The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA), whose members include most U.S. ski areas, keeps tabs on an astonishing amount of information, including the number of ski areas operating in each state. Many people would guess that Colorado or California has the most ski resorts. In fact, neither one takes the top spot.
While the West may bring big mountains and fresh powder to mind, it’s the East and the Midwest that have the highest concentrations of ski areas, many of them small, community-focused hills.
Which State Has the Most Ski Resorts?
New York has the most ski areas of any state, with 52, a spot it has held for years. It’s followed by Michigan, with about 40. Based on NSAA’s tally for the 2024–25 season, here are the 10 states with the most operating ski areas:
- New York: 52
- Michigan: 40
- Colorado: 34
- Wisconsin: 34
- New Hampshire: 30
- California: 27
- Pennsylvania: 26
- Vermont: 25
- Maine: 21
- Minnesota: 21
New York remained No. 1 in NSAA’s numbers for the 2025–26 season, too. Counts shift slightly from year to year as small ski areas close, reopen, or skip a season because of weather.
Which States Have the Fewest Ski Resorts?
At the other end of the spectrum, a handful of states have just one ski area, including Maryland and Tennessee. In all, roughly three dozen states have at least one operating ski area. Browse our full list of U.S. ski resorts by state to find the ski areas closest to you.
How Many Ski Areas Are Operating in the United States?
NSAA reported 492 ski areas operating in the U.S. during the 2024–25 season, up from 484 the season before. Over the long term, the number of ski areas has trended downward, from well over 600 in the late 1980s, as skiers and riders have seen closings and consolidation across the industry, along with changing climate and weather patterns. In recent seasons, though, the total has held relatively steady, and most of the year-to-year change comes from small ski areas closing and reopening.
Why Ski Areas Close
Colorado offers a good look at how and why ski areas close. The reasons vary, but you’ll get the “drift.”
Ski Broadmoor
Ski Broadmoor was the largest and longest-operating ski area in Colorado Springs. It opened as part of the Broadmoor resort in 1959 and was home to some of the best American skiers of the 1960s and ’70s. The resort later handed the ski area over to the City of Colorado Springs, which struggled to run it, and it was eventually operated by Vail before closing in 1991.
Berthoud Pass
Berthoud Pass had a long history of firsts before closing. It opened as one of Colorado’s first ski areas in 1937 and added the state’s first double chairlift in 1947. Safety and permitting issues, competition from nearby Winter Park, and many ownership changes led to its closure for good in 2003. Today, it’s a popular backcountry skiing spot.
Geneva Basin
Geneva Basin opened as Indianhead Ski Area in 1963. Financial problems plagued the ski area for years, and in 1984 a chairlift accident forced it to shut down. Despite several attempts, it never reopened.
Cuchara Mountain Resort
Cuchara opened in 1981 as Panadera Ski Area but soon ran into financial trouble, leading to frequent ownership changes and its eventual closure. Today, the area lives on as Cuchara Mountain Park, with volunteers working to keep the mountain open for outdoor recreation.
Ski Idlewild
Ski Idlewild, in what’s now downtown Winter Park (then called Hideaway Park), began operating in 1961 and was a favorite of novice skiers. Its troubles began in 1986 after a chairlift malfunction, which, though no one was hurt, marked the beginning of the end. Many of its old trails are still used by cross-country skiers.
Hidden Valley
Hidden Valley, inside Rocky Mountain National Park near Estes Park, opened in 1955 and offered a fairly even mix of beginner, intermediate, and advanced terrain. It closed and sold its lifts in 1991, but the area remains popular for sledding and backcountry skiing.
Stagecoach Ski Area
Major funding problems forced the partially built Stagecoach Ski Area, near Steamboat Springs, to close soon after it opened. It operated only briefly, from 1972 to 1974, never fulfilling its original plans.
