RV Friendly Ski Resorts

For ski and snowboard enthusiasts in the RV community the beginning of winter marks the beginning of the ski season and a unique time to be hitting the road in an RV. For RVers ready and willing to embrace colder temperatures, there are many benefits to wintertime road trips including smaller crowds at popular destinations and unparalleled access to their favorite wintertime activities like skiing and snowboarding.

For the 2022/2023 ski season, our experts put together a list of RV friendly ski resorts where you can park your rig for the ultimate in mountainside accessibility and unforgettable cold weather camping. However, before you take off for your favorite ski mountain make sure you and your RV are ready for the unique challenges of cold weather camping. Prior to any wintertime road trip be sure to:

1. Protect Your Water Systems – If it’s cold enough to ski it’s cold enough for your water system to freeze. Take extra care of any RV system that uses water by insulating pipes and following the best practices for winterizing your vehicle’s plumbing system.
2. Service All Heaters – You don’t want to be parked at the base of your favorite ski mountain only to wake up one morning and find your RV heater on the fritz. Get any and all of your RV heating systems serviced before your first wintertime road trip to be sure your home on the road can keep you warm throughout the coldest of winter days. And if it’s time to upgrade your RV furnace or water heater, do it before travelling and your future self will thank you.
3. Insulate Your Rig – Don’t underestimate the power of insulation when it comes to keeping your RV at a comfortable temperature during freezing weather. For many coaches windows represent some of the biggest vulnerabilities for energy loss, so investing in RV window shades can be key in maintaining wintertime comfort on the road.
4. Get Ready for Elevation – To reach many ski resorts, especially those on the western side of the continent, you’re going to need to go up in elevation. And just as altitude can affect you physically, it can also affect the components on an RV. Water heaters, for example, may need to be made altitude ready to perform optimally in the low pressure, low oxygen atmosphere found at high altitudes. If you’re spending a lot of time in the mountains, a worthwhile investment is an altitude ready heater like the 125 from Aqua-Hot that’s high altitude ready up to 16,000 ft. – high enough to visit any ski resort in North America.
5. Park in the Sun – When possible, take advantage of environmental elements to help naturally keep your RV more comfortable in winter conditions. Avoid parking in the open to guard against wind chill and whenever possible look for sunny spots to park your rig.
6. Plan Ahead – Many destinations including national parks can have different operating hours in the winter and summer with some even being completely closed during the winter due to inclement weather or inaccessibility. Sometimes even destinations known as wintertime retreats can experience unexpected closures if winter weather deems it necessary. Whenever you’re on a wintertime road trip be sure to plan ahead, call ahead and stay apprised of the weather conditions at your destination or risk arriving to an inhospitable location that might not have a safe place for you to stay.

No matter where you are traveling this winter there are RV friendly ski resorts from coast to coast offering some of the closest and most unique lodging options for avid skiers and snowboarders with an RV. However, the desirability of these spots in the skiing community means that RV accommodations at most ski mountains require reservations, so RVers need to schedule ahead of time if they want to stay on-site. Below is our list of RV friendly ski resorts from west to east, just waiting to be added to the itinerary of your next wintertime road trip.

West Coast

• CALIFORNIA – China Peak Mountain Resort
• OREGON – Hoodoo Ski Area
• WASHINGTON – Crystal Mountain Resort

Central US

• MONTANA – Whitefish Mountain Resort
• WYOMING – Grand Targhee Ski Resort
• NEW MEXICO – Sipapu Ski Resort

East Coast

• NEW HAMPSHIRE – Gunstock Mountain Resort
• NORTH CAROLINA – Appalachian Ski Mountain

Where’s your favorite RV friendly ski resort?