Green Mountains vs White Mountains: How the Two Ranges Compare

Vermont has many ski areas spread along the range: Stowe, Killington, Sugarbush, Mad River Glen, Jay Peak, Okemo, Stratton and Bromley each have their own base town and terrain. Killington bills itself as the largest ski resort in the East, Stowe has a long-established resort and village, the Mad River Valley has Sugarbush and the skier-owned Mad River Glen, and Jay Peak advertises the deepest snow in eastern North America.

New Hampshire's ski areas are grouped more tightly: Cannon in Franconia Notch, Loon in Lincoln, Bretton Woods, and Wildcat, Attitash and Cranmore around the Mount Washington Valley. There are fewer of them than in Vermont, but Cannon and Wildcat have a reputation for steep terrain, and Cannon is owned and run by the state.

Many of Vermont's ski towns are villages with locally owned restaurants, independent shops and historic buildings, such as Woodstock, Stowe, Manchester and Warren. The Woodstock Inn & Resort, on the Woodstock village green, and The Pitcher Inn, a Relais & Châteaux inn in Warren, are at the top of the range.

New Hampshire's base towns are more mixed. North Conway is a commercial strip of outlet stores, ski shops and restaurants along Route 16, while Jackson is a small historic village with a covered bridge and several inns. Twin Mountain and the other towns near Bretton Woods are small and mostly practical. For travelers who care about the base town as much as the skiing, Vermont's villages are more consistently historic.

Vermont has many independent inns, from small B&Bs and farm inns in the $ and $$ bands to traditional inns in the $$ and $$$ bands and destination properties such as The Inn at Shelburne Farms and von Trapp Family Lodge & Resort. Top properties fill months ahead for peak ski weekends.

The White Mountains have more motels, family hotels and independent inns in the $ and $$ bands, and fewer destination properties. The Omni Mount Washington Resort in Bretton Woods and The Notchland Inn in Hart's Location are two of them. Travelers on a budget usually find more choice in the White Mountains.

From Boston, the White Mountains are closer: Lincoln and Franconia Notch are about 2 to 2.5 hours via I-93, and North Conway and Bretton Woods about 2.5 to 3 hours. Vermont's ski towns are about 2.5 to 3.5 hours from Boston, with Stowe about 3 to 3.5 hours via I-89.

From New York City, southern Vermont is closer, about 3.5 to 4 hours via I-91 or the Taconic, while Stowe and North Conway are both about 5.5 hours. Beyond southern Vermont, drive time rarely decides the choice for New York travelers.

Both ranges are busiest in ski season, from December through March, and during fall foliage, from mid-September to mid-October, when Vermont's inns and ski towns are among the hardest places in the Northeast to book. In summer, the White Mountains draw more hikers, with their trail network and the above-treeline terrain of the Presidential Range. New Hampshire State Parks publishes seasonal information for Franconia Notch, Crawford Notch and other state parks in the White Mountains.