Spring ski season is often the best of all worlds rolled into one: Warming temps, sunny skies, cool nights, and snowy, mountain terrain. With so many great spring skiing destinations around North America, the biggest question is just narrowing down where to travel for that spring skiing getaway. Kind Traveler is here to help with that, as we come to you with 4 Kind Traveler destinations in the West where you can enjoy spring skiing, unique adventures and Kind Hotels.
4 Kind Traveler Destinations in The West for Spring Skiing
Lake Tahoe
Host to the 1960 Winter Olympics, Lake Tahoe is one of America’s top ski destinations, with 15 ski resorts dotting the region, making it one of the largest concentrations of ski resorts in North America. North Lake Tahoe is home to more than 10 ski resorts, including Palisades Tahoe, host of the 1960 Winter Olympics, and Northstar California. Closer to the lake itself, Diamond Peak Ski Resort and Homewood Mountain Resort are smaller, but feature incredible views of Lake Tahoe. In South Lake Tahoe, you’ll find Heavenly Ski Resort, which straddles the Nevada/California border, and has the most skiable acres and highest elevation around Lake Tahoe.
In a typical year, ski season goes into April at many Lake Tahoe ski resorts. However, during a good snow year, Palisades Tahoe can be open as late as Memorial Day. Spring brings a number of fun events, such as pondskimming competitions and music festivals, such as WinterWonderGrass at Palisades Tahoe. However, the headliner, year-round, is Lake Tahoe itself. On a given spring day you could ski in the morning and paddle, hike or bike around Lake Tahoe in the afternoon, ending your day with a lakefront drink or s’mores around a fire pit.
Kind Traveler Stay: Kind Traveler has three hotels around Lake Tahoe empowering you to make a positive impact locally with both Take Care Tahoe and UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center. In North Lake Tahoe there’s the PlumpJack Inn, an Olympic Valley lodge near the base of Palisades Tahoe. In South Lake Tahoe, along the shores of Lake Tahoe is Edgewood Tahoe, which is home to the scenic Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course, and on the West Shore is the lakefront Sunnyside Restaurant & Lodge (coming soon!).
Bend
Located in Central Oregon, Bend sits on the Deschutes River amidst towering Cascade Mountain peaks and beautiful alpine lakes. Just outside of Bend is Mt. Bachelor, a stratovolcano that is home to one of the largest ski resorts in America, featuring 4,300 skiable acres and more than 100 runs. A good snow season in Bend means skiing at Mt. Bachelor until Memorial Day. A couple hours north of Bend, closer to Portland, is Mt. Hood, where Timberline is the only U.S. ski area that’s open 10 months out of the year. This all makes for a late spring skiing season in Oregon.
Like Lake Tahoe, Bend is an outdoor lover’s playground, and spring is no exception. You could ski in the morning, and then in the afternoon be in a t-shirt while cruising down biking trails, floating down the Deschutes, or paddling around an alpine lake along the Cascade Lakes National Scenic Byway. The town of Bend is a great après-ski destination, with an incredible selection of restaurants, breweries, wineries and cocktail bars, many with patios. After a day of spring adventures, bop around the Old Mill District that’s dotted with shops and restaurants, or head to downtown Bend to enjoy drinks at any number of places overlooking the Deschutes, including Bend Brewing Company.
Kind Traveler Stay: 17 miles northeast of Bend is the town of Redmond, where you’ll find the SCP Redmond Hotel and an opportunity to make a positive impact with One Tree Planted, helping to plant trees and create a healthier climate. SCP, which stands for Soul Community Planet, believes in the power of healthy living, kindness towards others and compassion for the planet. They have a few hotels, including the Redmond location.
Telluride
Skiing in Colorado at Telluride is about as iconic of a ski experience in the U.S. After all, Condé Nast Traveler’s readers have often voted Telluride as the best ski resort in North America. As Condé Nast Traveler puts it, “This former mining village combines epic skiing on uncrowded, high-altitude runs with unpretentious Old West vibes.” Telluride has more than 2,000 skiable acres and nearly 150 trails. Can’t-miss spring skiing experiences include Alpino Vino, a European hutte, famous as the highest elevation restaurant in North America. Bon Vivant, located at the top of the Polar Queen Express Lift, boasts unparalleled views and French food and drinks that you're not going to find on just any ski mountain. Note, however, that Telluride has a shorter spring skiing season than others, with ski season ending in early April.
