In the past, going to a ski resort was something you did just during the winter. Who could blame you for believing that to be the case today? There are still many ski resorts that don’t exactly scream summer vacation. However, some of North America’s family-friendly ski resorts have improved their summer vacation offerings in recent years. In fact, there is so much to do that visiting these ski resorts in the summer may be even more enjoyable than doing so in the winter.
The top summer ski resorts feature all you need for a fun family vacation, no skis necessary, with summer attractions that range from high-flying zip lines and alpine coasters to music festivals, fireworks, and even enormous water parks.
Mountain Vail
In Colorado, Vail
In the summer (mid-June through early September), families go to Vail Mountain and its pedestrian villages in Colorado, which is two hours west of Denver. Take a gondola up to the mountaintop playground Epic Discovery and ride the 3,400-foot alpine thrill ride Forest Flyer coaster, which is fit for Disney World. Play a round of mini golf or go summer tubing (yes, on a track in an inflatable tube). Hiking, bicycling, renting an ATV or UTV, and fly fishing are excellent options for older children and teens, while younger children can get air on the bungee trampolines and feel like spiders on the climbing walls.
Chasing Rabbits includes a restaurant, movie, arcade, speakeasy, and library lounge all under one roof, so stop by for a bite to eat. For expansive condo-style lodging with an outdoor pool and hot tubs overlooking picturesque Gore Creek, stay at the unrivalled Antlers at Vail.
- The resort at Smugglers’ Notch
Vernon, Jeffersonville
The Smugglers’ Notch ski resort in Vermont, sometimes known as “Smuggs,” is a stunning four-season holiday spot with lots of family-friendly activities in the summer (mid-June through early September). The resort’s water park offers eight various pools and four waterslides for the water enthusiasts in your group, while the county fairs, magic performances, and fireworks displays are enjoyed by people of all ages.
When the weather is bad, there are bounce houses, climbing walls, warrior courses, and mini golf indoors. You can engage in activities like pickleball, llama trekking, farmer’s markets, disc golf and zip line canopy tours outside. If your child attends a summer camp programme for at least two days and doesn’t have fun, Smuggler’s Notch will refund the fee. Smuggs even offers camps that are practically certain to be fun.
Boyne Mountain Resort, third
Michigan’s Boyne Falls
Your family can enjoy zip lining through the trees, paddle boarding and beach games, disc golf, indoor and outdoor swimming, and more when you take a summer trip at Boyne Mountain Ski Resort, one of the finest family vacation spots in the Midwest. Avalanche Bay, Michigan’s largest indoor water park, is situated on Boyne Mountain among the peaks of Northern Michigan. Skybridge Michigan, the world’s longest timber-towered suspension bridge, connects the peaks of McLouth and Disciples Ridge.
Older children might get their daily fix of adrenaline by participating in wakeboarding or paintball tournaments. The largest spa complex in Michigan, The Spa at Boyne Mountain, offers tennis, fishing, horseback riding, and spa services that parents will appreciate. You can stay on-site at the resort and be right in the thick of things.
Blue Mountain Resort, no. 4
Blue Mountains, Canada’s Ontario
The kid-friendly summer activities at Canada’s Blue Mountain ski resort include live music, bike skills camps, a tree fort canopy climb, high and low ropes courses, an alpine slide, a swimming pool and an exhilarating triple zip line. Access to gondola rides, a private beach, a putting course, and mountain biking are all included with the purchase of Play All Day passes.
A mountaintop Segway tour offers unrivalled vistas, as do riding water trikes across the pond or the Ridge Runner Mountain Coaster at breakneck speeds. Stay in the on-site accomodation, which comprises both private resort homes and hotel-style amenities, when it’s time to settle in for the night.
- The resort at Jackson Hole Mountain
Wyo.’s Teton Village
The Aerial Tram at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort is your ticket to breathtaking summer views of the Tetons and Jackson Hole Valley. It’s a 12-minute upward trip that gives you access to trails and the chance to explore Grand Teton National Park and Bridger-Teton National Forest, making it one of the most well-liked things to do in Jackson Hole.
Jackson Hole Bike Park includes thrilling jumps, tabletops, and turns for beginners to more experienced downhill cyclists. Get pumped for cycling there. To improve your kids’ abilities and safety, you can enrol them in youth bike camps or hire a private bicycling guide. Even adapted off-road recumbents and handcycles are available at the resort so that anyone who wants to ride can experience the thrill.
Go high on the resort’s aerial adventure course, soar into the air on the bungee trampoline, or climb to the top of the climbing wall for additional high-altitude action. Or, for a guided climbing adventure that takes you through bridges, up ladders, and through the picturesque Casper Bowl, try the Via Ferrata. Fly fishing, yoga, and water spray parks are more sedate ways to enjoy the ski resort throughout the summer, while alpine treks, paragliding, or simply dining on The Deck at Piste are enjoyable activities. Standard hotels and lakeside lodging inside the national park are both options for summer lodging.
Ski resort Whistler Blackcomb No. 6
Canada’s Whistler, in British Columbia
This summer in Whistler, British Columbia, there are bear sighting tours, multimedia night walks, and spinning in a human gyroscope on the schedule. The Whistler Blackcomb ski resort has a Family Adventure Zone that includes a rock climbing wall, a bouncy castle, a ropes course, and an inflatable hamster ball that can fit two people inside. The Peak 2 Peak gondola trip, which takes you between Whistler and Whistler Blackcomb and offers 360-degree views of volcanoes, glaciers, and rainforests, can be the highlight of your summer.
Jay Peak Resort No. 7
Vermont’s Jay
Vermont only has one indoor water park, but the 60,000 square foot Pump House Waterpark is one of the best of its kind in the whole nation. It may be found at Jay Peak Resort, a year-round vacation spot that shines particularly brightly for families in the summer. Even the water park at the resort has a retractable roof to allow in the summertime sun.
Visitors come from all across the northeast and even from Canada for Jay Peak’s Summer Music Series. Your teenager might take pleasure in making new acquaintances at gatherings, including some from Canada. Here, both the golf course and the expansive vistas from the aerial tram are spectacular. When the mood strikes, go hiking, biking, play disc golf, or visit the spa. If it rains, there is also an indoor climbing gym and a movie theatre to keep you occupied. There is daycare offered for visitors staying at the resort (and even those staying off-site), both half-day and full-day.
