When I set out to inspect Connecticut ski areas, I didn't expect much.

I was pleasantly surprised at how good the facilities are and how much fun skiers, snowboarders and snow tubers could have here. They are particularly good for families as they are small, making it easier to keep track of the kids, and they have fewer hot-doggers racing down the slopes crashing into other skiers.

Obviously, the greatest advantage of Connecticut's ski areas is their accessibility: they are much closer to Hartford, Providence and New York City than the larger, more elaborate ski resorts of northern New England.

Highway signage to the ski areas is always adequate and generally very good in Connecticut. For Mount Southington Ski Area, for example, signs on I-84 indicate that Exit 30 is the best one for reaching the ski area. After that, small "Ski Area" signs point the correct direction all the way to the slopes. (Believe me, good signage is not the rule in all New England states.)

Because these are mostly day-excursion ski areas, there are no lodging facilities at the ski areas themselves, though you will find charming country inns and bed-and-breakfast houses in the beautiful towns near the ski areas.

See my Map of Southern New England Ski Areas for exact locations....

Mohawk Mountain
Located in a sunny valley at the end of a pretty drive near West Cornwall CT in the northwest corner of the state, Mohawk Mountain has Connecticut's longest vertical drop (650 feet), most Intermediate-skill ski trails (24), and most chairlifts (5). More...

Ski Sundown
Set in a steep valley just outside the charming town of New Hartford CT, 21 miles (45 minutes) northwest of Hartford, Ski Sundown's 625-foot vertical drop is Connecticut's second-longest, and all but one of its 15 trails are lit for night skiing. More...

Mount Southington
Off I-84 Exit 30 southwest of Hartford, Mt Southington is easy to reach, and fun, with a 450-foot vertical drop, 14 trails, and 3 chairlifts. More...

Woodbury
Set in a narrow valley above a babbling creek west of Waterbury, the Woodbury Ski, Skate and Tubing Park is owned by former Olympic skier Rod Taylor, who boasts that snowboarding may have originated here, and that his terrain park was among the very first. Woodbury's two chairlifts serve the several trails descending its 300-foot vertical drop, but the larger attraction here are the numerous very popular snow tubing runs. More...

The Powder Ridge Ski Area has been closed since 2006, by the way...

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