From homemade warm apple cider and donuts, to friendly ski instructors and patrol Wachusett Mountain is a delightful New England ski resort in Massachusetts.
It’s a wonderful place for beginning and intermediate skiers and makes a perfect family getaway destination. The ski area boasts more than twenty trails across 110 acres. There are over 1,000 vertical feet to explore and the trails are greatly varied: 30 percent suitable for beginners, 40 percent intermediate, and 30 percent advanced. There is a great beginner area, which is served by its own lift and is great for small children and people new to the sport. Additionally, the resort has 100 percent snow-making coverage on all terrain, night skiing and all trails are groomed twice daily.
There is an excellent ski school at Wachusett that offers fantastic beginner packages, uses only skilled instructors that not only teach the basics but also instill a love for snow sports. They have fabulous one-, two- and three-day packages available. Many of the packages include rentals and lift tickets and are a great deal.
Amenities abound at Wachusett, there is a great childcare center for the little ones, a dedicated and highly skilled ski patrol at hand, night skiing, a demo shop and a full service ski and snowboard rental shop. Wachusett Mountain has everything that visitors may need on the slopes. There are great dining options at the mountain including a cozy lounge, cafeteria, a nice sit-down restaurant and a café. The main lodge has tons of seating and is a perfect place to meet up and unwind after a day on the slopes. The ski area owns the Wachusett Village Inn, an affordable and convenient option. However, there is no shortage of great places to stay in the surrounding area. You'll find charming inns, quiet bed and breakfast inns, comfortable hotels, historic lodges, and much more.
Wachusett is an Algonquin word for “Great Hill” and the resort continues to live up to its name. The first trails were cut by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the late 1930’s and continue to offer families and visitors fun in present day. It’s low-key perfect for groups and families and it’s exceedingly convenient to reach because of its proximity to Boston, Massachusetts. It offers a vertical drop of over 1,000 feet that contain more than 20 named trails on some of New England’s finest mountain landscape. 30% of the runs are suitable for beginners, 40% for intermediate and 30% for advanced.
There is a terrain park at Wachusett which features tons of great jumps, rails, jibs and boxes. Wachusett Mountain is an extremely snowboard friendly resort that features plenty of diverse terrain. Additionally, The Mountainside Ski & Sport Shop has all the latest snowboard equipment and apparel. For first timers the Wachusett Mountain Ski School offers a variety of learn-to-snowboard programs.
There are tons of events at Wachusett, from racing to park riding seminars. Off the mountain there are lots of great activities, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, tubing and ice skating are just a few. There is also great shopping, historic sites and much more. In fact, Boston is close by and offers innumerable activities and sights.
There are several great places to hang out while off the slopes. The ski area features a great lounge that has a huge fireplace, delicious pub fare, great drink specials and live music regularly. There are cafes, restaurants and a huge main lodge at the mountain that make great meeting places and are perfect for unwinding after a day on the slopes.
It’s about an hour from Boston, Massachusetts and a little over an hour from Hartford, Connecticut. From Boston: Take Rt. 2 West to Exit 25 for Westminster/Princeton. Take Rt. 140 South to a right onto Mile Hill Rd. and travel half a mile to the Wachusett Ski Area. The entrance to the resort is on the right.