The 5 Most Scenic Ski Safaris in North America

An endless variety of resorts, breathtaking scenery, distinct wildlife and vibrant cities, these epic road trips are sure to make your friends jealous - just don't forget your camera!

As of 2024, this is now the Big Mountain Ski Safari.

Yellowstone National Park is one of the world's most spectacular places any time of year. Visiting in winter on a Yellowstone Ski Safari, you can travel by snowmobile or relaxing heated snowcoach through a vast wilderness en route to the iconic Old Faithful geyser, or go wildlife spotting to meet locals such as wolves, moose and elk.

There are two resorts that you can easily combine with Yellowstone National Park - why not ski both for the full ski safari experience? To the north, you'll find Big Sky - one of North America's largest but also one of its quietest. To the south, Jackson Hole offers stunning scenery, legendary ski terrain and an authentic cowboy town.

The Yellowstone Ski Safari the perfect combination of North America's steepest, deepest and most rugged terrain with a protected wilderness like no other.

Read Jan Clifford's report of her family's Yellowstone Ski Safari on our blog, they described it as "the most perfect road trip from start to finish".

For majesty mountain scenery, the Alberta Rockies Ski Safari cannot be beaten - there's a reason Rupert's done it four times!

The views from Banff town, Lake Louise and Jasper are incredible, as is the sheer variety of skiing available at the Sunshine Village, Mt Norquay, Lake Louise and Marmot Basin ski areas. Huge jagged peaks dominate the skyline as you drive through Banff National Park - Three Sisters, Rundle, Castle, Cascade, Assiniboine to name but a few - and that’s before we have even put a tyre on the Icefields Parkway.

In terms of sights that make you go "wow", the Icefields Parkway is easily one of the most dramatic drives on earth. It takes four hours, but give yourself a day, you won’t want to miss this and the many opportunities to stop for photos.

The skiing at Park City, the USA's largest ski area, is easily enough of a reason to want to visit Utah. But then throw in a visit to two or more of the most spectacular National Parks and the trip takes a whole new dimension.

<pstyle="color: #000000; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;"> <pclass="container">Blessed with an abundance of intermediate terrain and world-famous Utah powder (the driest on the planet), Park City is an easy 45 minute drive from Salt Lake City. The town itself is a colourful historic silver mining town, home to an abundance of atmospheric bars, restaurants and boutique shops.

Once you've had your fill of the slopes, drive to Utah's "Mighty Five" National Parks where you can immerse yourself by hiking (or biking!) into, up onto and around some of the most incredible rock formations, arches and canyons imaginable. We recommend spending time in two or three of the Parks for the complete experience - choose from Canyonlands, Arches, Capitol Reef, Bryce Canyon and Zion.

The Guardian dubbed our Utah & National Parks Ski Safari as "The Greatest Holiday in the World" and those of us who've done it would have to agree.

The Vancouver Island Ski Safari is a trip of two extremes. Start off on Whistler's world-class slopes with seemingly endless terrain, beautiful accommodation and a buzzing alpine village. With North America's second longest vertical drop, you're a long way from sea level where you'll spend the second part of your trip in Tofino on Vancouver Island.

Few spots can rival the rugged wildness of a Tofino beach in winter. Enjoy long beach walks, old growth forests, whale watching and some of the most romantic beachside accommodation in Canada - or for a different viewpoint jump in a float plane!

Not sure what to do in Tofino? Emily's here to help with "10 Things Not to Miss in and Around Tofino".

To finish off, spend a day or two in Vancouver for sightseeing with more of a human flavour, but the surrounding ocean and mountains mean that nature is still on your doorstep.

If I had to pick a personal favourite, it would be the Oregon Trail Ski Safari. Start in Seattle, with its coffee and music culture and an incredible backdrop of the Pacific Ocean on one side and the dominating Mt Rainier on the other, then enjoy unique skiing on the volcanoes of Mt Hood and Mt Bachelor. One is so snowsure you can ski all year round, while the other offers 360 degrees of skiing from the summit. If you like craft beer, stay in the town of Bend - with over 20 breweries (one per every 4,500 residents), it has the most breweries per capita in the whole of Oregon.

Once the legs are tired, Oregon’s famous rugged coastline is just one of a number ways to extend your trip. In my opinion, it's the most spectacular coastline in the world. Think The Goonies, Twilight and you’re in the right place - 400 miles of dramatic rock formations, churning whirlpools and sandy beaches. A walk along Cannon Beach guarantees great photos - it's regularly voted one of America's best.