Destinations
Where to base a family week
Towns and airports first — mountains second. Salt Lake is the flagship for a reason.
Flagship guide · Utah
Salt Lake City / Wasatch Front
Thirty minutes from airport to ski area. No other major U.S. ski destination can say that with a straight face.
Town guide · Utah
Park City
A real mining town that learned to be a ski town. Main Street, two resorts, and the lodging trick we actually use.
Denver access · Colorado
Summit County, Colorado
Breckenridge, Keystone, and Copper on one trip — if you survive I-70 and respect the altitude.
The family reputation · Colorado
Steamboat Springs
A ranch town with a kids' vacation center that other mountains photocopy. Harder to reach, easier once you're there.
Lake + mountains · Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe
Heavenly for the view, Northstar if you want a calmer family campus, Palisades if someone in the car is an expert. Weather is the co-pilot.
Bend + Seattle · Pacific Northwest
Pacific Northwest
Mt. Bachelor and Crystal Mountain — licensed care on a volcano, small classes two hours from Seattle, and Rainier in the background.
Southwest Colorado · Colorado
Durango / Purgatory
Not an I-70 add-on. Kids 12 and under ski free. A real town 25 minutes down the hill.
NYC / Philly · Northeast
The Poconos
Camelback for the waterpark. Blue Mountain for the steeper hill. Neither is Vermont. Both are two hours from the city.
Canadian Rockies · Canada
Banff with kids
The search is 'Banff with kids,' not 'Sunshine Village.' Two Ikon mountains, a free SkiBig3 shuttle, and a national-park town you commute from every morning.