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The 7 Most Popular Ski Resorts in the U.S.

Originally posted on Powder | By Izzy Lidsky | Last updated Jan 13, 2025 1:10 PM ET

Certain ski resorts seem to appear on every 'best of' list, but do the hard numbers actually match the reputation? Well, it's pretty hard to say, at least in the U.S.

A lot of ski areas keep their exact skier visits per year under wraps for a bunch of different reasons. Luckily, there are several different organizations that will report on total skier visits per state or region. So, using estimates and rough numbers, this is what we dug up as far as the most popular resorts in the U.S. based on skier visits.

1. Breckenridge, Colorado

Breckenridge sees roughly 1.5 million skiers per year which isn't super surprising given its location and terrain. 'Breck' is one of the many resorts in Summit County, Colorado, just an hour and change up the road from Denver (depending on skier traffic). Breckenridge itself is more of a 'real' town than some of the other Summit County ski resorts. It's also the highest resort in Summit in terms of elevation, with its base at 9,600' and summit reaching above 12,000'. Breckenridge sees 300" of snowfall annually and is part of the Epic Pass.

2. Vail Mountain, Colorado

Another Colorado mountain that unsurprisingly sees tons of skiers per year is Vail. Similar to Breckenridge, around 1.5 million people ski Vail annually. Things like its Legendary Back Bowls, 350" of annual snowfall, and proximity to airports make Vail a super popular place to ski. Vail is about an hour and a half from Denver, depending on skier traffic, which also makes it a popular destination for Colorado skiers. Vail is a part of the Epic Pass as well, which makes it a good spot for conglomerate passholders.

3. Keystone, Colorado

Just down the road from Breckenridge in Summit County is Keystone, which sees about 1.4 million skiers per year. Another convenient location for Colorado residents and visitors, Keystone has slopeside lodging options and is in close proximity to the nearby towns of Silverthorne and Frisco. Keystone has 3100+ skiable acres, 280 of which are also open for night skiing, meaning Keystone also has the longest ski day of anywhere in Colorado. Keystone is also on the Epic Pass.

4. Park City Mountain Resort, Utah

All 15 of Utah's ski resorts see about 6.75 million skiers annually. Park City is the second largest resort in the state behind Powder Mountain and definitely one of the most popular. It's hard to say exactly how many of those visits can be attributed to Park City, but it's safe to assume it's a good chunk.

Park City is fairly centrally located close to Salt Lake and part of the Epic Pass. The town itself also has lots of cool dining and lodging options for visitors. Park City is also home to a number of big outdoor brands, so it's not out of the realm of possibilities that employees of those brands ski Park City pretty often.

5. Palisades Tahoe, California

The last statistic available for Palisades Tahoe was that it saw 600,000 skiers per year, but that number was from 2014. Based on the increases in skiers in the California region over the last 10 years in general, it's pretty safe to assume that number has increased as well.

After all, Palisades Tahoe is not only California's biggest ski resort, but it's also one of the most legendary resorts in the Tahoe area, with amazing terrain and a rich skiing history. Palisades also sees a whopping 450 inches of snow annually making it a pretty good bet for good skiing as well. Palisades Tahoe is on the Ikon Pass.

6. Mammoth Mountain, California

Although less centrally located than other mountains, Mammoth Mountain still sees about 1.3 million skiers annually. Nestled in the Eastern Sierras, Mammoth is about 5-7 hours driving from Los Angeles and San Francisco. The trek is well worth it, though—Mammoth is known for its expansive terrain and long ski seasons, and there's plenty of lodging in Mammoth Lakes. Four hundred inches of snow annually allows Mammoth to stay open much later than other ski areas—sometimes even into August!

7. Killington Resort, Vermont

The Green Mountain State sees 4.1 million skiers annually across its 25 resorts, and Killington accounts for about a million of those visitors alone. Killington has the largest vertical drop of any mountain in the state at 3,050 feet. Killington also has a variety of terrain, and the mountain sees 250" of snowfall a year. Stats like these make it no wonder Killington is holding it down for skier visits in the state.

This article first appeared on Powder and was syndicated with permission.

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