Skiing and snowboarding are the main draws of any worthwhile family vacation. It’s easy to get swept up in pillowy dreams of snorkeling through powder while blazing a path down the mountain. And it’s even easier to not think about the second best part of any ski vacation: the towns nestled below picturesque mountainsides.
Ski towns can matter as much as the slopes themselves. After all, we all need a rest day and if the town itself is a letdown then you’re just stuck cursing your tired legs at the hotel bar instead of enjoying your stay in a mountain community.
Several of the best-known ski towns in the United States have transformed into mountain metropolises. Take South Lake Tahoe as an example: the once-sleepy community now has an abundance of things to do, including luxury hotels, casinos, glamorous outdoors boutiques, and celebrity-chef restaurants. These fancy resort-style ski towns appeal to some folks, but other people may crave for something a little more low-key and quiet.
Luckily, a few small, laid-back ski towns are still scattered across the Sierra Nevada Mountains, the Tetons, the Rockies, the Green Mountains, and the Cascades. Here are four quaint, cozy North American ski towns we recommend visiting.
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Crested Butte, Colorado
Crested Butte, often called Colorado’s last great ski town, is a fun, small mountain town that celebrates uniqueness and offers gorgeous scenery and a lack of crowds. Crested Butte Mountain Resort has more than 1,500 skiable acres and offers terrain suitable for any ability type. As a bonus, the town council won’t allow any chain restaurants, so skiers can find a number of cute, personal boutiques and eateries to enjoy during their stay.
Pagosa Springs, Colorado
If you’re looking for an outdoor hotspot with practically no crowds and the best rest and relaxation options, then Pagosa springs is your new favorite small ski town. Pagosa Springs, at the foot of the San Juan Mountains, is 23 miles from Wolf Creek Ski Area, which is heralded for having the best snow in Colorado. Even if you don’t ski in Pagosa Springs, the town itself is worth a visit for two reasons: hot springs and microbreweries.
“The town’s namesake mineral hot springs—the world’s deepest—are so big they feed three different developed pools in town. Two different, top-shelf microbreweries in town will take care of your post-soak beverage and dining needs,” according to National Geographic.
Mount Shasta, California
Mount Shasta, a 14,179-foot dormant stratovolcano visible for a hundred miles, rises into the sky in the northernmost parts of California and is home to some of the country’s best backcountry skiing. More than 10,000 feet below Mount Shasta’s summit rests the town of Mount Shasta, a low-key skier’s haven with an estimated population of 3,394 people. The town features two expert ski shops that rent backcountry gear, and you can hire Shasta Mountain Guides to show you some of the best mountain lines.
Field, British Columbia
If you’d like to discover the most postcard-worthy spot in North America, then adventure up to the tiny skier’s hamlet of Field, British Columbia, which sits near the Continental Divide in the center of Yoho National Park in the Canadian Rockies. Field has a population of about 200 people, most of whom are skiers in one way or another. In town, there is a hostel, a general store, an ice rink, and groomed Nordic trails leaving from town. The surrounding mountains house four Alpine Club of Canada backcountry huts, plus the Lake O’Hara Lodge, a ski-in, rustic-lux chalet, National Geographic states.
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