Ski-Adjacent Lodging in the Green Mountains: A Region Overview

Stowe Mountain Resort is on Mount Mansfield, Vermont's highest peak at 4,393 feet, where skiing dates to the 1930s. Stowe's lodging lines the 7 miles of Mountain Road between the village and the mountain, from small inns and Stowe Motel & Snowdrift to von Trapp Family Lodge & Resort, on 2,600 acres, and The Lodge at Spruce Peak at the base. Stowe costs more than most Vermont ski towns and books up early for holiday weeks.

Killington bills itself as the largest ski resort in the East. Its base area is a strip of lodges, restaurants and ski-in/ski-out properties along Killington Road, not a Vermont village. Lodging falls into two groups: base-area properties such as Killington Grand Resort Hotel, connected to the Snowshed base by a bridge, and inns in Woodstock or Ludlow, a short drive away. Woodstock, about 20 minutes east, has a historic village green and The Woodstock Inn & Resort.

The Mad River Valley has two ski areas, Sugarbush and Mad River Glen. Mad River Glen is owned by a cooperative of its skiers, does not allow snowboards and still runs a single chairlift. Warren and Waitsfield have independent inns and B&Bs that serve skiers in winter and the valley's summer visitors, including The Pitcher Inn in Warren and Hyde Away Inn, built in 1949 as one of Mad River Glen's original lodges.

Jay Peak, a few miles from the Canadian border, advertises the deepest snow in eastern North America and has long drawn skiers from Quebec. Jay Peak Resort's own hotel, condominiums and indoor waterpark make it largely self-contained. Smaller inns are a short drive away in Montgomery and Montgomery Center, such as Phineas Swann, 7 miles from the mountain.

Okemo Mountain Resort rises above the village of Ludlow, which has inns and restaurants a short drive from the lifts. The Governor's Inn, built in 1890, is 1.4 miles from Okemo, and The Inn at Water's Edge is on Echo Lake, under 5 miles away. Chester, about 12 miles southeast, is a quieter alternative with a historic village center.

Manchester, in southern Vermont, is near both Bromley Mountain and Stratton. Its lodging leans toward New England inns open year-round, such as The Equinox, a hotel since 1769, and The Inn at Ormsby Hill. The Johnny Seesaw's has been next door to Bromley since 1924, and Stratton, about 25 minutes from Manchester, has its own village with slopeside lodging. Manchester suits travelers who want to combine skiing with shopping, golf or summer visits.