The Biggest Ski Resorts in North America

Updated June 5, 2024 01:20PM

There’s something undeniably fascinating about massive ski areas with thousands of skiable acres criss-crossed by dozens of chairlifts. While we don’t make ’em big like in Europe (we’ll tackle that list next), North America’s largest resorts are veritable winter wonderlands—places where you can park yourself for the better part of a week, map out your daily itinerary, and never ski the same run twice. Maybe that’s the lure—a level of adventure and exploration that you can’t get at your local hill.

If that’s what you’re after, here are the resorts with the most skiable acres, chairlifts, and straight-up adventure on the continent.

1. Whistler Blackcomb, B.C.

Utah’s Powder Mountain technically boasts the most skiable acreage (8,464 acres), but only 2,000 of it is lift-served. Whistler Blackcomb comes out on top thanks to its 32 lifts and 8,000-plus skiable acres. And with the recent upgrade of the Fitzsimmons Express with a high-speed eight-pack chair, the Blackcomb base area experience has been vastly improved. Whistler does everything big, from its raucous après scene in the village to its thigh-burning 5,280 feet of vertical. It may be trite to say that there’s something for everyone here, but Whistler is one of the few ski resorts where it rings true.

2. Park City Resort, Utah

This resort located just 35 minutes outside Salt Lake City became the largest ski resort in the United States when Vail Resorts bought Park City Mountain Resort from Powdr Corp. in 2014 and combined it with neighboring Canyons Resort. Despite their connection, this behemoth is best skied one side at a time, as it’s so big that navigating between the two is time consuming and traverse-heavy. That said, there’s a ton of great terrain on both the Park City and Canyons side, from the expert terrain off of Park City’s Jupiter lift to the steeps off of the Ninety Nine Ninety chair at Canyons.

3. Palisades Tahoe, Calif.

It was years in the making, but when the Base-to-Base Base Gondola debuted in 2022, connecting Palisades Tahoe (formerly Squaw Valley with neighboring Alpine Meadows, it was worth the wait. The innovative gondola ferries skiers easily between the two base villages via the KT-22 mid-station, with the option for expert skiers to unload there. Both mountains have managed to retain their individual personas, with Palisades offering some of the best extreme terrain in the country, while Alpine’s bowl skiing has the type of views, varied terrain, and pitch to satisfy intermediates on up. The Olympic history—Palisades hosted the first-ever fully televised Winter Games in 1960—is the cherry on top.

4. Big Sky, Mont.

Big Sky has invested massively in its terrain, infrastructure, and services over the last decades, and the results are evident. The new Lone Peak Tram, which debuted last season, is a major upgrade befitting a summit as majestic as Lone Peak. Big Sky is best known for its signature “big” terrain, including Big Couloir, an experts-only in-bounds run that drops 1,400 feet from the summit of Lone Peak. Avalanche gear is required, as is signing out at the patrol shack at the top. Another “big” at Big Sky, although in an entirely different way, is the run that starts at the top of Liberty Bowl and ends down at the mountain village—over six miles long.

5. Vail Mountain, Colo.

Anyone who has skied Vail’s Back Bowls and Blue Sky Basin may find it hard to believe that it’s only the fourth-largest ski area in North America, because this place skis big. Savvy Vail skiers know how to navigate the mountain to stay ahead of the crowds, which can also be big at this popular Colorado mega-resort. The key is to head to the bowls, which on their own comprise over 3,000 acres of wide-open terrain and are a true wonderland on powder days. The challenge: Make it to Outer Mongolia and back before the lifts wind down at 2:30 p.m.

6. Heavenly Mountain Resort, Calif.

Tahoe’s largest ski resort straddles the Nevada-California state line and is known for its massive lake views from just about anywhere on the slopes. Heavenly sits on the southeast side of the lake and serves up some of the best views in the region. For the biggest eyefuls, board the Sky Express to the summit then beeline for Ridge Run, which meanders along the resort’s boundary. The views of the turquoise lake and the white Sierra peaks beyond are simply stunning.

7. Mt. Bachelor, Ore.

This volcano boasts one of the longest ski seasons in North America plus straight-up 360-degree views from its summit, which is truly a sight to behold. Another thing Bachelor goes big on? Snow. The ski area gets over 460 inches a season, burying its 4,000-plus acres of glades, chutes, and bowls and in that signature PacNW powder. The Summit Chair is where it’s at for expert terrain, but the glades off of the Outback and Northwest chairs are money when the Summit is shut down due to wind.

8. Sun Peaks Resort, B.C.

Not as well-known as its neighbor to the west, Canada’s second-largest resort is an ideal option for groups with mixed abilities and ages. What really stands out about Sun Peaks is how easy it is to navigate despite its considerable size. All three peaks are skiable right from the main village, a quaint pedestrian area that you can actually ski through to get from your lodge to the lifts and back. One thing Sun Peaks isn’t big on is crowds, so come prepared to breeze through lift lines and rack up big vertical.

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