Originally Posted On: https://www.powder.com/ski-resorts/best-ski-lodges-united-states

From cozy crash pads to luxury stays, these iconic lodges make the perfect ski escape. 

To ski, in many cases, is to stay. We don’t all live within a quick drive of our dream mountain. That means lodging, whether a friend’s couch or a five-star hotel, is necessary for pursuing and eventually scoring the goods. Hostels, remote compounds, luxurious hotels—not every lodge on this list caters to the same kind of skier.

One presents an affordable and unique place to sleep in an otherwise pricey realm: Teton Village. Another facilitates airborne, heli-assisted trips into the Alaskan mountains. Whether you’re seeking luxury or cheaper, soulful digs, these are six of the best ski lodges in North America.

1. Timberline Lodge—Timberline, Oregon 

First built in 1937 and later designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1977, Timberline Lodge, Oregon, oozes classic ski hill charm. Perched on the slopes of Mt. Hood, the lodge serves as a home base for skiers visiting the Timberline ski area. The hotel offers various room types, as well as the Silcox Hut, which is located on the upper mountain near the top of the Magic Mile lift. The Hut is available year-round for private overnights.

Timberline Lodge isn’t just for skiers, though. Cinephiles, too, should check out the hotel. While cozy and picturesque are the first adjectives we’d use to describe the slopeside lodge, renowned director Stanley Kubrick saw something more foreboding in the piece of storied mountain infrastructure. Exterior, aerial shots of the lodge appear in Kubrick’s film adaption of the Stephen King horror novel The Shining, but if you’re worried about ghosts, don’t be. “Rest assured,” reads a passage about the lodge on the ski area’s website. “Timberline is not haunted!” Historical in more ways than one, this lodge embodies North American ski area iconography.

2. The Little Nell—Aspen, Colorado 

In one of skiing’s most ritzy mountain towns—Aspen, Colorado, of course—the Little Nell may earn the highest lodging marks. The upscale but unassuming slopeside crash pad opened in 1989 and has since become one of Aspen’s hottest locales. Here’s a tidbit to give you a better impression of the place: Wagyu cheeseburgers—a veritable collision of ski-bummery and the upper crust—are available at the Little Nell’s Ajax Tavern (if Aspen were a cheeseburger, it, too, would contain Wagyu beef).

If you want to ski your heart out and enjoy the finer things, it’s difficult to do better than the Little Nell. Who knows? You might spot a celebrity amongst the hotel’s patrons. Just don’t stare; they’re also on vacation.

3. The Hostel—Jackson Hole, Wyoming 

There are a lot of wildly luxurious places to stay in and around the base of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, Wyoming, but The Hostel, in contrast, takes a minimal approach with simpler accommodations. It stands out by being Teton Village’s most affordable lodging option. The Hostel’s main amenities, like a pool table and two TVs, are found in the common recreation room, where guests can rub shoulders with fellow skiers. Need to throw a fresh coat of wax on your skis after a day on the hill? Hit the waxing room at the Hostel for a self-service tune-up.

This lodge’s slopeside access is top-notch, too. The lifts are only a quick walk away, as is the Mangy Moose, a popular après hang out in Teton Village. If you don’t need the frills—and want to meet some potential ski buddies—give The Hostel a look.

4. Alta Peruvian Lodge—Alta Ski Area, Utah

Alta Ski Area is, well, Alta Ski Area. Skiers the world over rave about the place, and for good reason. The snow’s deep (548 inches each season, on average!), the terrain’s top-notch, and the locals are talented. Every skier should pay this mountain a visit in their lifetime.

While it’s possible to stay in Salt Lake City and commute up Little Cottonwood Canyon each day, the best way to enjoy Alta is to stay at the base in an accommodation like the Alta Peruvian Lodge. This hotel’s package rates include breakfast, lunch, and dinner, so instead of worrying about where your next meal will come from, you can focus on spinning laps and netting powder turns.

Another perk of staying at the base of Alta: When powder-dense storms arrive, the Utah Department of Transportation sometimes closes the road that winds up Little Cottonwood Canyon due to avalanche risk. If the ski area opens before the road reopens, you’ll basically have the place to yourself and enjoy what locals call a “country club day.” When the skiing’s done, hit the P-Dog at the Peruvian, a famed Alta post-skiing hangout and watering hole.

5. Stein Eriksen Lodge—Deer Valley, Utah 

If your lodge is named after a legend like Stein Eriksen, you have large ski boots to fill. When it comes to matching that reputation, the titular Stein Eriksen Lodge—located at Deer Valley Resort, Utah—doesn’t flinch. Named the Best Ski Hotel 2024 by the World Ski Awards, the Stein pulls out all the stops for luxury-minded skiers.

One standout, among others, is the hotel’s wine cellar, which houses more than $2.6 million worth of fermented drinks. A few glasses of red help take the edge off sore muscles, but the Stein’s outdoor heated swimming pool—or varying spa treatments—would work, too. The hotel even has its own movie theater.

6. Tordrillo Mountain Lodge—Alaska 

You could head to a major ski resort in search of lodging. Or, instead, you could hop on a ski plane and fly into the Alaskan mountains. Outside Anchorage, Alaska, stands Tordrillo Mountain Lodge, a remote group of accommodations designed with outdoor adventures in mind—would-be heli-skiers, this one's for you.
 
The cozy Tordrillo doesn’t skimp on the amenities—you’ll find a cedar sauna, a hot tub, and stellar views—but for skiers, the small lodge’s real draw is its helicopter access. The surrounding Tordrillo Mountains offer top-notch Alaskan terrain—the Tordrillo Mountain Lodge has helicopters and skilled guides to take you there.

Winter visits to the lodge include five Hobbs hours (heliskiing parlance for flight time) for each group of four clients. Gourmet meals with Alaskan ocean-borne flavors like Kachemak Bay oysters, white king salmon, Alaska king crab, halibut, black cod, and scallops round out the experience, sating gastronomy-inclined visitors.