Best Mountain Hotels

Journal · Destinations

20 Best Mountain Hotels in the USA: From the Rockies to Yosemite and Alaska

By the Best Mountain Hotels editorial team ·

The Ahwahnee illuminated at dusk beneath the cliffs of Yosemite Valley in winter, California

The United States has some of the most varied mountain country on Earth: the high peaks and ski towns of the Rockies, the granite walls of Yosemite and the blue waters of Lake Tahoe in the Sierra Nevada, the ancient, forested ridges of the Appalachians and the vast, glaciated wilderness of Alaska. Its mountain hotels are just as varied, from five-star ski lodges and grand national park hotels to a Victorian castle above a lake, a restored ghost town and fly-in wilderness lodges.

These are 20 of the best mountain hotels in the USA, chosen from the 45 American hotels in our collection, region by region. For more in each area, follow the links to our destination pages.

The best mountain hotels in the USA at a glance

Colorado

1. The Little Nell, Aspen

Best for: skiers, food and wine lovers and couples

Aspen's only five-star, ski-in ski-out hotel stands at the foot of Aspen Mountain beside the Silver Queen Gondola, with superb food and wine and the town's liveliest après-ski. Read our review of The Little Nell.

2. The Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch, Beaver Creek

Best for: couples and families

The grandest ski lodge in Colorado is built from massive timber beams and stone, in the spirit of the great national park lodges, with ski-in ski-out access and a spa with a candlelit grotto. Read our review of The Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch.

3. Dunton Hot Springs, San Juan Mountains

Best for: couples, small groups and wellness seekers

A nineteenth-century mining town, abandoned for decades and restored cabin by cabin into a luxury resort with natural hot springs, at the end of a dirt road in the San Juans. Read our review of Dunton Hot Springs.

4. Vista Verde Ranch, Steamboat Springs

Best for: couples and families dreaming of a cowboy adventure

An all-inclusive guest ranch of a dozen log cabins, each with a private hot tub, where days are spent on horseback, on cross-country skis or in a horse-drawn sleigh. Read our review of Vista Verde Ranch.

5. The Broadmoor, Colorado Springs

Best for: families, golfers and food lovers

A pink Italianate palace at the foot of Cheyenne Mountain, and the only property in the world to have held a Forbes Five-Star rating every year since 1960. Read our review of The Broadmoor.

6. The Stanley Hotel, Estes Park

Best for: film fans and visitors to Rocky Mountain National Park

The 1909 hotel that inspired Stephen King's The Shining, at the gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park, with daily ghost tours and affordable rates. Read our review of The Stanley Hotel.

See all 18 in our guide to the best mountain hotels in Colorado.

Utah

7. Montage Deer Valley, Park City

Best for: families, skiers and spa lovers

A grand ski-in ski-out lodge at mid-mountain on Empire Pass, with Utah's largest spa, at Deer Valley, famous for its immaculate grooming and limited ticket sales. Salt Lake City airport is about 40 minutes away. Read our review of Montage Deer Valley.

8. Stein Eriksen Lodge, Park City

Best for: skiers and families

Created in the 1980s by the Norwegian Olympic champion Stein Eriksen, this timber-and-stone lodge on the slopes of Deer Valley has ski-in ski-out access, a Norwegian-inspired spa and a Michelin Key. Read our review of Stein Eriksen Lodge.

9. Sundance Mountain Resort, Wasatch Mountains

Best for: couples, artists and film lovers

Robert Redford's soulful retreat beneath Mount Timpanogos is dedicated to the arts, nature and conservation, and it gave its name to the Sundance Film Festival. Read our review of Sundance Mountain Resort.

Wyoming, Montana and Idaho

10. Four Seasons Resort Jackson Hole, Wyoming

Best for: families and keen skiers

The most polished ski-in ski-out hotel at one of America's most thrilling ski mountains, a few minutes' walk from the Aerial Tram, with Grand Teton and Yellowstone close by in summer. Read our review of Four Seasons Resort Jackson Hole.

11. Montage Big Sky, Montana

Best for: families and skiers who want big mountains and no crowds

Opened in December 2021 in the Spanish Peaks area of Big Sky Resort, with ski-in ski-out access to one of the largest and least crowded ski areas in America, a superb spa and a bowling alley. Read our review of Montage Big Sky.

12. Sun Valley Lodge, Idaho

Best for: couples, families and history lovers

Where American skiing began: opened in 1936 as the country's first destination ski resort, Sun Valley gave the world the chairlift and welcomed Ernest Hemingway and Marilyn Monroe. Read our review of Sun Valley Lodge.

California and Lake Tahoe

13. The Ahwahnee, Yosemite

Best for: families, history lovers and hikers

The grandest hotel in America's national parks is a monumental lodge of stone, timber and stained glass, opened in 1927 beneath the granite walls of Yosemite Valley. Read our review of The Ahwahnee.

14. Edgewood Tahoe Resort, Lake Tahoe, Nevada

Best for: couples, golfers and families

The finest lakefront hotel on Lake Tahoe, a grand timber lodge with a private sandy beach and a celebrated golf course, with Heavenly's slopes close by in winter. Read our review of Edgewood Tahoe Resort.

15. The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe, Northstar, California

Best for: skiers, families and spa lovers

A timber-and-stone lodge at mid-mountain at Northstar, with ski-in ski-out access, heated outdoor pools, a large spa and s'mores around the fire pit every evening. Read our review of The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe.

The Appalachians

16. Mohonk Mountain House, New York

Best for: families, couples and hikers

A sprawling Victorian castle on a mountain lake on the Shawangunk Ridge, about two hours from New York City, run by the same family since 1869 and surrounded by thousands of acres of protected forest. Read our review of Mohonk Mountain House.

17. Blackberry Mountain, Tennessee

Best for: active couples, families and food lovers

A 5,200-acre luxury adventure resort in the Great Smoky Mountains, from the family behind Blackberry Farm, with stone cottages, a summit restaurant in a restored fire tower and a programme of hiking, climbing and biking. Read our review of Blackberry Mountain.

18. Primland, Virginia

Best for: golfers, families and stargazers

A 12,000-acre estate in the Blue Ridge Mountains, with tree houses above the Dan River Gorge, a golf course and a domed observatory with a resident astronomer. Read our review of Primland.

Alaska

19. Ultima Thule Lodge, Wrangell–St. Elias

Best for: adventurous couples, families and photographers

Around 100 miles from the nearest road in the largest national park in the United States, the Claus family's lodge flies a handful of guests each day to icefields and glaciers almost nobody else will ever see. Read our review of Ultima Thule Lodge.

20. Borealis Basecamp, Fairbanks

Best for: northern lights seekers

Alaska's answer to the glass igloos of Lapland: igloos with huge curved ceiling windows on a ridge outside Fairbanks, beneath the auroral oval, with aurora wake-up calls. Read our review of Borealis Basecamp.

When to go to America's mountains

For skiing, January to March brings the most reliable snow across the Rockies, the Sierra Nevada and New England, with Christmas, New Year and Presidents' Day the busiest weeks. Summer, from June to September, is the season for national parks, hiking, golf and lakes, and for Alaska's wilderness lodges, most of which open only from June to September. Autumn brings golden aspens to the Rockies in late September and spectacular colour to the Appalachians from late September to early November. For the northern lights in Alaska, go from December to March.

Explore America's mountains by region

Our destination pages list every American hotel in our collection: Colorado, Utah, the Northern Rockies, California, Nevada, the Appalachians and Alaska. For skiing, see the best ski-in ski-out hotels in North America, and for families, the best family ski resorts.

Mountain Muses

New hotel listings and inspiration each week, direct from the mountains to your inbox

Frequently asked questions

What are the best mountain hotels in the USA?

Our favourites include The Little Nell in Aspen, The Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch, Montage Deer Valley, Four Seasons Resort Jackson Hole, Montage Big Sky, The Ahwahnee in Yosemite, Edgewood Tahoe, Mohonk Mountain House, Blackberry Mountain and Ultima Thule Lodge in Alaska.

What is the best mountain resort near New York City?

Mohonk Mountain House, a Victorian castle on a lake on the Shawangunk Ridge, is about two hours north of New York City.

Which is the best national park hotel in the USA?

The Ahwahnee in Yosemite Valley, opened in 1927, is the grandest hotel in America's national parks.

When is the best time to visit America's mountains?

January to March for skiing, June to September for national parks and Alaska, and late September to early November for autumn colour.

The hotels in this story

Snowy hotel buildings and trees below Aspen mountain slopes at The Little Nell, Aspen, USA

Aspen · Colorado

The Little Nell

The Little Nell is Aspen's only five-star, ski-in, ski-out hotel, set at the foot of Aspen Mountain beside the Silver Queen Gondola. It combines the intimacy of a small, personal hotel with world-class food and wine and impeccable service, and it is the hub of Aspen's glamorous après-ski scene. For skiers who want to step out of the door and onto one of America's most famous mountains, there is no better address in town.

Snow-covered timber-and-stone lodge at The Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch, beneath the Beaver Creek ski slopes.

Bachelor Gulch, Beaver Creek · Colorado

The Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch

The Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch is the grandest ski lodge in Colorado. Built from massive timber beams and thick stone walls, in the spirit of the great national park lodges of the American West, it sits right on the slopes of Beaver Creek Mountain with its own ski-in, ski-out access. Inside, wood fires crackle in a soaring Great Room, the spa has a candlelit grotto, and steam rises from hot tubs set just feet from the snow.

Historic wooden saloon bar lined with photographs at Dunton Hot Springs, Colorado, USA

near Telluride · Colorado

Dunton Hot Springs

A restored 19th-century ghost town with natural hot springs and timber cabins.

Snow-covered Hinman log cabin at Vista Verde Ranch, Clark, Colorado.

Clark, near Steamboat Springs · Colorado

Vista Verde Ranch

Vista Verde Ranch is the Colorado cowboy dream, done in style. Hidden in a high valley north of Steamboat Springs and surrounded on three sides by national forest, this all-inclusive guest ranch has just a dozen hand-built log cabins, each with a wood stove or fireplace and a private hot tub on the deck. Days are spent on horseback, on cross-country skis or in a horse-drawn sleigh, and evenings around the fire in the timber lodge. It has been named one of the best dude ranches in America by USA Today readers.

Aerial view of The Broadmoor with mountains behind the resort, Colorado Springs, USA

Colorado Springs · Colorado

The Broadmoor

The Broadmoor is one of America's great resort hotels, a pink-stuccoed Italianate palace set beside a lake at the foot of Cheyenne Mountain, where the Rocky Mountains meet the plains. Opened in 1918 by the adventurer and entrepreneur Spencer Penrose, it has welcomed presidents, film stars and generations of families, and it holds a remarkable distinction: it is the only property in the world to have held a Forbes Five-Star rating every year since the awards began in 1960.

Main hotel facade with red-roofed wings at dusk at The Stanley Hotel, Estes Park, USA

Estes Park · Colorado

The Stanley Hotel

The Stanley Hotel is one of the most famous hotels in America, and one of the most talked-about haunted hotels in the world. Built in 1909 by the inventor F.O. Stanley on a hillside above Estes Park, its gleaming white Colonial Revival buildings and red roofs stand against a backdrop of Rocky Mountain peaks. In 1974, a stay in Room 217 inspired Stephen King to write The Shining, and the hotel has embraced its spooky reputation ever since.

Montage Deer Valley in winter, Utah, USA

Park City · Utah

Montage Deer Valley

A grand slopeside lodge at mid-mountain in Deer Valley, Park City — timber and stone above one of North America's most polished ski areas.

Summer lodge exterior below wooded alpine slopes at Stein Eriksen Lodge, Deer Valley, USA

Deer Valley · Utah

Stein Eriksen Lodge

Stein Eriksen Lodge is one of the most celebrated ski hotels in North America, a timber-and-stone lodge with the warmth of a Norwegian mountain retreat, set on the slopes of Deer Valley in Utah. It was created in the 1980s by Stein Eriksen, the Norwegian Olympic champion who became Deer Valley's director of skiing, and it remains a byword for luxury, service and seamless skiing.

Inn exterior with mountain backdrop in autumn at Sundance Mountain Resort, Sundance, USA

Sundance · Utah

Sundance Mountain Resort

Sundance Mountain Resort is a small, soulful mountain retreat beneath the towering summit of Mount Timpanogos, in Utah's Wasatch Mountains. Created by Robert Redford, who bought the land in the late 1960s and named it after his role in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, it has long been dedicated to the arts, nature and conservation, and it gave its name to the famous Sundance Film Festival.

Snow-covered hotel exterior beneath the mountains, Four Seasons Resort Jackson Hole, Teton Village, USA

Teton Village · Northern Rockies

Four Seasons Resort Jackson Hole

Four Seasons Resort Jackson Hole is the most polished ski-in, ski-out hotel at one of America's most thrilling ski mountains. It stands at the foot of the slopes in Teton Village, a few minutes' walk from the Aerial Tram and the Bridger Gondola, with indoor and outdoor pools, steaming hot tubs and the kind of ski service that has your boots warmed and skis waiting each morning. Guests consistently rate it one of the finest ski hotels in North America.

Snow-covered mountain resort exterior at Montage Big Sky, Big Sky, USA

Big Sky · Northern Rockies

Montage Big Sky

Montage Big Sky brought a new level of luxury to Montana when it opened in December 2021. Set in the Spanish Peaks area of Big Sky Resort, it has ski-in, ski-out access to one of the largest and least crowded ski areas in America, a modern mountain design in stone and forest tones, a superb spa and enough to keep families busy for a week, from a bowling alley to a kids' club.

Aerial view of lodge in its mountain setting, Sun Valley Lodge, Sun Valley, USA

Sun Valley · Northern Rockies

Sun Valley Lodge

Sun Valley Lodge is where American skiing began. Opened in 1936 by the railroad magnate Averell Harriman as the country's first destination ski resort, Sun Valley also gave the world the chairlift. The lodge has welcomed Ernest Hemingway, Marilyn Monroe and generations of Hollywood stars, and after a major renovation it combines its glamorous history with a heated outdoor pool, an excellent spa and an ice rink at the front door.

The Ahwahnee illuminated at dusk beneath Yosemite cliffs in winter, Yosemite National Park, USA

Yosemite National Park · California

The Ahwahnee

The Ahwahnee is the grandest hotel in America's national parks, a monumental lodge of stone, timber and stained glass set beneath the soaring granite walls of Yosemite Valley. Opened in 1927, it has welcomed presidents, royalty and film stars, and its interiors inspired some of the most famous hotel scenes in cinema. Staying here puts you in the heart of one of the most celebrated landscapes on Earth, with Half Dome and Yosemite Falls on your doorstep.

Aerial view of the lodge, lawns, pine trees, and Lake Tahoe, Stateline, USA

Stateline · Nevada

Edgewood Tahoe Resort

Edgewood Tahoe Resort is the finest lakefront hotel on Lake Tahoe, and Lake Tahoe is the most photographed lake on Instagram. On the Nevada shore of this vast alpine lake, a grand timber lodge looks across water so clear you can see far into its depths, framed by the snowy peaks of the Sierra Nevada. It sits beside one of America's most celebrated public golf courses, and it combines a beach, a spa and nearby skiing in one of the West's great mountain playgrounds.

Aerial view of the resort amid forested mountain slopes at The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe, Northstar, USA

Northstar · California

The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe

The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe is a grand timber-and-stone lodge set mid-mountain at Northstar California, one of the most family-friendly ski resorts in the Sierra Nevada. With ski-in, ski-out access, a large spa, heated outdoor pools and a fire pit where guests toast s'mores every evening, it brings classic five-star service to the slopes, a short drive from the north shore of Lake Tahoe.

Mountain House overlooking its lake and surrounding autumn woodland at Mohonk Mountain House, New Paltz, USA

New Paltz · Appalachians

Mohonk Mountain House

Mohonk Mountain House is one of the most extraordinary resorts in America, a sprawling Victorian castle on the shore of a small, deep mountain lake on the Shawangunk Ridge, about two hours north of New York City. Built by Quaker twin brothers Albert and Alfred Smiley from 1869 onwards, it has been run by the same family ever since, and it is surrounded by thousands of acres of protected forest, cliffs and trails.

Timber cabins with planted roofs on a wooded hillside at Blackberry Mountain, Walland, USA

Walland, Tennessee · Appalachians

Blackberry Mountain

A 5,200-acre Smoky Mountains retreat of stone cottages and treehouses, built around trails, recovery and a summit restaurant in a restored fire tower.

The Lodge at Primland in warm evening light with its domed observatory tower

Meadows of Dan, Virginia · Appalachians

Primland

A 12,000-acre Blue Ridge estate with a domed observatory, cedar tree houses above the Dan River Gorge and a Donald Steel golf course.

Log cabins and wildflower gardens above the Chitina River, Ultima Thule Lodge, Alaska, USA

Wrangell–St. Elias National Park · Alaska

Ultima Thule Lodge

Ultima Thule Lodge is often described as the greatest wilderness lodge in North America, and it is easy to see why. Deep inside Wrangell–St. Elias, the largest national park in the United States, around 100 miles from the nearest road, the Claus family welcomes a handful of guests to their hand-built log cabins on the Chitina River. Every day, weather permitting, Paul Claus, one of Alaska's most celebrated bush pilots, flies guests to places almost nobody else will ever see: icefields, glaciers, remote beaches and the slopes of some of the highest peaks on the continent.

Aurora ribbons above snow-covered igloos, Borealis Basecamp, Alaska, USA

Fairbanks · Alaska

Borealis Basecamp

Borealis Basecamp is Alaska's answer to the glass igloos of Lapland: a cluster of fibreglass igloos on a quiet ridge in the boreal forest outside Fairbanks, each with a huge curved window in the ceiling for watching the northern lights from bed. Fairbanks lies beneath the auroral oval, making it one of the best places on Earth to see the lights, and the resort is built entirely around that experience, from northeast-facing domes to aurora wake-up calls.