Best Ski Resorts in New Hampshire

Alright, here is the last installment of ski resorts by state, within the Northeast of the U.S. (here is NY’s list, VT’s, and ME’s). New Hampshire, is very similar to New York, with the resorts it offers. There are a couple bigger ones, but mostly the mountains are on the smaller side. Which is no big deal, it just means you get to know the mountain much quicker! But I’m really excited, most of these mountains are on my bucket-list. So, let’s get started.

1. The first mountain on our list is, Cannon Mountain. Cannon is one of New Hampshire’s biggest resorts, offering 97 trails. It has 285 acres of skiable terrain, receives an average of 160 inches of snowfall per season (an average snowfall for the Northeast is anything over 90 inches), and has a 2,180ft vertical drop (the largest in NH). North Conway, NH (the North Conway Mountain Inn is great) is a great place to stay at, and is a little over an hour away, with lots of things to do. Or you could stay at Plymouth, which is a little over 30 minutes away, and has a lot of outdoor activities to do.

2. Second on our list is, Attitash Mountain. Attitash is centered in the middle of the beautiful White Mountains (home to Mount Washington, the tallest mountain in the East). It is also apart of the Epic pass (here is a list of all the mountains). It has 68 trails, 2 peaks (Attitash & Bear), over 311 skiable acres, and a 1,750ft vertical drop. North Conway is a great place to stay which is about 15 minutes from Attitash.

3. Third on our list is, Bretton Woods. Bretton Woods, has three peaks, Mount Rosebrook, West Mountain, and Mount Stickney (only for Nordic skiers). It is New Hampshire’s largest ski resort, having 98 trails and glades, 464 acres of skiing/snowboarding, over 200 inches of snowfall per season, and a 1,500ft vertical drop. Bretton Woods is located in Jefferson, NH, which is about 40 minutes from North Conway, which I recommend staying at. Depending where you are driving from, either right before or right after the turn for Bretton Woods, you will see the infamous Mount Washington Resort. This resort is located right next to Mount Washington and the presidential range, on a nice clear, sunny day, there is a pullover spot where you can take pictures of this EPIC view. Seriously, it is gorgeous. And when you’re skiing or snowboarding at Bretton, you can see Mount Washington, it’s beautiful. They also have a trail named after the famous Olympic skier, Bode Miller. It’s a super cool resort!

4. Fourth on this list is, Loon Mountain. Loon has 61 trails, 370 acres of skiing and snowboarding, 8 different glade areas, 3 peaks, and a 2,100ft vertical drop. They also offer tubbing, and many Nordic, and snowshoeing trails. It is located in Lincoln, NH, which is only 20 minutes from Franconia, about 30 minutes from Plymouth, and about an hour from Concord. All four of these cities are good places to stay at.

5. Our fifth mountain is, Cranmore. Located in North Conway, Cranmore is about an hour from either Lincoln or Franconia, and almost two hours from Concord, NH. Thus, I recommend staying in either North Conway, Lincoln, or Franconia. I would lean more towards North Conway, solely because then you are pretty close to several other ski mountains as well. This is one of our smaller mountains, thus it is great for newbies to skiing and snowboarding. They offer 56 trails, which is mostly intermediate terrain, 170 total acres of skiing/snowboarding, and a 1,200ft vertical drop.

6. Sixth on our list is, Mount Sunapee. Mount Sunapee is also apart of the Epic pass. It offers 67 trails, 233 skiable terrain, four terrain parks, an average of 130 inches of snowfall per season, and a 1,510ft vertical drop. Mount Sunapee is located in Concord, New Hampshire. Concord is a little over 30 minutes away, which is where I recommend staying at.

7. Seventh on this list is, Gunstock Mountain. Gunstock has over 35 trails and glades, 120 inches of average snowfall, a 1,340ft vertical drop, with many cross-country trails as well. Gunstock is located in Gilford, NH, which is a little over 30 minutes away from Concord, and is where I recommend staying.

8. The eighth mountain on our list is, Wildcat Mountain. Wildcat is also apart of the Epic pass. It offers spectacular views of Tuckerman’s Ravine and Mount Washington, and is a sister mountain to Attitash Mountain. Wildcat offers mostly intermediate terrain, many cross-country trails, and has a 2,100ft vertical drop. Wildcat is centered in Gorham, which is about 2 hours from Concord and about an hour from Franconia and Lincoln. Again, I would recommend staying in either Franconia or Lincoln, because then you can easily access other awesome resorts.

9. Ninth on our list is, Ragged Mountain. Ragged Mountain has 57 trails, 250 skiable acres, mostly expert trails, 3 terrain parks, and a 1,250ft vertical drop. Ragged is located in Danbury, NH, which is about 45 minutes from Concord. Both places are great to stay at.

10. Tenth on our list is, Black Mountain. Black Mountain has 45 trails and glades, 143 skiable acres, views of the Presidential Range and Mount Washington, and a 1,100ft vertical drop. Located in Jackson, NH, it is about 12 minutes from North Conway, and an hour from Franconia or Lincoln. Which again, I recommend staying at either of these 3 places mentioned.

This is a quick side note, but a great company for skiing and snowboarding is, Darn Tough. They sell awesome socks for skiing, snowboarding, hiking, whatever your outdoor activity is, they have socks for it. They truly are great, and I highly recommend buying some socks from.

11. Eleventh on our list is, Tenney Mountain. Tenney Mountain has 48 trails, mostly intermediate, a tubbing park, and 60 years of service. It is located in Plymouth, NH, and is a great town to stay at. Also, I would recommend this mountain for beginners to intermediates because, since it is a smaller mountain, you won’t feel as overwhelmed. And the trails are mostly intermediate ones, thus you will hopefully feel more comfortable here, as a beginner or intermediate.

12. Twelfth on our list is, Whaleback Mountain. Whaleback Mountain is again one of our smaller mountains, and the last one. Again, I recommend this mountain for beginner to intermediates, because it offers mostly intermediate runs. And, again, because it is smaller, hopefully you won’t be as intimidated. It offers 30 different trails, night skiing/snowboarding, 85 skiable acres, and a 700ft vertical drop.

Whaleback is located in Enfield, NH. Enfield is about 50 minutes from Plymouth, and about an hour from Concord. I recommend staying in either Plymouth, or Concord, because again, this way, you can access other mountains relatively easier, than staying in Enfield.

And that wraps up this list of the different ski resorts in New Hampshire. I hope this gives you some new ideas of where to ski or snowboard at, for this season, or next year. And I hope you can get out and shred up some mountains, or all of them. Thank you for reading and get skiing or snowboarding!

P.S. Here is a website that gives all the stats for all the ski mountains in New Hampshire, even the really tiny ones. And it tells you about other state’s ski resorts too. Also, this website is incredibly helpful for other ski resorts within New Hampshire as well!