Family Ski Areas Near NYC

By Anna Fader MommyPoppins

1. Best All-Around: Mountain Creek – Vernon, New Jersey
2021 update: You have to buy your tickets (for skiing and snow tubing), lessons, and book rental equipment ahead of time online; there will be no tickets sold at the mountain. Other safety precautions include mask requirements, putting on your gear in the parking lot, and maintaining six feet of distance on lifts.

2. Closest to NYC: Campgaw Mountain – Mahwah, New Jersey
2021 update: A health form—which can be printed on its website—has to be filled out before you can enter. All guests must have their temperature taken. Tickets can also be purchased online ahead of time.

3. Best Ski School: Windham Mountain – Windham, New York
2021 update: Group lessons are being held for kids ages 7-12, while younger children must go the private lesson route—and reservations must be made online ahead of time. There is no daycare program this year. Other safety precautions include social distancing and mask requirements. Lodge capacity has been cut in half.

4. Best for Beginners: Mount Peter – Warwick, New York
​2021 update: Tickets must be purchased ahead of time, and there are mask and other COVID-19 requirements in place. Its ski team program is substantially limited this season.

5. Best Bargain: Belleayre – Highmount, New York
​2021 update: Like other places, tickets, lessons, and rentals have to be bought and/or booked online before you head to the mountain—and currently, only weekdays are available. Masks are required, and there is no childcare this year.

6. Best All-Inclusive: Rocking Horse Ranch – Highland, New York
2021 update: The kid’s program and childcare are currently closed. Other safety protocols, like mask requirements and social distancing, are in place. The resort also recently installed a new air purification system.
​
7. Best for Non-Skiers: Camelback Mountain – Tannersville, Pennsylvania
2021 update: For skiing, tickets and rentals have to be purchased in advance. Other precautions are in place, like mask wearing, additional sanitizing, and social distancing.

8. Best for a Weekend Escape: Split Rock Resort – Lake Harmony, Pennsylvania
2021 update: The hotel’s water park reopens on January 15, but the nearby Jack Frost/Big Boulder ski resort is currently open, and lift tickets should be booked in advance.

9. Best via Public Transportation: Thunder Ridge – Patterson, New York
2021 update: The shuttle will not be in operation this season because of COVID-19 restrictions. But you can catch Metro-North to the Patterson station, then take a cab or Uber to the resort.