Ski Resorts in Massachusetts
New England's best skiing is most notably in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. But the Bay State has some decent skiing and snowboarding. Massachusetts ski areas have efficient lifts, top learn-to-ski and ride programs, and excellent snowmaking to ensure quality turns during the winter.
Pros
- Home to the closest to ski area to any major US city
- Great terrain for beginners to learn on
- Easy access from Boston
Cons
- Small ski areas
- Lower elevation mountains compared to surrounding regions
- Shorter ski season than Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire
Getting there
- Fly into Boston Logan International Airport: it’s the main gateway to most Massachusetts ski resorts.
- Best way to resorts from Boston is to hire a car and drive. Ski resorts in Massachusetts are conveniently located to Boston which is a big benefit for those that want to squeeze in a day or night skiing and riding but can’t travel to the northern New England mountains. The journey takes anywhere between under 40 minutes (for Blue Hills) to 2.5 hours. Train and shuttle options are also available for some resorts such as Wachusett Mountain. Be sure to also check our top 5 closest ski areas near Boston.
- Where to stay: In the Berkshires, there are some romantic ski inns for a Massachusetts’ ski and stay weekend from Boston.
Jiminy Peak has a self-contained resort with ski services and a country inn providing on slope lodging for the weekend, you can walk to the lifts, the skier services and ski lessons. The ski resort is modest in size, but efficient and well-organized.
Wachusett Mountain is a good day trip for Boston and Worcester families, but there is also a country inn a few miles from the slopes, and you can take a train from Boston to Wachusett. Wachusett continues to invest heavily in snowmaking and learn-to-ski and ride programs to serve beginner families and kids who are learning the sport of skiing for the first time.
Other smaller Massachusetts ski areas include Nashoba, Butternut, Ward, Blue Hills - these are very small, good places to learn skiing, but are not destination areas. If you are short on time, or looking for a quick ski fix, Blue Hills is the closest ski area to any major US city.
| Stat | Resorts |
|---|---|
| Best for Beginners | Blue Hills |
| Best for Intermediates | Wachusett Mountain |
| Best for Advanced and Experts | N/A |
| Best for All-rounder | Jiminy Peak |
| Highest Summit Elevation | Jiminy Peak |
| Highest number of runs | Berkshire East |
| Largest ski area | Bousquet Mountain |
| Highest number of lifts | Butternut |