Bolton Valley

Located in the heart of northern Vermont’s Green Mountains, Bolton Valley isn’t exactly the first place most people have on their radar for a destination ski trip. The mountain’s small footprint and long distance from major Northeast cities put it at a disadvantage compared to better-known ski resorts in the state. But Bolton Valley’s fundamentals also give it a couple of unique advantages that certain groups, especially those with younger or less-experienced skiers, will appreciate.

Bolton Valley is a lot smaller than many Vermont competitors. But the mountain isn’t exactly a small hill either, with three distinct peaks offering a fair variety of terrain. All three mountain zones offer terrain rated from beginner to advanced, making Bolton a great place for groups of different abilities to explore together.

Bolton Valley is the rare small Vermont ski mountain that receives high-quality East Coast snow. Like other nearby northern Green Mountain resorts, Bolton boasts a strong record of accumulation, with naturally consistent slopes throughout much of the season. The snowfall totals result in a strong base that allows for more interesting terrain options than ski resorts further south, including some fairly distinctive glade and woods runs.

That said, while Bolton does ultimately stay resilient thanks to snowmaking on critical trails, the resort’s snowmaking footprint isn’t as extensive as some competitors. At 60% snowmaking coverage, the mountain lags behind the best destinations, which have 80-95% coverage. Bolton Valley’s Vista Peak terrain has the best snowmaking, while the trails off Wilderness and Timberline Peaks are much more subject to natural conditions and typically take longer to open each winter. On trails with no snowmaking, thin cover is common throughout the entire season—even on days with optimal snow conditions.

Bolton Valley is perhaps northern Vermont’s most family-friendly mountain, and the resort is a strong choice for beginners. Every mountain pod serves at least one green trail; the Vista and Timberline chairs offer green runs right off the summit, while those hoping to stick to green terrain will need to hop off the Wilderness chair at the mid-station. That being said, trails are rated on the easier side compared to Vermont’s other resorts and many blues are also doable for less experienced guests. The lower half of Vista Peak is home to Bolton’s learning terrain, with multiple lifts dedicated to green and easier blue runs in this area. Bolton Valley has a small dedicated bunny hill for true first timers, but it’s served by a rope tow, rather than the typical magic carpet found at most other resorts.

Bolton Valley’s intermediate terrain is decent for the resort’s size, with enough variety to keep visitors busy for a day or so. Groomed blue cruisers exist across every mountain area, and a number of gladed areas, chiefly in lower-mountain areas, are appropriately pitched for intermediates as well. Bolton also has a handful of terrain parks near the main base, and while they’re primarily small and medium in nature, they are designed with progression in mind, making them a good option for visitors looking for an introduction to freestyle.

It may not be the hardest mountain out there, but there are some tough mogul runs at Bolton, although they aren’t the longest in the world. Black runs are slightly steeper than blues, but are primarily distinguished by a lack of grooming. The steep, very skinny Preacher run is arguably the hardest run at the resort, while a handful of other glade runs are also marked as expert, double-black-diamond trails.

Bolton also offers access to some solid lift-serviced backcountry terrain, and in the event of recent snowfall, terrain can remain untouched for days. That being said, inexperienced visitors should be very careful; there are no markings outside the boundary, and if you stick too far in one direction, you may end up having to endure a grueling hike out to get back to the resort.

Bolton may be small, but it punches somewhat above its weight in terms of views, with a bit more flavor than other similarly-sized resorts. Trail pods are thoughtfully designed, with undisturbed mountain faces neighboring the resort and natural wilderness separating the different zones. There’s very little buildup surrounding the resort, leading to a feeling of isolation. The resort’s notable lack of crowds contributes to the uncommercialized feel as well—lift lines of greater than a few minutes are rare, even on peak weekends and holidays.

But it’s a good thing that Bolton’s lines are short, as guests will be in for lengthy ride times on all of the mountain’s chairlifts. Every chair at Bolton is slow; the Vista and Timberline lifts are quads, while the others are doubles. At least the high capacity on the quad chairs allows families to ride together, which is a highly desirable feature at a family-oriented resort such as Bolton.

Also nice for families is that Bolton Valley is reasonably simple to get around. The resort’s three peaks mean that it’s technically possible to end up in the wrong area, but they’re all simple to find and get out of thanks to fairly clear signage. Our one gripe is that getting from Timberline back to other resort areas requires a somewhat flat traverse, but it’s not the worst in the world and it’s more than manageable for most guests.

Unlike most of its competitors, Bolton Valley offers night skiing. Operations typically extend until 10pm Tuesday through Saturday, but the schedule can vary during the holidays or in the early or late weeks of the season. While only a fraction of the resort’s terrain remains open after the sun goes down, terrain options ranging from beginner to advanced still exist, as do all of Bolton Valley’s terrain parks.

Getting There

Bolton Valley is located just east of Burlington, about three-and-a-half hours from Boston and five-and-a-half hours from New York. The resort is also about three hours from the Canadian city of Montreal. The drive is much easier than that of other resorts, with the route almost entirely involving interstate highways until the final 20 minutes up the Bolton Valley access road. For those looking for public transit options, Amtrak train service stops once per day about 10 miles from the resort at the Waterbury station.

Lodging

Bolton Valley visitors can choose from several onsite lodging options, including some ski-in/ski-out accommodations. The onsite accommodations are no-frills but nice enough; however, they can get quite pricey during peak times.

A much wider range of lodging options exist about half an hour away in Burlington, Vermont.

Aprés-ski

Bolton Valley is a family-oriented mountain resort, and aprés-ski activities are very limited after a day on the slopes (night skiing is typically the most lively activity after the sun goes down). For a strong variety of bars and restaurants, visitors should make the journey to downtown Burlington, where plenty of nightlife activities exist, even on weekdays; Burlington is a college town, so be prepared for some particularly rowdy venues, especially if you’re on the older side.

Verdict

Bolton Valley is way too small and undeveloped to compete with the most popular ski destinations in Vermont. But the resort’s strong natural snowfall, lack of crowds, and local feel result in a package that’s hard to replicate anywhere else in the state. Lift ticket prices are reasonable enough for the experience; the mountain charges up to $100 on peak holidays but typically asks much fairer rates with advance purchase or on off-peak weekdays. The resort also has a special $39 rate on all off-peak Mondays.

Ultimately, Bolton Valley is a bit too far away from most metropolitan areas to justify the drive for most, but for those looking for a small, uncrowded mountain with less of a reliance on artificial snow, this mountain may just do the trick.