Best powder ski resorts in the United States
Where North American skiers chase the goods: the resorts with the highest snowfall and the steepest in-bounds terrain in the Lower 48.
8 resorts
How we picked
Utah's Little Cottonwood Canyon delivers 14 m+ of snow a year onto Snowbird and Alta, two of the snowiest mountains in the Lower 48. Jackson Hole turns the same air into expert lines. Steamboat's Champagne Powder, Big Sky's Lone Peak, Whitefish's Big Mountain, Mammoth's Eastern Sierra storms and Taos' high-desert deliveries round out the list. These are the resorts to plan a powder trip around, not just visit.
United States
3,358 m
Alta
Wasatch Mountains
Altitude
2,613 - 3,358 m
Pistes
175 km
Snow score
97/100
powderski-only
See hotels →United States
3,353 m
Snowbird
Wasatch Mountains
Altitude
2,438 - 3,353 m
Pistes
170 km
Snow score
96/100
powderexpert
See hotels →
United States
3,185 m
Jackson Hole
Northern Rockies
Altitude
1,924 - 3,185 m
Pistes
180 km
Snow score
96/100
experticonic
See hotels →
United States
3,369 m
Mammoth Mountain
Sierra Nevada
Altitude
2,424 - 3,369 m
Pistes
240 km
Snow score
95/100
high altitudesnow-sure
See hotels →
United States
3,220 m
Steamboat
Colorado Rockies
Altitude
2,103 - 3,220 m
Pistes
195 km
Snow score
92/100
powderauthentic
See hotels →
United States
3,403 m
Big Sky
Northern Rockies
Altitude
2,073 - 3,403 m
Pistes
350 km
Snow score
92/100
big domaintram-access
See hotels →
United States
3,804 m
Taos Ski Valley
Sangre de Cristo
Altitude
2,805 - 3,804 m
Pistes
120 km
Snow score
88/100
experthigh altitude
See hotels →
United States
2,080 m
Whitefish Mountain
Northern Rockies
Altitude
1,370 - 2,080 m
Pistes
150 km
Snow score
88/100
valuetree skiing
See hotels →