7 Ski Resorts Perfect for Day Trips

Not everyone is lucky enough to live next to the ski slopes, but even if you do, it’s always worth taking a day trip to sample the snow at nearby resorts. If you’re the lucky owner of an Ikon, Epic or Mountain Collective season pass, day-tripping to partner resorts is the perfect way to take advantage of your pass perks.

Here are seven ski and snowboard resorts that are less than a three-hour drive from major cities across the United States. If you leave by 6am, you can ski or snowboard bell-to-bell and still make it home in time for dinner.

Heavenly Mountain Resort

60 miles from Reno, Nevada

A scenic one-hour drive from Reno, Nevada, Heavenly Mountain Resort on the California-Nevada border is the region’s largest ski area, and it also boasts the highest elevation (10,067 feet). At Heavenly, you’ll be treated to stunning views of Lake Tahoe and the Sierra Nevada mountain range, along with a wide variety of terrain options ranging from bunny hills to double-black-diamond moguls runs to powder bowls to tree runs.

Mount Hood Meadows

99 miles from Portland, Oregon

Mount Hood Meadows is the largest of the five Mount Hood ski and snowboard areas with more than 2,000 skiable acres. It has six high-speed quads, a three-mile-long run and a good spread of beginner to expert-only terrain. No trip to Mount Hood is complete without a stop at the Timberline Lodge. It’s a National Historic Landmark and was constructed in 1937 as a part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Works Progress Administration, but it is better known for its role on the big screen as it was used for the exterior shots of the hotel in The Shining .

Sun Valley Resort

155 miles from Boise, Idaho

Sun Valley Resort ’s claim to fame is that it’s the nation’s first ski resort. It opened to the public in 1936 and is known for its premier skiing, family friendliness and movie-star sightings. Gary Cooper, Clark Gable and Ingrid Bergman were among the first to glide down its slopes. It’s nestled beneath the peaks of Bald Mountain (9,150 feet) and Dollar Mountain (6,638 feet) and has 2,154 skiable acres. Experts take to the challenging terrain off Baldy, while green- and blue-level skiers and snowboarders enjoy Dollar Mountain’s affable runs. There’s a shuttle that runs regularly from the Boise Airport to Sun Valley.

Beaver Creek

109 miles from Denver, Colorado

Many skiers and snowboarders coming from Denver only make it as far as Vail or one of the closer resorts to the city, but those in the know head just a little farther east to Beaver Creek resort to escape the crowds and get some of those powder stashes to themselves. The resort has 1,815 skiable acres with enough beginner, intermediate and advanced runs to keep skiers and snowboarders happy all day. The area appeals to a ritzy crowd and has a lot of high-end restaurants, shopping and spas.

Killington

92 miles from Burlington, Vermont / 98 miles from Concord, New Hampshire

Located in the Green Mountains of Vermont, Killington is the largest ski resort in the eastern United States and is nicknamed “The Beast of the East” because of its comparatively massive 1,509 skiable acres. There are five distinct base areas with access to different terrain, restaurants, bars and other activities like snow tubing and snowshoeing. The Accelerated Learning Area is designed specifically for beginners, and Outer Limits is where you’ll find the double-black-diamond moguls.

Sugarloaf Resort

128 miles from Portland, Maine / 137 miles from North Conway, New Hampshire

Sugarloaf Resort is the second largest ski and snowboard resort in the East, with more than 1,200 skiable acres. Sugarloaf is the only resort that offers above-treeline skiing and snowboarding. It’s known for its terrain parks, and you may just see some current or future Olympians training on its Superpipe.

Wilmot Mountain

67 miles from Chicago, Illinois / 50 miles from Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Wilmot Mountain lies just east of Lake Michigan on the border of Wisconsin and Illinois. It has been a favorite family ski destination since it opened in the 1930s. Though tough to compare to the terrain of the resorts in the western United States, it has enough varied terrain to entertain every skier and snowboarder no matter their ability level. No trip to Wilmot Mountain is complete without a slide down the snow tube hill. With 22 lanes and two magic carpets, you can lap the hill day and night.