Ski lifts in Maine.
Ski lifts in Maine.

When it comes to booking a ski trip in the United States, most people are probably looking toward the Rocky Mountains or California. But if you’re located on East Coast and are looking to book a closer ski vacation, or if you’re just looking to shake things up, several Northeast states have some pretty incredible ski areas. But which state should you be looking at?

Maine has quite a few ski areas, ranging from tiny local ski hills to pretty large resorts. The 3 largest are Sugarloaf, Sunday River, and Saddleback. All three have a solid variety of terrain and see decent snow retention throughout the year, but they each have some downsides as well. PeakRankings took a look at what Maine has to offer.

@peakrankings

Maine is home to the Northernmost ski resorts on the U.S. East Coast. The state stands out regionally with three signature resorts – @sugarloafmountain, @sundayriver, and @saddlebackmaine – that offer sizable terrain footprints and excellent snow retention for this area of the country. The well-preserved snow also gives way to some decidedly unique terrain, with sidecountry-style woods and even small above-treeline snowfields at Sugarloaf, incredible frozen lake views at Saddleback, and great glade terrain all around. But skiing here comes with some drawbacks. Despite generally strong retention, raw snowfall totals lag behind other states in the Northeast. In addition, while its top resorts have some impressive lifts, resort infrastructure on the whole is a bit lacking compared to the best states on this list. And perhaps most importantly, beyond the big three, the stateโ€™s other hills hold snow well but arenโ€™t particularly compelling. Maine offers a few sizable and character-rich ski resorts for the East, but theyโ€™re not enough to beat out the other states on this list. #peakrankings #werankpeaks #maine #skimaine #mainevacation

โ™ฌ original sound – PeakRankings

Nolan Deck is a writer for Unofficial Networks, covering skiing and outdoor adventure. After growing up and skiing in Maine, he moved to the Denver area for college where he continues to live and work...