Whitefish Mountain is the gem of northwest Montana, the locals just call it Big Mountain. It rises 700 metres above the small lakeside town of Whitefish, with Glacier National Park visible across the Flathead Valley. On cold foggy mornings the firs turn into snow ghosts, frozen white sculptures lining the upper bowls.
Whitefish Mountain is a ski resort with genuine ski-in/ski-out hotels in United States, in the Northern Rockies. The village sits at 1370 m and the lifts top out at 2080 m, with 150 km of pistes and 15 lifts. Its BestSnowHotels snow score is 88/100, and the season usually runs Dec 4 → Apr 6.
How we score and classify resortsRun counts and piste kilometres are indicative. Green runs only exist in France, Spain, Andorra, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Japan, the United States, Morocco, Algeria, Lesotho, South Africa, Egypt, Canada, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and Chile; Italy, Austria, Switzerland and Germany start at blue. Indicative average snow depth near the top of the resort, in cm.
A handful of well-rated hotels in and around the resort. Pick one, then compare live prices across Booking, Expedia and Hotels.com.
Excellent · 2.7k reviews
One of the highest-rated places to stay in Whitefish Mountain, with guests singling out the service and comfort.
Guests rate this hotel as excellent (4.7/5 from 2,734 reviews). It sits about 400 m from the slopes. A upper-scale option for Whitefish Mountain, with live nightly rates shown for your exact dates so you always see the best price.
Excellent · 799 reviews
A long-standing favourite in Whitefish Mountain, trusted by thousands of guests before you.
Excellent · 203 reviews
One of the highest-rated places to stay in Whitefish Mountain, with guests singling out the service and comfort.
Excellent · 112 reviews
A dependable, well-reviewed choice for a stay in Whitefish Mountain.
Very good · 76 reviews
Strong value for Whitefish Mountain, with a high guest rating that punches above its nightly price.
Excellent · 57 reviews
A dependable, well-reviewed choice for a stay in Whitefish Mountain.
Excellent · 43 reviews
Strong value for Whitefish Mountain, with a high guest rating that punches above its nightly price.
Ratings from Google, prices indicative per night. Live availability and rates via our booking partners.
There is true ski-in/ski-out lodging right at Big Mountain base, including the Kandahar Lodge, Morning Eagle, Edelweiss and a number of slopeside condos. The town of Whitefish is 12 kilometres downhill, connected by the free SNOW bus all winter.
The Flathead Valley is wide, low and cold, and the fog that pools there at night drifts up Big Mountain through the night and freezes onto the subalpine firs. By morning the trees are no longer trees: they are snow ghosts, white rime-encrusted figures stitched up the ridge, ten metres tall, otherworldly in flat light, sculptural in sun. Locals will tell you Zao in Japan has bigger ones. They are right, but Whitefish has them in good numbers, week after week, and the rest of the mountain is the kind of varied, sensible, well-priced skiing that Montana does honestly. 150 kilometres of marked trails, an honest 700-metre vertical, a strong tree-skiing tradition, and lift tickets that still cost meaningfully less than at the bigger Wasatch and Colorado resorts. The town of Whitefish, 12 kilometres downhill, is a real Montana railroad town with a working main street, breweries, and the eastbound Empire Builder Amtrak stopping there twice daily. Glacier National Park is right next door for a non-ski day. Sustainable mid-size feel, no pretense, and a view across the Flathead lakes that ends with the spine of the Continental Divide.
Hotels and apartments around the lifts. Compare prices on Booking, Expedia and Hotels.com.
Everything on our site connected to Whitefish Mountain: its area, the lists it makes, head-to-heads and trip guides.
Whitefish Mountain offers 150 km of pistes across 15 lifts, from 1370 m to 2080 m. Whether it suits beginners depends on the dedicated learner zones at the base of the slopes, so check the local ski-school options for green and blue run access.
The season runs from Dec 4 to Apr 6, with a snow score of 88/100. The best conditions are usually from late January through February, while spring skiing in March and April brings longer days and softer afternoons.
There is true ski-in/ski-out lodging right at Big Mountain base, including the Kandahar Lodge, Morning Eagle, Edelweiss and a number of slopeside condos. The town of Whitefish is 12 kilometres downhill, connected by the free SNOW bus all winter.
Whitefish Mountain has 150 km of marked pistes served by 15 lifts, between 1370 m and 2080 m of altitude.
Whitefish Mountain counts about 105 marked runs in total. The colour breakdown above shows how they split by difficulty, a good guide to whether the resort fits your level.
The closest alternatives, an easy switch if dates or hotels are tight.
BC Interior
BC Interior
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