6 Top Ski Destinations in Washington, Oregon, and California

Talk to skiers about their passion, and you'll witness a natural enthusiasm that could light up a night-time ski run.

Up and down the west coast of the US, there is no shortage of amazing places to enjoy this popular winter sport, with some locations offering year-round options.

6 Top Ski Destinations in Washington, Oregon, and California

Washington:

Crystal Mountain - Located in the Cascade Range, Crystal Mountain offers skiers and snowboarders over 2,600 acres of skiable terrain, including 57 runs and 11 lifts. It also has some of the highest lift-served terrains in Washington, reaching over 7,000 feet.

Stevens Pass - Located in the Northern Cascade Range, Stevens Pass offers skiers and snowboarders over 1,125 acres of skiable terrain, including 52 runs and 10 lifts. It also has a variety of terrain parks and is known for its deep powder skiing.

Oregon:

Mt. Bachelor - Located in the Cascade Range, Mt. Bachelor offers skiers and snowboarders over 4,300 acres of skiable terrain, including 101 runs and 12 lifts. It also has a variety of terrain parks and is known for its long season, often staying open through May.

Timberline Lodge - Located on the south side of Mt. Hood, Timberline Lodge offers skiers and snowboarders over 1,400 acres of skiable terrain, including 41 runs and 7 lifts. It is also known for having the only year-round skiing in North America, with access to Palmer Glacier during the summer months.

California:

Mammoth Mountain - Located in the Eastern Sierra Nevada range, Mammoth Mountain offers skiers and snowboarders over 3,500 acres of skiable terrain, including 150 runs and 25 lifts. It also has a variety of terrain parks and is known for its long season, often staying open through June or July.

Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows - Located in the Sierra Nevada range near Lake Tahoe, Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows offers skiers and snowboarders over 6,000 acres of skiable terrain, including 42 lifts and over 270 runs. Known for its challenging terrain, it also hosted the 1960 Winter Olympics.

Northwest Ski Insider Gives Thumbs Up or Down on Experiences

My co-worker Lance Tormey, who is likely to be on a ski slope someday and miss his own funeral, gave me some quick responses to questions about ski areas he loves and loathes.

Lance says he can be found most often found on White Pass since it's closest to home and offers everything he needs for a great ski experience. Lance gives a thumbs-up to Stevens Pass with its close proximity to Leavenworth, Washington. Lance, aka @ski_freak on Instagram, loves Mission Ridge near Wenatchee - known for its massive amount of great night skiing and fall skiing opportunities with man-made snow options.

In Oregon, Lance is a freak for Mt Hood and Timberline mentioned in our article above since he can ski there in the summer and he enjoys meeting people from all over the world. He's quite impressed with Mt. Bachelor too - and immediately began extending his pinky and looking down his nose at me, obviously influenced by the more posh attitude experienced there.