The Most Beautiful Ski Resorts in North America: 18 Mountains Worth Booking for the Views

Introduction

For most ski vacations, the slopes are the point and the views are a bonus. At the resorts below, it is genuinely the other way around. These are the most picturesque mountains in the United States and Canada, places where the setting itself can rank among the most breathtaking sights you will ever see, on or off the snow. Here is our ranked rundown of what makes each mountain stand out.

Mount Baker Ski Area, Washington

One of the smallest and most remote ski areas on this list, Mount Baker is a locally focused, off-the-grid destination rather than a typical resort. Sitting in far northern Washington just outside North Cascades National Park, its slopes look out on its namesake peak and the striking Mount Shuksan, which towers more than 4,400 feet in prominence directly over the terrain. Mount Baker is often the snowiest ski area in North America and holds the single-season snowfall record with 1,140 inches in the winter of 1998-1999. All that snow means many days are cloudy, but when the sun comes out, the wilderness views are extraordinary.

Panorama Resort, British Columbia

Set in the heart of the Purcell Mountains of southern British Columbia, Panorama extends over 4,000 feet of vertical drop with a range of jagged peaks plainly visible the entire way down. Advanced skiers should seek out the Thousand Peaks Trail, a ridgeline off the summit that looks down into the Columbia Valley roughly 5,200 feet below. Even cruising terrain soaks in the scenery, and isolated terrain pods reached by lift, short hike, or snowcat deliver a spectacular one-with-nature feel and lightly tracked snow.

Jackson Hole, Wyoming

On the east side of the Teton Range, Jackson Hole drops a staggering 4,000 vertical feet into its namesake valley, with cliffs, couloirs, and rock features throughout the ski area. Because the base has no foothills, guests look out over a flat floodplain that stretches for miles. Add the ranching heritage and western character of the town of Jackson, and the resort combines national-park views, cowboy vibes, and beautiful rock-lined slopes better than almost anywhere else.

Revelstoke, British Columbia

Revelstoke looks unassuming at its base, but the views improve with every stage of the two-stage out-of-base gondola and the chairlifts above it. Lift service carries you more than 5,600 feet above the base, the highest vertical rise of any ski resort in North America, and a hike from the top pushes past 6,000 feet. On clear days you can start the morning under the clouds and finish it looking across the Selkirk Mountains in every direction, and the elevation spread produces some of the most beautiful cloud inversions you will ever see at a ski resort.

Mount Bachelor, Oregon

Rather than the face of a mountain, Mount Bachelor offers a unique 360-degree skiable footprint on its namesake peak, a dormant volcano on the eastern side of the Cascades. On days when every lift runs, over 4,200 acres are open, and the terrain shifts almost surrealistically from jagged volcanic rock features and open bowls into thinly wooded glades and dense forest. Cascade peaks like the Three Sisters and Diamond Peak are plainly prominent. The caveat: the summit has one of the most fickle opening schedules on the continent, and Cascade fog can hurt visibility, but when it is on, the experience is among the best anywhere.

Vail, Colorado

Vail is often associated with its ritzy village and high ticket costs, but the slopes themselves are among the most unique and beautiful on the continent. With 8,100 acres, Vail has the largest boundary-to-boundary footprint of any US ski resort, and its Back Bowls offer vast, wide-open snowfields that are largely accessible to intermediates rather than experts only. Blue Sky Basin extends the resort another ridge further, to a point miles from the nearest roads or towns, giving the feeling of an epic journey across a vast expanse rather than routine up-and-down laps.

Snowbird, Utah

In Utah’s Little Cottonwood Canyon, Snowbird stuns with striking peaks, massive ridges, and distant views of Salt Lake City on clear days. The Mineral Basin backside offers a special one-with-nature isolation and views of some of the tallest mountains in the state, and the resort’s one-of-a-kind ski tunnel actually transports you through the mountain from one side of the resort to the other. Other resorts may go higher, but no other North American mountain lets you ski into it, and very few match Snowbird’s big-mountain feel.

Whistler Blackcomb, British Columbia

With over 8,000 acres of skiable terrain, Whistler Blackcomb is the largest ski area in North America and one of the best looking. Two separate mountains each rise more than 5,000 feet above their bases, and the massive Peak 2 Peak Gondola between them reaches over 1,400 feet above the valley floor, one of the most unique lift rides on the continent. Jagged Coast Range peaks are visible everywhere, and extras like the long, mellow Peak to Creek run and Blackcomb Glacier add character. Lower-mountain fog is a downside in winter, though the upper mountain often sits above the clouds.

Le Massif, Quebec

This Eastern Canada entry has some of the lowest elevation on the continent, but that is because the ski area runs almost all the way down to the shores of the St. Lawrence River, a massive waterway whose flow is one of the most surreal sights you will find at a ski resort. The base area sits at the top of the mountain, so you soak in the full majesty of the view as soon as you strap on your gear, and the glades make for unique tree skiing with the river as a backdrop. From the top of a roughly 15-minute hike off the slopes, expansive views sit nearly 2,500 feet above the river.

Alta, Utah

Located at the head of Little Cottonwood Canyon, Alta is best known for its snow, but the views and vibe are just as stunning as the powder. Each lift individually serves hundreds of acres, delivering some of the best on-mountain isolation on the continent, and independent lodges and a lack of commercialization give it an unforgettable, old-school character. Miles of stunning Wasatch peaks surround the resort. The long-standing snowboard ban is a real negative for some, but for most skiers the views and quiet make it worth the trip.

Banff Sunshine Village, Alberta

Banff Sunshine Village pairs stunning Canadian Rockies views with world-class isolation from the outside world. The only access runs through a striking canyon that turns 45 degrees partway up, hiding any sign of civilization below. On clear days the upper mountain offers staggeringly beautiful facades of the glacier-carved Continental Divide, and the upper areas boast a near-360-degree skiable footprint with bird’s-eye views of neighboring mountain pods that are hard to find elsewhere. For an escape into almost surreal-looking peaks, it will not let you down.

Big Sky, Montana

Big Sky may be crowned by the single most iconic peak of any resort on this list. Lone Peak towers 11,166 feet above sea level, its distinct shape giving it almost a Matterhorn vibe, visible from nearly every resort zone. The tram to the summit delivers unobstructed views across southern Montana, though you will have to pay extra to ride it on an Ikon or Mountain Collective product. The trails off Lone Peak are one of a kind, with chutes formed by the mountain’s unique ridges, and some pods offer views into the ultra-exclusive Yellowstone Club.

Heavenly, California/Nevada

Sitting on the California-Nevada border, Heavenly provides astonishing views of neighboring Lake Tahoe. The California side looks directly over the deep-blue lake, which never freezes, at times feeling like you are looking down into a completely different season. To the east, the Carson Valley sits even lower than the lake, and from some viewpoints you can see both. The upper mountain is also home to bristlecone pines, one of the oldest living species on the planet, with crooked, winding trunks that are special to see. Upper-mountain openings can be fickle during storms, but on a clear day the views are one of a kind.

Telluride, Colorado

Arguably the most impressive-looking destination in the United States Rockies, Telluride is surrounded by stunning jagged, red-rimmed peaks, and pods like the Revelation Bowl deliver isolation and uninterrupted views of the San Juan range. The most iconic feature is skiing the runs into the namesake town, framed by the Box Canyon cliffs above red rock scenery and a charming old-west mining town on the valley floor. Some runs near the mansion-filled Mountain Village carry a moneyed vibe, but the extraordinary peaks and traditional town make for an experience that is hard to beat.

Alyeska, Alaska

Located in the small town of Girdwood, Alyeska is one of the most unique ski areas on the continent, just a few miles from the ocean and one of the only places where you could theoretically see whales from the slopes, with the stunning Cook Inlet visible from much of the terrain. Steep jagged peaks and glaciers surround the ski area, and the expert-oriented North Face is especially tough, because you will want to keep staring at the views while descending some fairly hairy terrain. Frequent visibility issues keep it lower on this list, but the low-key town of Girdwood is one of the few true ski towns left.

Homewood Resort, California

Taking the bronze spot, Homewood is the closest ski area to Lake Tahoe, with the slopes ending just a few hundred feet from the stunningly blue water. Unlike Heavenly, the lake is visible from nearly every mountain area, and the surrounding peaks frame a picture-perfect lake view. The bittersweet news: Homewood will not operate for the coming season, citing permitting problems for its soon-to-be-installed gondola, along with traffic challenges from the more popular resorts you pass en route. The resort has stated it intends to return to service the following year, though what happens remains to be seen.

Kicking Horse, British Columbia

Our runner-up, Kicking Horse in interior British Columbia offers views of some of the most stunning and jagged peaks in Canada, some of which sit within the skiable footprint itself. The gondola rises over 3,500 feet from the base, and you will likely spend the entire ride looking at the scenery around you. The summit is one of the most beautiful in-bounds sites we can point to, with wilderness extending for miles off the resort’s backside. That combination beats every other ski area in North America except one.

Lake Louise, Alberta

Our pick for the most beautiful ski resort in North America is Western Canada’s Lake Louise, located in the center of Banff National Park. Visitors are surrounded by glacier-carved mountains with towering cliffs and snow-capped peaks that feel like movie backdrops, and there is arguably not a single spot at the resort that does not feel gorgeous. The lake itself is visible from many front-side areas, and the frozen turquoise water paired with the towering adjacent mountains is hard to beat. The backside offers complete isolation from human activity, where you could stare at the horizon for hours. This is not just a ski resort; it is a place that will change your view of how beautiful the world can be.

Conclusion

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but nobody who visits a resort on this list should leave disappointed by the scenery. You can always book a ski vacation for the skiing and riding, but at these mountains you will get a sightseeing vacation with a solid serving of winter sports on the side. Whichever you pick, check snow and visibility patterns before you go, because at several of these resorts the views are at their best on clear days.