Whiteface gets the headlines, but the two hills locals ski most are far closer and far cheaper. If you are travelling with children, learning to ride, or simply want three hours on snow and back to the cabin before dinner, these are the answer.
Mount Pisgah, in the village
Mount Pisgah is the municipal ski centre of Saranac Lake, a few minutes from Colden Lodge. It is small and it is wonderful: a lift, a friendly lodge, gentle terrain, a tubing hill and lights for night skiing.
For beginners this is the ideal first day. Lessons and rentals are inexpensive, the queues are short, and nobody is watching you learn to turn. It is also the easiest possible after-dark activity when the cabins are already warm and you only want an hour out.
Titus Mountain, near Malone
Titus Mountain is a family-owned area north of the park boundary, about fifty minutes from the lodge. It is large for a local hill, with a wide spread of trails across several faces, night skiing and lift ticket prices that will make anyone from a big resort blink.
Weekends are busy with local families, midweek is very quiet, and the vibe in the base lodge is more community hall than resort concourse. Bring cash for the chili.
Cross-country and snow play
Dewey Mountain Recreation Center, also in Saranac Lake, keeps groomed cross-country and snowshoe trails, offers rentals, and lights a section of trail for night skiing. It is a superb, low-commitment way to spend a winter afternoon.
Add the tubing hill at Pisgah and the frozen shoreline at the lodge and you can fill a whole winter week without ever driving more than ten minutes.
Good to know
- Opening days and night-ski hours depend on snow and staffing, so check before you drive.
- Rentals for skis, boards and snowshoes are all available locally.
- Both hills are considerably cheaper than the Olympic mountain and far easier with small children.
- Saranac Lake Winter Carnival, in early February, is worth planning your trip around.
