Vermont Ski Week Itinerary

Overview

This itinerary works for a trip arriving Sunday and departing the following Saturday or Sunday. Flying in? Burlington International (BTV) is your best airport, putting you 45 minutes from Stowe and under 1.5 hours from Killington via I-89. You can also drive in from Boston in about 3.5 hours, New York in about 4.5 hours, or Montreal in just 90 minutes.

The routing here runs north to south: three nights based in Stowe, then one travel day south to the Mad River Valley for two nights, then two nights at Killington to close it out. That order avoids backtracking and gives you three genuinely different mountains with different terrain characters and snow profiles. For the full picture on Vermont's ski scene, pass options, and resort comparisons, the Skiing and Snowboarding page covers it in detail. And if a full week isn't possible, see A Weekend in Vermont or 3 Days in Vermont for tighter itineraries built around the same regions.

One thing worth doing before you leave home: buy lift tickets online. At most Vermont mountains, tickets purchased seven or more days out run 20 to 30 percent lower than window prices, which range from $80 to $180 per day (estimate) at the major resorts. If you plan to ski four or more days, compare day-ticket costs against Ikon Pass pricing, Stowe, Sugarbush, and Killington are all Ikon mountains, which makes a pass worth running through the math. This Vermont Travel Guide has additional planning links for the full trip.

Day 1: Arrive and Settle in Stowe

Fly into BTV or drive I-89 to Exit 10, then follow Route 100 north into Stowe village. The drive from the highway is about 10 minutes. Once you're checked in, walk the village stretch on Mountain Road and Main Street, find dinner, and get any equipment sorted. Several rental shops operate along Mountain Road near the resort base. If you're renting skis, confirm your boot fit the evening before your first ski day rather than the morning of, it saves time.

The Green Mountain Inn on 18 Main Street is a solid Stowe base with rooms that have been part of downtown since 1789. It puts you in walking distance of the village restaurants and shops, and the staff knows the mountain well enough to give you current conditions advice at breakfast. Stowe lodging rates run $150 to $350 per night (estimate) for standard rooms in peak winter weeks; booking six to eight weeks out for Presidents' Day weekend or the January holiday stretch is not optional.

Day 2: Stowe Mountain Resort

Stowe Mountain Resort sits on the flanks of Mount Mansfield, Vermont's highest peak at 4,395 feet, with 116 trails and 2,360 feet of vertical spread across the Mansfield and Spruce Peak sides. The Mansfield gondola gives you the fastest way to the upper mountain; from the top, you can see the Chin summit ridge above and, on clear days, Lake Champlain to the west and the White Mountains of New Hampshire to the east.

Strong intermediate skiers should spend the morning on National and Nosedive, two of the classic steep groomed runs on the main face. The North Slope trails off the Skye Peak quad have long, flowing lines with fewer crowds than the gondola side. Spruce Peak is worth an afternoon run or two, particularly for anyone in your group who wants gentler terrain while you ski the steeper pitch on the other side. End the day in the village, not at the base lodge.

Day 3: Smugglers' Notch Resort

Smugglers' Notch Resort sits in Jeffersonville, but you cannot drive there directly from Stowe in winter because Route 108 through the Notch closes to traffic once snow falls. The workaround: take Route 100 south to Morrisville, then Route 15 west to Jeffersonville. The drive takes about 40 minutes. Worth it.

Smugglers' Notch Resort runs three interconnected mountains: Morse, Sterling, and Madonna. Madonna Mountain has some of the steepest expert terrain in the East, with double-black glades that hold powder days after the last snowfall. The resort has a well-earned family reputation, with strong ski school programming and a base village that keeps everything centralized. If you're traveling with mixed ability levels, Smuggs handles that better than any other Vermont mountain, beginners on Morse, experts on Madonna, and everyone meets at the base for lunch.

Day 4: Road Day to the Mad River Valley

Pack up from Stowe and head south on I-89 toward Waterbury. Stop at Exit 10 in Waterbury for lunch, this stretch of Route 2 through Waterbury village has a strong food-and-drink scene, and it's worth a midday hour even on a travel day. From Waterbury, take Route 2 west briefly, then pick up Route 100 south for about 20 miles through the hills to Warren and the Mad River Valley. The drive from Stowe to Warren runs roughly one hour.

Get checked into your Mad River Valley lodging in the early afternoon and spend the rest of the day at the base area at Sugarbush Resort or exploring Waitsfield village, a mile north on Route 100. The Mad River Valley has a different feel from Stowe, smaller scale, more working-Vermont character, and the kind of apres scene where local skiers and resort guests overlap.

Day 5: Sugarbush Resort

Sugarbush Resort in Warren operates two interconnected mountains, Lincoln Peak and Mount Ellen, with 111 trails and 2,600 feet of vertical. The main gatehouse and Lincoln Peak lifts are at the base off Gate House Lane. Mount Ellen is accessible via a connecting lift once you're on the mountain. The resort has a reputation among Vermont skiers for strong natural snow and a less corporate feel than the larger Ikon flagships; on a good snow year, the Lincoln Peak glades and open pitch runs hold up well into March.

Sugarbush suits intermediate and advanced skiers particularly well. Gate House, Carinthia, and the Upper Face on Lincoln Peak are where the mountain shows its character. Beginners have options on the lower mountain, but this isn't the easiest terrain in Vermont, if you have a true beginner in your group, the Stowe or Smugglers' Notch days are better teaching days. Plan to stay on the mountain through early afternoon, then drive to Warren village for dinner at one of the valley restaurants.

Day 6: Drive to Killington

From Warren, Killington is about 45 minutes south on Route 100. The valley road runs through Rochester and Hancock before climbing Route 4 into the Killington corridor. This is a genuinely good drive on a clear winter morning, through hill country and along the White River before the road turns ski-resort commercial near Killington proper.

Killington Resort is Vermont's largest ski area: 155 trails across six peaks, 3,050 feet of vertical, and the most reliably long season in the region, it often opens in mid-November and can run into late April. The size makes it work for full days of exploration without retracing your steps. The Killington Grand Resort Hotel on East Mountain Road sits slope-side with direct access to the K1 gondola. Staying slopeside here means walking to the lift in the morning rather than dealing with parking or shuttles, which matters more than it sounds after four ski days. Rates at the Grand run $200 to $450 per night (estimate) during peak winter weeks.

Day 7: Final Killington Morning and Depart

Take a final morning on the mountain before heading home. The K1 Express Gondola opens first and gives you access to the full 3,050 feet of vertical; this is the right move on your last morning. Killington on a midweek day, especially early January or the first two weeks of March, runs considerably quieter than weekend crowds, with lift lines that feel almost negligible compared to a Saturday.

If you're flying out of BTV, leave Killington no later than 1 p.m. to allow for the 1.5-hour drive north on Route 4 to I-89, then up to Burlington. Give yourself two hours before your flight to be safe, BTV is a small airport, but winter driving in Vermont has its own timing variables. If you're driving home to Boston or New York, you can ski a full morning and leave by noon for either destination.

Where to Stay

In Stowe, the Green Mountain Inn on 18 Main Street is a strong downtown pick with history, good service, and a pool. The Lodge at Spruce Peak on Mountain Road is the higher-end ski-in option at the Stowe Mountain base, with rates running $300 to $600 per night (estimate) in peak season. In the Mad River Valley, a mix of small inns and condo rentals around Waitsfield and Warren keeps costs manageable at $120 to $250 per night (estimate) for ski-season stays. The Killington Grand Resort Hotel on East Mountain Road at Killington offers slope-side access and full hotel amenities, and it's the clearest choice if on-mountain location matters more than anything else.

For options across the state, the Where to Stay in Vermont page covers inns, hotels, and ski lodging by region.

Book These Ahead

Lodging in Stowe and at Killington during Presidents' Day weekend (mid-February) fills months ahead. The same applies to the week between Christmas and New Year's. For early January or late February shoulder weeks, four to six weeks out is usually enough for Stowe; Killington slopeside lodging sells faster. Lift tickets at all three resorts should be bought online at least a week ahead of each ski day to get the advance-purchase discount. Ski school reservations at Smugglers' Notch, particularly for multi-day programs, should be made well in advance.

If you want to extend this itinerary north after Stowe, Jay Peak Resort is 90 minutes north of Stowe via Route 100 through Morrisville and Troy, and it sits close to the Canadian border in the Northeast Kingdom. Jay averages the heaviest natural snowfall of any Vermont resort, typically over 350 inches per year, because it sits directly in the path of systems tracking down from Canada. It's worth two days if your schedule allows.