Bolton Valley

Many of the states that make the New England region are home to fantastic winter venues, including Vermont's Bolton Valley resort. The mid-sized ski area is one of the few in the state that faces the west and became the nation's second ski resort to have a wind turbine located on-site in 2009. Its proximity to Quebec's border makes it a destination for Canadian snow hounds traveling out of Montreal.

Located east of Burlington, in the town of Bolton, the facilities are easy to reach by Interstate 89. The closest domestic airfield is Burlington International Airport, with Montreal's Montreal-Trudeau International Airport serving guests from north of the border.

Enjoying New England Chill on the Slopes

The Bolton Valley resort rests within the continental climate that produces cold weather at higher elevations. Its base elevation of 2,100 feet is the highest in the Northeast. Vista Peak has a summit elevation of 3,150 feet, helping to create the 1,704-foot vertical that visitors enjoy working down. That elevation helps the ski area receive 312 inches of snowfall on average each year.

Hotel rooms are available at the Bolton Valley resort, and several lodging accommodations are available off-mountain in the nearby communities. There are six dining options to choose from, including the poolside lounge in the Sports Center. The center offers fun off the snow, including a game room, gymnasium, hot tub, pool, sauna, and a skate park. Big Rock Mountain Shop offers shopping for forgotten necessities on the slopes, souvenirs, or locally made items.

The instruction offered at Bolton Valley is impressive, with lessons ranging from a session to season-long classes. Skiing, riding, cross country, and snowshoeing lessons get visitors ready to enjoy what the winter venue has to offer. Adaptive programs, after-school sessions, and freestyle teams offer park rats of all levels and abilities something to do in the pow.

Pick the Adventure

The Bolton Valley resort provides riders and skiers with 300 acres to play on, and there are more than 5,000 acres of back-country terrain for Nordic exploration. While the uphill routes, Nordic trails, and alpine acreage are open during the day, only parts of the alpine trails and terrain parks have nighttime skiing and riding on several nights of the week (this is Vermont's only venue to offer nighttime skiing). The Bolton Valley resort has three terrain parks that guests can rip and shred through, with a typical progressive system and ever-changing features that combine natural and enhanced terrain.

There are over 70 trails that skiers and riders can enjoy at Bolton Valley, with ratings reasonably distributed for everyone to enjoy. Newer skiers and riders can access 34-percent of the trails (green), while those with some experience have 38-percent of the runs rated for their experience level (blue). The remaining trails rate as either black diamond or double diamond for advanced and expert ski bums to explore. Three doubles, two quads, and a surface lift move guests around Bolton Valley, which can get busy around holidays and the beginning/end of the ski season.