighboring resort, Cannon Mountain, it still brings in visitors of all ages. The resort, which opened in 2007, offers snowboarding and ski programs, lessons, and both day and night snow tubing.
Loon Mountain has 370 skiable acres with snowmaking capability across 322 acres. There are 61 runs, with over half of them aimed at intermediate riders, though there are a few advanced and expert-level trails. Additionally, the property has a zip line course, snowshoeing, accolades, and six terrain parks.
The resort has a vertical drop of 2,100 feet, a base elevation of 950 feet, and a summit elevation of 3,050 feet. There are numerous dining options on Loon Mountain, such as the Bunyan Room and Summit Cafe. The resort also has a store that does equipment tunes for anyone that needs their skis and boards looked at before hitting the powder.
60 Loon Mountain Road, Lincoln, NH 03251 (Map) | (800) 229.5666
Cannon Mountain – Franconia: 150 miles | 2.5 hours
Tucked away in the Franconia Notch State Park, Cannon Mountain is a fairly large ski area designed to fit the whole family. There are ski lessons for visitors of all ages, adult clinics, and rentals, all offered right on the resort’s property.
There are 11 lifts, 285 skiable acres, 192 of which have snowmaking capabilities, and 97 runs at Cannon Mountain. Of the trails offered, most are aimed at intermediate and advanced riders, with a few runs for beginners.
The base elevation at Cannon Mountain is 1,900 feet with a vertical drop of 2,180 feet, and the summit elevation is 4,080 feet. Ski and snowboard enthusiasts will appreciate that this resort has the longest drop in the entire state of New Hampshire!
Additionally, Cannon Mountain has a daycare program for kids between 12 and 35 months old, giving parents a much-needed break on the slopes. Even though there are no mountain-side accommodations, there’s plenty of options to eat and drink, as well as the New England Ski Museum, which has been open since 1977.
2650 Profile Rd, Franconia, NH 03580 (Map) | 603-823-8800
Vermont Ski Resorts near Boston
Last, but not least, we head to the ‘Green Mountain State’, also known as Vermont, for the final ski resort within 3 hours of Boston. Here, visitors can hit the slopes at a resort called the “Beast of the East”.
Killington Ski – Killington: 170 miles | 3 hours
Located in Killington, Vermont, Killington Ski Resort is the largest ski area in the eastern part of the United States, earning the nickname “ Beast of the East”.
The resort first opened in 1958, expanding during the 1960s, and remains a very active resort today. Since 2016, Killington Ski Resort has hosted annual World Cup events, including the giant slalom and slalom, all of which were won by USA’s Mikaela Shiffrin.
Killington Ski Resort consists of 1,535 skiable acres with snowmaking capability on 600 of them. While the resort can create snow, this part of Vermont gets an average of 250 inches of natural snowfall each year, leaving plenty of fresh powder for riders.
There are 163 runs made up of 28% beginner, 33% intermediate, 24% advanced, and 15% expert-level terrains, with the longest run being six miles long. Killington’s base elevation sits at 1,165 feet and has a peak elevation of 4,241 feet, giving this resort a 3,050-foot vertical drop. The resort runs with 22 lifts and also has six terrain parks.
3861 Killington Rd, Killington, VT 05751 (Map) | 800-734-9435
For those residing in Boston, skiers and snowboarders have the option of staying in-state or venturing out to New Hampshire or Vermont to hit the slopes. Whether you’re looking for something family-friendly with daycare, or want to try other winter sports on-site, picking any of these locations is sure to offer you a winter wonderland experience.
13 Most Famous Foods & Drinks in India