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Ikon Pass – Road Trips for Families

The family that skis together, stays together – or so the saying goes. The formula for a successful road trip with children is keeping the drive times to a minimum, including loads of kid-friendly activities once the lifts stop turning for the day, and sufficient on-mountain terrain to keep the whole family feeling inspired. The following two road trips do all that and then some.

This is just a sample of some of the routes you and your family could explore with the Ikon Pass. With a total of 26 iconic destinations included with the Ikon Pass, there are abundant opportunities. 

East Coast Road Trip with the Ikon Pass

Four destinations, 436 miles, 8 hr 46 min drive time

New England is a densely packed skier’s delight with a range of destinations from local favorites to iconic resorts. For this road trip, load up the family and grab your passports as you travel through northern New England before crossing the border into Quebec, Canada. Easily accessible from major cities and the surrounding region, here’s a family friendly road trip you can take adavantage of with the Ikon Pass.

Enjoy 7 days combined at Loon, Sunday River, and Sugarloaf with the Ikon Pass and unlimited days at Tremblant. 

Loon Mountain, NH

Loon Mountain is located in the White Mountains of New Hampshire and provides easily accessible big-mountain skiing. The mountain is comprised of three peaks: South Peak, North Peak, and Loon Peak – all connected via lifts. North offers expert terrain and glades such as Upper Walking Boss and Buck Saw. Loon Peak is home to New Hampshire’s only Superpipe, over 400 feet long with 18 foot walls, as well as award-winning terrain parks. For off-mountain activities, check out the Adventure Center for ice skating, indoor climbing wall, winter zip lining, and ice skating. Just a few miles outside the resort are the New England towns of Lincoln and Woodstock. This area offers a host of family activities including shopping, dining, and movies. Ready for your next stop? Head east for about two hours for your next destination, Sunday River, Maine.

Mountain Stats: 

• Summit: 3,050 ft.
• Vertical Drop: 2,100 ft
• Trails: 61
• Acres: 370
• Parks: 6
• Superpipe: Yes

Sunday River Ski Resort, ME

Sunday River in Newry Maine is an easy two-hour drive from Loon Mountain, New Hampshire. With eight interconnected peaks sprawling across three miles of terrain, the mountain offers a little something for everyone: spacious groomers, terrain parks, off-piste tree skiing and some of the steepest runs in the east. Adrenaline seekers can head over to White Cap for some adventurous steep and deep. Off-mountain activities include sledding and tubing or take the daily shuttle to the nearby classic New England town of Bethel, Maine, “Maine’s Most Beautiful Mountain Village.” Next up, travel two hours north-east to Sugarloaf.

Mountain Stats: 

• Summit: 3,140 ft.
• Vertical Drop: 2,340
• Acres: 870
• Trails: 135
• Parks: 6
• Peaks: 8

Sugarloaf, ME

Sugarloaf offers the only lift-serviced above treeline skiing in the East and is home to the most skiable acres east of the Rocky Mountains. This past March, Sugarloaf opened Maine’s first CAT skiing operation on its Burnt Mountain. This is the only destination in New England where you can find this thrill. For the little ones, Sugarloaf offers lessons from age 2 1/2 and up with a variety of lessons and camps such as Park Camp, Freeride Camp, Big Mountain Camp and more. Off-mountain the Antigravity Center at the base of Sugarloaf houses 20,000 sq.-ft of fun including Maine’s largest indoor skate bowl, plus trampolines, climbing wall, ice skating and more. The next stop is five hours north-west, crossing over the border into Canada, to reach Tremblant.

Mountain Stats: 

• Summit: 4,237 ft.
• Vertical Drop: 2,820 ft.
• Acres: 1,240
• Trails: 162
• Parks: 3
• Superpipe: Yes (+ a mini-pipe)

Tremblant, Quebec, Canada

Brush up on your French and enjoy Tremblant’s 665 acres of skiing/riding with four distinct slopes. From alpine touring to the Beginner Zone, Tremblant has a variety of options to meet any ability level. Lessons for children ages 3-16 years range from intro to racing to freestyle to the Summit Club for those more advanced. Experts will want to explore some of the 91 acres devoted to glades, such as Versant Soleil (Sunny Side) for some challenging tree skiing. Off-mountain action includes sleigh rides, fat-bikes, tubing and ice skating. The Pedestrian Village at the base is a bee-hive of activity with shopping, dining, and lodging to meet your needs. That wraps up the final destination of this East Coast Road Trip.

Mountain Stats: 

• Summit: 2,870 ft.
• Vertical Drop: 2,116 ft.
• Acres: 665
• Trails: 96
• Glades: 91 acres
• Parks: 3

For more East coast road trip adventures using the Ikon Pass, click here. 

Colorado Road Trip with the Ikon Pass

Five destinations, 400 miles, 8 hr 16 min drive time

The Colorado Rockies are home to some of the best skiing/riding anywhere and these next five destinations are no exception. With the Ikon Pass your family road trip through Colorado will grab the attention of even the hard-to-impress teens in the group. Whether you call Colorado home or fly into Denver from afar, this family holiday will make for a memorable adventure.

With the Ikon Pass you can enjoy unlimited skiing at Eldora, Winter Park, Copper, and Steamboat. You can explore 7 days of combined skiing at the four mountains of Aspen Snowmass. 

Eldora Mountain Resort, CO

Eldora has park fever, with no less than 12 parks on site. Little Hawk mountain alone has 8 parks, so drop the big-air senders and box and rail tappers off here. For more difficult terrain check out the trails off the Corona Lift, chock full of steeps, gullies, cliffs and glades. Eldora has a variety of lessons, in the Mountain Explorers – Built by Woodward style, offering a progressive approach to ensure that everyone has a great experience. After a day on the slopes here, drive down the road about 1.5 hours to reach the next stop on the tour, Winter Park.

Mountain Stats:

• Summit: 9,200 ft.
• Vertical Drop: 1,600 ft.
• Acres: 680
• Trails: 53
• Parks: 12

Winter Park Resort, CO

Winter Park is Colorado’s longest continually operated ski resort featuring over 3,000 acres of award-winning terrain. Experts will want to check out The Cirque and Eagle Wind areas for steeps, glades, cliffs and yes, deep pow. The kids can attack the park scene here, hone their skills in lessons (ages 3-14), or be catered to in childcare (ages 6 months – 6 years). Off-mountain attractions include ski bikes, tubing, dog-sled rides, and even a scenic snowcat tour, among others. After a day here, load up the family and it’s off to Copper Mountain.

Mountain Stats: 

• Summit: 12,060 ft.
• Vertical Drop: 3,060 ft.
• Acres: 3,081 (including 1,212 off-piste terrain)
• Trails: 166
• Parks: 7
• Superpipe: Yes

Copper Mountain, CO

Quieter than some of the other resorts along the I-70 corridor, Copper is a great weekend destination to beat the crowds. With 60% north-facing terrain, Copper has superior snow preservation deep into the season. From the upper mountain steeps to lower mountain designated beginner terrain, Copper Mountain has ample terrain for the whole family. Woodward style lessons are available here as well, specializing in freestyle specific progression for both kids and adults. The base village offers numerous amenities, activities, and lodging with options including an alpine coaster, spa facilities, and an athletic club. Next stop Steamboat, at just under two hours away.

Mountain Stats: 

• Summit: 12,313 ft.
• Vertical Drop: 2,601 ft.
• Acres: 2,490
• Trails: 140
• Parks: 6
• Superpipe: Yes

Steamboat, CO

Steamboat is more than a mountain, it’s a whole mountain range: Mount Werner, Sunshine Peak, Storm Peak, Thunderhead Peak, Pioneer Ridge, and Christie Peak. The diversity of terrain caters well to every level of ability. Well-known for its Champagne Powder, the gladed areas on Pioneer Ridge, Sunshine, and Storm Peaks are a must for the powder hounds. Steamboat has a legitimate town with lodging, dining and shopping – all with an authentic wild-west cowboy vibe. Available add-on activities include spa treatments, sleigh ride dinners, night skiing, and many more. Take a lesson with former Olympian Billy Kidd or 88 other Olympians who call Steamboat home. Next up is the final stop on this family road trip, Aspen Snowmass, about 3 hours down the road.

Mountain Stats: 

• Summit: 10,568 ft.
• Vertical Drop: 3,635 ft.
• Acres: 2,965
• Trails: 165
• Parks: 2
• Superpipe: Yes

Aspen Snowmass, CO

Aspen Snowmass is comprised of four legendary mountains: Snowmass, Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highland, and Buttermilk. This four mountain destination has something for everyone. Buttermilk is a great option for beginner terrain and parks while Aspen Highlands caters well to the expert as 65% of the terrain is deemed experts only. Of note, there is no beginner terrain to be found at Aspen Mountain or Aspen Highland. However, children are well-catered to here as part of the Very Important Kids Snowmass program that creates free daily activities at the end of every ski day. This full service destination has a world renowned nightlife, a full throttle town, and loads of off-mountain activities to explore.

This completes the Ikon Pass family adventure through Colorado. For other road trip options, see here. 

Mountain Stats: 

• Summit: 12,510 ft. (Snowmass)
• Vertical Drop: 4,030 ft. (Snowmass)
• Acres: 5,300 (across 4 mountains)
• Trails: 329 (across 4 mountains)
• Terrain parks: 10 (Snowmass/ Buttermilk)
• Pipes: 2 (Snowmass/Buttermilk)

The Ikon Pass