Are there lots of ski resorts near Seattle? How far away is the closest one?

Question

Are there lots of ski resorts near Seattle? How far away is the closest one?

Answer 1

There are a few.

The closest is a cluster of three on Snoquamie Pass about 45 minutes away: Snoquamie, Ski Acres and Alpental. They are close, but small. Alpental has some interesting terrain, but Ski Acres / Snoquamie (adjacent to each other) are very plain. This isn't really a resort destination but there is a hotel or two and a lot of cabins for rent. At 3000' it often rains.

Crystal Mountain is probably the most widely known ski area in Washington State. It has a good supply of interesting terrain, an adequate amount of accommodations but often a shortage of snow. It is also about 2 hours away near Mt. Rainier.

Steven's Pass is a good compromise. At 4000' it gets more snow and has plenty good terrain but a shortage of accomodations. The highway to Steven's Pass is not nearly as nice as I90 to Snoquamie. It's about 1.5 hours away from Seattle.

Not impossible to reach from Seattle is Mt. Baker ski area. It is maybe 4-5 hours from Seattle near the Canadian border. It gets a lot of snow including a world record 1,140 inches in the winter of 2006-7. Good terrain, but difficult in time to get there and the road is treacherous. I haven't been there in 30 years and the accomdations were sparse then.

Whistler, BC is a day drive and difficult to get to. However, it is a premier destination in North America with everything you'd expect at a high calibre ski resort.

Answer 2

i go with stevens pass.but that is because i have always gone there. from where i live its about 1 1/2 hours..and i live about 20 min. from seattle..so not to bad..the drive goes fast!

snoqualmie---i think, takes forever.lol.about 2 1/2 hours...

--consider the snow conditions, and that will also make the time vary depending  on what the streets are like