Skiing Near Boston | Where to Go

Being a Boston city dweller doesn’t have to mean giving up the comforts of the New England outdoors. In fact, part of the luxury of living in or visiting New England is the opportunity to enjoy the urban amenities found in Boston and still be just a short distance from mountains, lakes, forests, and the ocean. During the winter, a great way to escape the city and enjoy some fresh air and exercise is to alpine or cross country ski. Fortunately, there are many options located an hour or less from Boston. Some can even be reached by public transportation! To get you started in the right direction, Yankee has compiled a list of places to do some skiing near Boston, including how to get there, and why we love each one.

Skiing Near Boston | Alpine and Cross Country Destinations

Closest Location: Blue Hills Ski Area

Town: Canton, MA Shortest Drive: 13 miles Public Transportation Available: Yes About: Conveniently located on the outskirts of Boston in Canton, Massachusetts, Blue Hills Ski Area isn’t only the closest ski area to Boston, but the closest ski area to a major city in all of the country. Skiers can even opt to take public transportation to Blue Hills. Although not rivaling some of the larger ski areas in New England, Great Blue Hill, at 635 feet, boasts the highest Atlantic coast elevation from Boston to the Florida Keys. With one double chairlift, 15 trails of varying difficulty, a beginner’s area, terrain park, and ski school, as well as dining, a lodge, and a rental shop, Blue Hills Ski Area is a great option for those looking for a quick trip out of the city for a little New England skiing.

Large Snowtubing Park: Nashoba Valley Ski Area

Town: Westford, MA Shortest Drive: 28 miles Public Transportation: No About: Deemed “Boston’s own year-round recreational facility,” Nashoba Valley transforms each winter into a full-service ski area and snow tubing park. Located in Westford, Massachusetts, the ski area is a mere 28 miles from Boston — a quick and easy trip out of the city. The ski operation is fairly big for it’s relative closeness to the city, with three triple chairs, one double chair, and 17 trails with a mixture of difficulty. It also offers lessons, racing, a terrain park, rentals, dining, and lit night and twilight skiing. Additionally, the Nashoba Valley Snowtubing Park is the largest tubing facility in New England, with four lifts, 600 snow tubes, and 16 lanes.

North of Boston: Ski Bradford

Town: Haverhill, MA Shortest Drive: 35 Miles Public Transportation: No About: If you’re headed north of Boston but not leaving Massachusetts, Ski Bradford is the ski area of choice. With 15 trails, glades, a terrain park, three triple chair lifts, a rental shop, a snack bar, a large base lodge, instruction programs, races, and plenty of parking, Ski Bradford has everything any level skier or snowboarder could need for a pleasant day on the slopes. It also has lights for night skiing. The team at Ski Bradford puts plenty of effort toward snowmaking and grooming, providing good skiing conditions near Boston even when Mother Nature doesn’t cooperate.

Lessons and Learning: Ski Ward Ski Area

Town: Shrewsbury, MA Shortest Drive: 37 Miles Public Transportation: No About: Located less than an hour from Boston, Ski Ward Ski Area in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, is a small ski area with nine trails, four lifts, snow tubing, a rental shop, a snow school, a terrain park, a race facility, a fireside lodge, and a slopeside bar and grill. Ski Ward Ski Area is home to the Zero G Freeride Program, a high-level instruction program in freestyle, boardercross, and skiercross. The mountain also provides private racing lessons, daily group lessons, multi-week programs, spring programs, an intro to terrain parks program, vacation week programs, and a women’s learning program.

Biggest Operation: Wachusett Mountain

Town: Princeton, MA Shortest Drive: 54 Miles Public Transportation: Yes About: Take the commuter rail from Boston’s North Station to the new Wachusett Station, or opt for an easy drive out of the city to Wachusett Mountain, perhaps the largest easily accessible ski mountain for Bostonians. Along with a 2,006-foot summit, 26 trails of varying difficulty, a wide variety of terrain, eight lifts (three of which high-speed quads), and a lengthy open season thanks to expert snowmaking and grooming, Wachusett Mountain has a large, comfortable lodge, plenty of food and beverage options, a ski and snowboard school, racing, terrain park, rentals, and night skiing.

Cross-Country Skiing Track: Weston Ski Track

Town: Weston, MA Shortest Drive: 13 Miles Public Transportation: Yes About: For those looking to do some cross-country skiing, Weston Ski Track is just a 15-minute drive from Boston, or within walking distance using the Green Line T. The track includes 15 kilometers of skate and classic skiing, 2.5 of which are in the snowmaking area, ensuring that a portion of the trail almost always has snow, regardless of finicky New England weather. Those trails are also lit for night skiing, accommodating the busy city workers who enjoy getting outdoors and onto the snow after a day in the office. Beginner skiers can also take lessons at the track.

Cross-Country Skiing Center: Great Brook Ski Touring Center

Town: Carlisle, MA Shortest Drive: 27 Miles Public Transportation: No About: Looking to traverse 1,000 acres of beautiful forests, farmland, streams, and ponds? Great Brook Ski Touring Center is located at Great Brook Farm State Park, and includes loops past fields and working dairy farms, woods, ponds, and rolling hills. The trails at Great Brook are wide, with two sets of tracks, a skating lane, and machine-groomed, packed snow. There’s a trail for any level of Nordic skier among the 10-mile network, and on some nights trails are lantern-lit. You’ll also find a rental center, lodge, and snack bar at Great Brook.

Where is your favorite place to do some skiing near Boston?

SEE MORE: Ski New England | Unique Ski Mountain Experiences Best Cross-Country Skiing in New England | Where to Go 5 Best Easy Ski Trails in New England