Ski Resorts Aren’t Just For Winter: 11 Four Season Resorts With Excellent Summer Scenes
LWhen someone says “ski resort,” you probably think of snow and winter sports. While ski resorts are designed for winter visitors, there are often plenty of things to do during the other three seasons. If you’re looking to plan a late summer vacation, one of these 11 ski resorts sans the snow on the mountains just might be the ticket. These four season resorts with excellent summer scenes are worth checking out if you’re still looking to plan a trip.
1. Everline Resort and Spa, North Lake Tahoe
Everline Resort and Spa, a spacious mountain resort in North Lake Tahoe’s Olympic Valley, provides a premier mountain getaway for travelers year-round. While this four season resort offers ski-in/ski-out access to Palisades Tahoe during the winter ski seasons, it also features premier summer getaway opportunities for guests. With onsite dining, boutiques, a spa, and several activity options, you just might forget that you’re at a ski resort.
Surrounded by views of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, the resort features a spacious alpine oasis with a large recreational pool, a plunge pool, a 90-foot waterslide, a children’s pool, and three relaxing whirlpools. Guests can soak up the sun by booking cabanas and daybeds with dedicated food and beverage service.
Everline Resort and Spa also offers a variety of outdoor activities that showcase its North Lake Tahoe location. The resort’s signature Pedal Paddle Tour includes a 14-mile bike ride on the Truckee River Bike Trail, followed by a kayak or stand-up paddleboard tour on Lake Tahoe. If fly fishing is your thing, the on-site private ponds are stocked with rainbow trout. There are also guided fishing excursions to the nearby Truckee River.
Guests have many options to explore the area on two wheels. There are a variety of bicycle rental options, including cruiser bikes, mountain bikes, and kid carts. Golfing enthusiasts have several options for gold with a view.
2. The Viceroy, Snowmass, Colorado
The Viceroy Snowmass, in Colorado, is known for skiing but also offers big fun in the summertime. Make summer memories by taking part in endless athletic, cultural, and outdoor events, culminating in a nationally-acclaimed music festival during Labor Day Weekend. This is one of the four season resorts you want on your summer bucket list.
Hiking and mountain biking are popular Colorado summer activities, and the Viceroy is the perfect place to cool off. Located slopeside on the beautiful Snowmass Mountain Resort, Viceroy Snowmass’s pool captures expansive views of the peaks and valleys that encircle the hotel. Surrounded by Aspen trees, open cabanas, jacuzzis with waterfalls, and a ski lift that literally goes right over the patio create a chic mountainside vibe. The pool’s trailside bar–which is ski-in, ski-out in the winter, and bike-in, bike-out in the summer–serves delicious cocktails and fresh bites all season long.
The hotel’s concierge can arrange various offsite activities, such as hot air balloon tours, ATV tours, and trips to the Lost Forest, where you can experience an alpine coaster, ziplining, and more.
3. Big Sky Montana
Located on the edge of Yellowstone National Park, Big Sky Montana, is a popular vacation spot year-round. Big Sky town center has a weekly summer farmer’s market and outdoor concerts, plus boutiques, galleries, and plenty of places to eat or get drinks. There’s plenty of late summer fun to be had in Big Sky. July brings a professional rodeo, and August brings a music festival headlined by the Foo Fighters.
The Gallatin River is perfect for fly fishing enthusiasts and rafters/kayakers. Golf, hiking, ziplining, chairlift tours, and mountain biking round out the list of summer activities, all with spectacular mountain views. And, of course, the natural wonders of Yellowstone National Park are a must-see when you’re in this part of Montana.
Choice accommodations include The Wilson Hotel, which opened in 2019, and Montage Big Sky, which opened in 2021.
4. Sugarloaf, Maine
Sugarloaf is one of the tallest mountains in Maine and an iconic winter spot, but the fun continues in the summer. Sugarloaf’s Outpost Adventure Center has several options for summer fun. Lift rides offer spectacular mountain views, and if you want something more adventurous, fly through the mountain's trees on a one-hour zipline ride.
Other activities include disc golf, evening moose-watching tours, and mountain biking. Sugarloaf’s home page has seemingly endless options for cozy lodging.
5. Sunday River, Maine
Nestled in the western mountains of Maine, Sunday River offers a plethora of summer activities. Choose from a ride in an open-air chair or an enclosed gondola to take in the mountain views across its trails, waterways, and golf course. If you’re seeking something more active, hike Sunday River’s mountains or explore the trails in the nearby state parks.
Sunday River is a golfer’s paradise. The Sunday River Golf Club boasts an award-winning 18-hole course that spans woods and dramatic elevation changes, with on-site amenities including a clubhouse, restaurant and bar, pro shop, and practice range.
6. Schweitzer Mountain, Idaho
Idaho is calling! Located in the state’s northern panhandle and just two hours from Spokane, Schweitzer is Idaho’s largest ski resort.
Summer visitors can enjoy mountain biking, hiking, and huckleberry picking. Nearby Lake Pend Oreille offers opportunities for boating, swimming, and paddleboarding.
If you’re in the mood for relaxation, enjoy the Cambrium Spa, which offers wellness treatments that encourage restoration, nourishment, and growth. The Humbird Hotel in Schweitzer Village is a newly-opened 31-room boutique hotel. Each room has window seating overlooking Lake Pend Oreille.
7. Tamarack Resort, Idaho
Tamarack Resort is a true four season resort located 1.5 hours outside Boise. Situated on 3,500 acres with on-site lodging, dining, and event spaces, the resort offers residences full access to all amenities for adventures looking for a year-round destination.
Tamarack offers 14 miles of mountain biking and hiking trails. Bikes and e-bikes are available for rent. Other activities include ziplining and watersports, such as rafting, canoeing, kayaking, and standup paddle boarding.
Guests craving relaxation can book a treatment at the Spa at Tamarack, located within the Osprey Meadows Lodge. Their therapists follow a holistic native approach that utilizes ingredients from the local meadow.
The Village at Tamarack Resorts offers retail shopping, restaurants and bars, and luxury condominium residences.
The acclaimed Robert Trent Jones Jr. golf course is currently undergoing revitalization, which will be completed in 2024. Nine holes are currently available, but the course will consist of 19 holes plus a gambler’s hole when the updates are complete.
8. Greek Peak Mountain, Fingerlakes, New York
Greek Peak Mountain is central New York's largest ski resort and is a true four-season resort. Activities to enjoy during the summer months include Waterfalls Spa, Campground at Home Lake (new as of 2022) featuring 26 full-service RV sites and 15 tent sites, an indoor waterpark (with 84-degree weather year-round!), and an entire outdoor adventure center, featuring a mountain coaster, zip-lining, a ropes course and mountain biking rentals.
Guests who don’t want to camp can book a condo at Hope Lake Lodge. This 151-room all-suite property has rooms with full kitchens, fireplaces, and spa-quality mattresses.
Travel expert Margarita Ibbott says the Fingerlakes region is the perfect place to visit for travelers who love hiking or wine. “The climate has been perfect for producing quality wines, and a wine tour should be on your list of things to do. If hiking is your passion, I would suggest Watkins Glen State Park to see some of the most beautiful waterfalls throughout the park.”
9. Park City, Utah
Go to Park City and spend your summer vacation discovering the mountains you learned to love in winter. Fun things to do include whizzing down North America’s longest alpine slide or taking a ride on Utah’s longest mountain coaster. Other activities include exploring the hike and bike trails, ziplining, miniature golf, and gem mining. Or, if you want just to sit back, relax, and take in the views from a gondola, you can do that, too.
Picturesque Canyons Village and Park City Mountain offer many lodging options, including The Grand Summit Hotel, which offers breathtaking views of the Wasatch Mountains. The Sundial Lodge, Lift Park City, and the Silverado Lodge are also options. Check Park City’s website for any summer lodging specials you can take advantage of, such as savings applied to longer stays.
10. Panorama Mountain Resort, British Columbia
Located three-and-a-half hours southwest of Calgary, Panorama Mountain Resort has a phenomenal lineup of summer activities. Use the lifts to access alpine trails or enjoy tamer, more leisurely strolls on paved village trails.
The intimate village has a variety of places to eat, grab drinks, and shop. All resort guests get pool access, and if you really want to take the relaxation up a notch, book a spa treatment. Other activities include golfing, ATV mountain-top tours, ziplining, yoga, hiking, mountain biking, and whitewater rafting. If you haven’t tried mountain biking but want to learn, an onsite bike school provides instruction, skill assessments, and bike rentals.
“Panorama Resort is the ultimate destination for outdoor enthusiasts, offering a range of activities, including hiking, biking, golfing, ATV Tours, and even outdoor mountain-top yoga every morning,” says British Columbia travel and lifestyle blogger Bella Bucchiotti of xoxoBella. “There are several hiking trails I explored during my stay. The Panorama Summit trail was a favorite, with peaks as far as the eye can see from the top.”
11. Club Med, Quebec
For pure luxury, Club Med should be at the top of your list. This four-season all-inclusive mountain resort, just an hour and a half away from Québec City in the Le Massif de Charlevoix region, is the perfect mountain summer vacation in the mountains. With views of the scenic St. Lawrence River and surrounding mountains, this unique waterfront mountain resort is spread across 300+ acres. It features 302 spacious guestrooms, including a private Exclusive Collection (5 Star) space with 25 suites.
Discover Quebec’s natural wonders, cuisine, and culture through locally inspired culinary experiences like guided epicurean hikes to taste edible treasures found in the forest; outdoor activities like guided mountain biking, mountain top yoga, forest mediation, and trekking with alpacas; and exploration of the surrounding destination through excursions like whale watching on the St. Lawrence River and exploring Old Quebec.
Club Med is one of the four season resorts catering to parents who want family fun and adult-only options. Onsite kid’s clubs organize activities such as hiking, outdoor scavenger hunts, and nature-infused art projects to keep the younger guests entertained and engaged while their parents indulge in the resort’s expansive wellness areas.
