5 Abandoned Ski Resorts That Nature Is Slowly Reclaiming
An old trail map can tell you where the runs were. At some abandoned ski areas, you’d have a hard time finding them through the trees.
Across the country, mountains that once drew weekend crowds have been closed for decades. Financial problems shut some down. Others couldn’t keep up with rising costs, inconsistent snowfall, or competition from bigger resorts.
What remains varies from place to place: idle chairlifts, boarded-up lodges, and ski trails gradually disappearing into the woods. For the people who skied there, these were places where they learned to turn, worked their first winter job, or spent every Saturday.
Here are five abandoned ski resorts and the stories behind their closures.
1. Iron Mountain Ski Resort — California
Closed: 1995
Hidden in California’s Sierra Nevada, not far from Kirkwood Mountain Resort, sits one of the state’s most fascinating abandoned ski areas.
Iron Mountain opened in 1971 under the name Silver Basin. Over the following decades, it operated under several different identities, including Ski Sundown, Iron Mountain, and Carson Ski Area.
Despite offering chairlift-served skiing in a region famous for enormous snowstorms, the mountain struggled financially.
Competition from larger nearby resorts, ownership changes, and operational problems eventually took their toll.
In 1991, an attempt to expand the ski area led to a confrontation with the U.S. Forest Service after trees were cut without authorization. The resort closed for several years before briefly reopening in 1995.
That would be its final ski season.
More than three decades later, remnants of the old lifts and lodge remain scattered across the mountainside.
Weathered buildings, rusting lift equipment, and abandoned infrastructure create a striking contrast with the surrounding Sierra Nevada forest.
Unlike many lost ski areas that have almost completely disappeared, Iron Mountain still has enough remaining infrastructure to make its former purpose unmistakable.
The roughly 65-acre property was listed for sale in 2025 and marketed again in 2026 with a $4 million asking price, raising the possibility of redevelopment. There has been no confirmed return to lift-served skiing.
Related: The Bizarre Story of an Abandoned California Ski Resort
2. Mt. Whittier Ski Area — New Hampshire
Closed: 1980s
Few abandoned ski resorts in New England have left behind such a recognizable reminder of their past as Mt. Whittier in West Ossipee, New Hampshire.
During its operating years, Mt. Whittier was known for steep terrain and a distinctive gondola that carried skiers up the mountainside.
The ski area eventually closed in the 1980s, but much of its infrastructure was left behind.
Today, the old gondola line is one of the property’s most unusual features.
Lift towers and cable sections have remained standing, while the former base buildings and summit terminal have suffered decades of deterioration.
The mountain’s old trails have gradually narrowed as trees and vegetation spread into the once-cleared slopes.
What was once an active ski destination has become a strange collection of ski infrastructure and encroaching forest.
A 2023 exploration documented the abandoned gondola, decaying buildings, and overgrown terrain, offering a remarkable look at how the property has changed.
For longtime New England skiers, Mt. Whittier is a reminder of an era when smaller, independently operated ski areas were scattered throughout the region.
Related: Exploring an Abandoned New Hampshire Ski Area
3. Brodie Mountain — Massachusetts
Closed: 2002
In the Berkshire Mountains of western Massachusetts, Brodie Mountain was once a popular destination for local skiers.
Its history stretches back to the 1930s, when the first ski trail was cut into the mountainside.
The ski area expanded considerably during the 1960s and 1970s, eventually becoming known for its extensive night skiing operations.
At one point, Brodie advertised one of the largest night skiing facilities of its era.
The resort also had an unusual brush with Hollywood history.
During the 1969–70 ski season, Johnny Cash filmed scenes at Brodie, where the mountain’s snowmaking equipment helped create winter conditions for a television production.
But maintaining a ski area proved increasingly difficult as the industry changed.
After its final season in 2002, Brodie ceased operating as a public ski resort.
Over the years, portions of its infrastructure have remained while other pieces have been removed.
Photographs of the abandoned area show empty buildings, overgrown stairways, and vegetation spreading across former ski facilities.
The once-busy slopes have also experienced the gradual return of trees and brush.
Brodie is a particularly interesting example of what happens when a substantial regional ski resort closes and no comparable operation takes its place.
For many Massachusetts skiers, the mountain remains a cherished piece of local skiing history.
Related: Exploring Western Massachusetts’ Iconic Abandoned Ski Resort
For historical trail maps and detailed information about the mountain, visit the New England Lost Ski Areas Project.
4. Ski Rio — New Mexico
Closed: 2000
Deep in northern New Mexico’s Sangre de Cristo Mountains sits one of the most unusual abandoned ski resorts in the United States.
Ski Rio was an ambitious destination with extensive terrain, multiple lifts, and large vertical relief.
During its operating years, the mountain advertised 83 trails across approximately 910 skiable acres.
But despite its impressive size, Ski Rio struggled with a difficult combination of unreliable snowfall, financial problems, ownership changes, and competition from established destinations such as Taos and Angel Fire.
Its complicated history included bankruptcies, lawsuits, and repeated attempts to keep the resort operating.
In January 2000, the lifts stopped turning.
They never reopened for regular commercial skiing.
The property has since taken on a very different identity.
Some of the old skiing infrastructure has been removed, while portions of the original lift system and other facilities have remained.
Unlike an entirely abandoned public property, parts of the former resort have been repurposed for private use, including residential accommodations.
That makes Ski Rio especially intriguing: it is a ghost ski resort, but not a completely deserted piece of land.
Rare authorized tours and videos reveal old lift terminals, former ski slopes, and reminders of what was once a major mountain operation.
Related: House-Sitter Gets Rare Tour of Abandoned New Mexico Ski Resort
For more information about the resort’s complicated past, explore the Ski Rio history archive.
5. Highmount Ski Center — New York
Closed: 1993
Just beyond the boundaries of Belleayre Mountain in New York’s Catskills lies a forgotten ski area that has been closed for more than 30 years.
Highmount Ski Center operated from 1947 until 1993, offering roughly a dozen trails and four lifts.
For decades, the small mountain provided an alternative to its larger neighbor.
But competition, inconsistent snowfall, and rising operating costs eventually made the business unsustainable.
Highmount closed after the 1992–93 season.
In the decades since, its former trails have gradually filled with trees and other vegetation.
Old lift infrastructure and abandoned buildings have remained on the property, creating an eerie reminder of the mountain’s skiing past.
Exploration footage shows former ski trails becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish from the surrounding forest.
But Highmount has something that sets it apart from many other abandoned resorts: a potential second life.
Belleayre has previously received approval for an expansion involving the former Highmount terrain, although that development has not moved forward.
For now, the old mountain remains closed.
Whether it eventually becomes part of Belleayre or continues to disappear into the Catskills forest remains an open question.
Related: Exploring an Abandoned New York Ski Area That Could Be Revived
Why Did So Many American Ski Resorts Close?
The stories behind these five mountains are different, but many of the same challenges appear repeatedly.
Smaller ski areas often struggled to compete with larger destinations that could offer extensive snowmaking systems, high-speed lifts, more lodging, and larger marketing budgets.
A few poor winters could create enormous financial problems for an independent resort.
Aging lifts and buildings required expensive maintenance, while insurance, energy, labor, and other operating costs continued to rise.
In some cases, ownership disputes or development plans complicated attempts to keep mountains open.
The result is a fascinating collection of former ski areas scattered across the United States.
Some have been redeveloped. Others have become hiking destinations or private properties. Many have simply been left to deteriorate.
And as the decades pass, nature gradually erases the evidence.
The Mountains Are Still There. The Ski Resorts Are Not.
Perhaps the strangest thing about visiting a former ski resort is how recognizable the terrain can remain.
A wide opening in the trees might once have been a beginner run. A rusting steel tower may mark the route of an old chairlift. A deteriorating building might have been a crowded lodge on a snowy Saturday afternoon.
For skiers who remember these places, the remains can be both fascinating and sad.
They are reminders that ski resorts, despite their massive infrastructure and carefully maintained slopes, are not permanent fixtures of the landscape.
When the lifts stop spinning and the maintenance crews leave, the forest slowly begins to take the mountain back.
Which abandoned ski resort do you wish could make a comeback?
Editor’s note: Many abandoned ski resorts are located on private property or contain hazardous, unstable infrastructure. Closed ski lifts and deteriorating buildings should never be entered without authorization.
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