Colorado’s world-class ski resorts feature a myriad of skiable acres and vertical drops, all waiting to be explored by eager riders. Whether you’re looking for that right combination of vertical and terrain or are just curious about the largest resorts in Colorado, we’ve curated the primary ski resorts by size.
Those planning a multi-day trip at the same mountain might be better off choosing one with enough skiable acres and vertical to keep you guessing. Most resorts below feature at least 1000 skiable acres, which is more than enough to explore over a couple of days. There are also several awesome ski areas with between 400 and 800 acres that make an epic ski day, at reasonable prices.
Biggest Ski Resorts in CO by Skiable Acres and Vertical Drop
Rest assured, even at the most crowded, popular resorts, you’ll find thousands of acres of terrain to escape and find your solitude. The smallest ski areas with less than 100 acres were included in this list, but some of their acreage and vertical are unknown.
Silverton Mountain is included, but keep in mind it’s expert only, and everything requires traversing, hiking, or a helicopter to reach. Only inbounds terrain was used for skiable areas, and the chairlift served for the vertical drop (except for Silverton, which is hike-to).
You can view a list of ski resorts in CO to see more statistics and facts about each.
Statistics are subject to error or change. Please let us know if you see a mistake in any mountain stats.
Here are the largest ski resorts in CO by skiable area:
| Ski Resort | Skiable Acres | Vertical Drop |
|---|---|---|
| Vail | 5,317 acres | 3,450 feet |
| Steamboat | 3,741 acres | 3,668 feet |
| Keystone | 3,148 acres | 3,128 feet |
| Snowmass | 3,132 acres | 4,406 feet |
| Winter Park | 3,081 acres | 3,060 feet |
| Breckenridge | 2,908 acres | 3,398 feet |
| Copper Mountain | 2,490 acres | 2,738 feet |
| Telluride | 2,000 acres | 3,790 feet (4,425 hike-to) |
| Beaver Creek | 1,832 acres | 3,340 feet |
| Silverton | 1,819 acres | 3,087 feet |
| Loveland | 1,800 acres | 2,210 feet |
| Purgatory | 1,605 acres | 2,028 feet |
| Powderhorn | 1,600 acres | 1,650 feet |
| Wolf Creek | 1,600 acres | 1,604 feet |
| Crested Butte | 1,547 acres | 2,775 feet |
| Arapahoe Basin | 1,428 acres | 2,270 feet |
| Aspen Highlands | 1,040 acres | 3,638 feet |
| Monarch | 800 acres | 1,142 feet |
| Sunlight | 680 acres | 2,010 feet |
| Eldora | 680 acres | 1,240 feet |
| Aspen Mountain | 675 acres | 3,267 feet |
| Buttermilk | 470 acres | 2,030 feet |
| Granby Ranch | 406 acres | 1,000 feet |
| Ski Cooper | 480 acres | 1,200 feet |
| Hesperus | 160 acres | 700 feet |
| Echo Mountain | 60 acres | 660 feet |
| Howelsen Hill | 50 acres | 440 feet |
| Cranor Hill | 45 acres | 305 feet |
| Kendall Mountain | 35 acres | 240 feet |
| Lake City Ski Hill | 14 acres | 247 feet |
| Chapman Hill | 7 acres | 400 feet |
| Lee’s Ski Hill | unknown | 75 feet |
| Frisco Adventure Park | unknown | unknown |
It’s no surprise that if you’re familiar with Colorado skiing that Vail is the largest ski resort in the state. Take one sweeping summit view around the front side and back bowls, and all you see is endless skiing. The skiable acres at Vail have grown to 5,317 acres. And although its vertical is impressive at 3,450 feet, it’s not the best.
Telluride has the longest vertical in Colorado at 4,425 ft, but that’s with hiking. If you’re measuring lift served, it’s only 3,790 ft. Putting Snowmass as the longest lift-served vertical in CO at 4,406 ft (it’s also the longest lift-served vertical in the country!).
Here are the longest ski resorts in CO by lift-served vertical drop:
| Ski Resort | Vertical Drop | Skiable Acres |
|---|---|---|
| Snowmass | 4,406 feet | 3,132 acres |
| Telluride | 3,790 feet (4,425 hike-to) | 2,000 acres |
| Steamboat | 3,668 feet | 3,741 acres |
| Aspen Highlands | 3,638 feet | 1,040 acres |
| Vail | 3,450 feet | 5,317 acres |
| Breckenridge | 3,398 feet | 2,908 acres |
| Beaver Creek | 3,340 feet | 1,832 acres |
| Aspen Mountain | 3,267 feet | 675 acres |
| Keystone | 3,128 feet | 3,148 acres |
| Silverton | 3,087 feet | 1,819 feet |
| Winter Park | 3,060 feet | 3,081 acres |
| Crested Butte | 2,775 feet | 1,547 acres |
| Copper Mountain | 2,738 feet | 2,490 acres |
| Loveland | 2,410 feet | 1,800 acres |
| Arapahoe Basin | 2,270 feet | 1,428 acres |
| Buttermilk | 2,030 feet | 470 acres |
| Purgatory | 2,028 feet | 1,605 acres |
| Sunlight | 2,010 feet | 680 acres |
| Powderhorn | 1,650 feet | 1,600 acres |
| Wolf Creek | 1,604 feet | 1,600 acres |
| Eldora | 1,240 feet | 680 acres |
| Ski Cooper | 1,200 feet | 480 acres |
| Monarch | 1,142 feet | 800 acres |
| Granby Ranch | 1,000 feet | 406 acres |
| Hesperus | 700 feet | 160 acres |
| Echo Mountain | 660 feet | 60 acres |
| Howelsen Hill | 440 feet | 50 acres |
| Chapman Hill | 400 feet | 7 acres |
| Cranor Hill | 305 feet | 45 acres |
| Lake City Ski Hill | 247 feet | 14 acres |
| Kendall Mountain | 240 feet | 35 acres |
| Lee’s Ski Hill | 75 feet | unknown |
| Frisco Adventure Park | unknown | unknown |
Remember, it’s not all about the verticals and acres. Sometimes skiing the whole vertical listed top to bottom is not possible to achieve, without taking a brief chairlift up, to continue going downhill. Although it is certainly possible to ski from top to bottom without a chairlift at many of these resorts. Study the trail map and plan your route.
A day at every ski resort listed beats a day in the office. Thanks for checking Colorado’s biggest ski resorts by size. As aforementioned, missing from this list is the state’s expert’s only ski area with 1 chair lift and plenty of traversing for steep powder, Silverton Mountain. Have a terrific time skiing and snowboarding the Rockies this season!
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