Let’s first clear the elephant out of the room. Yes, the West gets all the hype and deservedly so. The East is filled with amazing history and features star-studded behemoths as well like Killington and Stowe. But, the Midwest is also home to A LOT of ski resorts. In fact, both Michigan (49) AND Wisconsin (34) have the 2nd and 3rd most resorts in the country after New York and even Minnesota(18) cracks the top 10. What these places lack in vertical they more than make up in passion and experience. In addition, it’s where I learned how to slide down a snowy slope and fell in love with the sport of snowboarding. This isn’t just a guide to the best Midwest ski resorts we’ve visited over the years. It also pays homage to a place I still hold very near and dear to my heart.
Mt Bohemia
Terrain & Snow
Bohemia is like a unicorn. A place with steep trees, endless snowfall, and ungroomed terrain. Words cannot fully describe the uniqueness of this place. As soon as you get off the main trails and dive into the oaks, maples, and towering virgin white pine forest, you’ll get it. Zig zagging through the woods, you’ll be blown away by the quantity and quality of snow alongside terrain that you’d find at the top 1,000 vertical feet at a place like Winter Park’s Mary Jane. If you’re fortunate enough to visit on a blue-sky day (snowing 30 days in a row is a normal occurrence), the views of Lac La Belle are jaw-dropping. Oh… and they also have cat skiing!
Snowriver Mountain Resort
Great Family Vacation With Awesome Snow
Before Mt Bohemia opened in 2000, the Upper Peninsula O.G. was the duo of ski areas 2 ½ hours west — Indianhead Mountain and Blackjack. Within the western Lake Superior snowbelt, these two resorts merged into one back in 2014, called Big Snow Resort. Named, of course, after the region’s legendary ample high-quality snow that falls here due to lake effect. It’s nearly double or triple most other resorts in the Midwest (210” vs. 60-70”!).
New Owners.. Big Changes And A First For The Region
As of summer 2022, Big Snow Resort was acquired by another midwest mecca – Granite Peak. With any acquisition, the new owners changed the ski resort’s name to Snowriver Mountain Resort. In addition, the Indianhead area will be called Jackson Creek Summit, and Blackjack will be Black River Basin. The HUGE news though is the initial big investment – the first ever high-speed chairlift is coming to the region.
What Makes It One-Of-A Kind
Along with the ample snowfall, Jackson Creek’s lodging/parking is also unique in that it sits at the top, overlooking the Ottawa National Forest and you ski down. The soft snow plus wide-open terrain is perfect for families. Black River Basin’s vertical and acreage might be a bit smaller than Jackson Creek’s, but it does provide an assortment of tightly treed glades and groomers not to be missed. If you do visit this area, be sure to set aside time to see the Western Hemisphere’s largest active ski jump – Copper Peak. On a clear day, you can see this monster right from the slopes.
Trollhaugen
It’s All About The Park
What do you do to keep yourself entertained on shorter slopes? Park! And when it comes to kickers, booters, rails, and all sorts of other obstacles, Trollhaugen is annually ranked as one of the best in the Midwest. Continually refreshing the options within each of their three, sometimes four parks, you won’t get bored. Alongside their rope tow access, you can literally make hundreds of laps in their parks without stopping. And on Fridays, you can ski/ride until 3 AM!!! Besides a sick park, it also has a comfy ski bar that allows you a view of almost every run on the hill while sipping on a brew.
Chestnut Mountain
Jaw-Dropping Views With A Dash Of History
Conditions and terrain are of course a top priority, but when you actually get away, why not combine it with a full experience. That’s what Chestnut and the historic town of Galena provide. Established in 1826, nearly 85 percent of the “city that time forgot” is on the national register of historic places. Alongside the historic charm, head eight miles southeast to Chestnut Mountain Resort. Perched high above the mighty Mississippi River, the views provided are one-of-a kind. If skiing all day isn’t enough, they also offer up schussing under the lights. It’s the perfect option for a romantic getaway or family vacation.
Crystal Mountain
Best Service & Amenities
When you think of full amenity resorts in the Midwest, Crystal Mountain should be pretty high up on the list. While not the biggest or snowiest resort, Crystal is all about going the extra mile on what it has. From providing the highest quality conditions possible on the slopes to a pedestrian friendly village and a focus on customer service, this all encompassing resort is a great option for those that just need to pamper themselves but still get a bunch of laps in. We’re guessing the word is out since they were the highest ranked ski resort in the Condé Nast Traveler Reader’s Choice Award… and not just in the winter, but all four seasons for the Best Resort in the Midwest.
Caberfae Peaks
Alta Of The Midwest
To have SKI Magazine call you the “Alta of the Midwest”, it tells you A LOT about the place. That the ski area has a deep history focused on what’s important – skiing. Caberfae opened in the 1930’s and since then have aggressively expanded over the decades. In the 70s as was described in the book Ski Inc. 2020 Caberfae Peaks was “a sprawling series of hills served by 20-plus rope tows, five T-Bars and a chairlift, spanning some two miles from end-to-end.” And then in the 80s took this complex and moved tons of earth to two peaks increasing the ski area’s vertical from 270 to a hefty 485 feet.
Where the movement of dirt happened years ago, the trails provide a sense of above tree line skiing. At the same time, the lower mountain features ski trails that thread through forests especially on North Peak and off the Shelter Chair. And looker’s left you even have a hike to backcountry section. This combination provides a different feel than any other midwest resort. Then there is the skiers. You won’t find park rats or downhill Giant Slalom wannabes but people that love to ski as much as they can and love it. And it’s all done with the old school DIY spirit. It’s no wonder Ski Magazine called it “Alta of the Midwest.”
Lutsen Mountains
The Biggest
By far the biggest resort in the Midwest is Lutsen Mountains. Sitting on the ancient Sawtooth Mountains, these peaks rise over a thousand vertical feet above the monstrous Lake Superior. Offering four interconnected peaks with 95 trails spread over 1,000 acres, there’s enough variety to keep you occupied for days. Due to its northerly location (nearly 250 miles further north than Minneapolis), the ski season runs WAY longer than the rest of the region too, usually into May. From the summit of Eagle, Ullr, Moose and Mystery, skiers and snowboarders can gaze across the vastness of Lake Superior that looks less like a lake and more like an inland ocean.
For me personally growing up in Chicagoland, my friends and I enjoyed winters just as much or more than our summers. While many of us now live out West chasing powder, it was these Midwest ski resorts that made us fall in love with the sport.
All of those resorts that you love depend on a constant flow of new skiers/snowboarders in order to remain financially viable. Where do all of those brand new skiers and snowboarders come from ? Typically the vast majority of them do not come from the ski areas that you listed (Tyrol might be an exception). There are lots of other very good ski areas in the Midwest that provide excellent programs at AFFORDABLE prices to get Brand new (to skiing and snowboarding) started. Everybody in the industry, including publications, needs to wake up to the fact that we need to bring in more, lots more, new people in order for this industry to survive. Currently only 2.6% of the population actually skiis or snowboards. The National Ski Areas Association shows a 10+ year decline in participants.
Gren,
Great perspective and we totally agree with you. We’re very fortunate in the Tahoe basin to have a “farming system” of small resorts that incrementally step up to the big ones. Places like Tahoe Donner, Granlibakken, and even Boreal (in some ways) are the reason why resorts like Heavenly, Sierra, and Squaw have so many new skiers due to the smaller ones. We try our best to promote affordable options… and don’t worry this is only the beginning of this Midwest Ski Resort Guide. 🙂 We’re going to continually expand on it. Feel free to nominate a few more places that we should include on next year’s update.
HI Gren,
I could not agree more and that’s why we started the Indy Pass. It features 14 awesome, small resorts in the Upper Midwest plus 30 others across North America. Pass holders get two days at each resort for just $199 so they can explore in every region and hopefully get hooked and buy a season pass. Either way, it eliminates a huge barrier for a lot of folks and helps promote independent, small resorts. Cheers!
Skied them all and am a long time Midwestern die hard skiier. Can’t agree with the recommendation for Crystal though. Even by midwest standards, there’s just no vertical at Crystal. Sure, the new lodge is nice and access is easy, but the hill behind a hill, next to a hill… all adding up to zilch in real vert, just make this place a non-starter for us. For a better experience, we’ll always keep driving north and head up to Boyne Highlands or Boyne Mtn, go west to Devils Head, GP or any of the other places suggested above. And, for Illinois… Chestnut is a place that really impresses in terms of decent vert, great views and a nice restaurant and hotel on site.
Troy,
I totally can see your perspective on that. That’s one of the reasons why we explicitly said that they maximize what their property gave them. They focus on making sure the entire vacation experience from customer service to amenities is up to snuff. But I can totally get your drift. 🙂
Giants Ridge should be on this list. 500 feet of vertical and brand new lifts including a high speed quad. Onsite lodging as well. They have steeper and longer runs than many mid-west resorts to also. Not many places in the midwest off high speed lifts. I can think of only 4, Lutsen, Giants Ridge, Spirit Mountain and Granite Peak.
The bar and overall vibe at Trollhaugen are amazing and make up for the lack of vert of interesting terrain.
There are three high speed quads at Alpine Valley Resort, southeastern Wisconsin.
What about Ski Brule?????????
Ski Brule. Vote number 1 family resort by on the snow. And not even mentioned.
Hey Jason,
We’re HUGE fans of Ski Brule and we will definitely add them to our guide. 🙂 Good call out.
Lutsen is an amazing hidden gem. As this article notes, it is really big (in comparison to other Midwest ski hills), and the terrain is quite varied. Add in a new gondola (with a very nice view), and a 6-person high-speed lift, and you can get a lot of good skiing done. There are a couple of good ski-to-your-door accommodations onsite, and a restaurant/bar with live music. Getting here is the only downside, although a visit to underrated Duluth can be a nice stop on the way.
Lutsen is a great place for beginners and intermediates as well as families who are just getting into the sport of skiing. Not much there for advanced skiers. That’s not a knock on the area but reality, and where it 20+ years ago when my kids were learning, I would have made it an annual trip.
Granite Peak Wausau