Maine skiing ranges from rugged snowfields at Sugarloaf to the best snowmaking
in the East at Sunday River, but Maine is not known for its luxury. Hence the
state slogan “the way life should be” not “the way life would be preferred”.
Sugarloaf is the largest single Maine ski area and Sugarloaf has the biggest fan
base due to snowfields, superb scenery and on mountain restaurants like
Gepettos, The Rack and The Bag – with the best burgers in ski country. You can rent a ski
in ski out condominium at Sugarloaf, or stay at the four-diamond
Sugarloaf
Mountain Hotel. Ask for the penthouse suite at Sugarloaf if you really want the best
place to stay on the mountain. You’ll have your own private hot tub and great
views of the slopes from your 5-bedroom private ski suite. Then you can really
call yourself a Loafer… like the locals do.
Sunday River ski vacations are reliable because of the best snowmaking in New
England. Lodging at Sunday River however comes down to one of the two Grand
hotels - The Grand Summit or the Jordan Grand Hotel and Spa are both on the
slopes with outdoor heated swimming pools. While these hotels aren’t as
“grand” as they sound, the on mountain location is convenient with ski storage
and valet service.
Just a short drive from the slopes is a luxury ski house rental called
Ski Esta at Sunday River.
You will also find plenty of great ski bars like the
Matterhorn at Sunday River, and some top restaurants in the town of Bethel – Ski
Magazine named Bethel in the top 10 ski resort towns in the country.
Saddleback ski area in the Rangeley Lakes region, in the western part of Maine
is almost like a private country club – never crowded, high elevations, plenty
of snow to go around. In recent years, Saddleback has received new ski lifts,
snowmaking, new ski trails and extensive glades like Casablanca, and a beautiful base lodge perfect for a
ski wedding. But nothing here is ultra luxury! For a romantic lodge on the
shores of Rangeley Lake, see our review of Loon Lodge.
Visiting Saddleback, you can rent a condo or a ski townhouse right on the slopes
(not fancy – remember this is Maine). The town of Rangeley is more popular for
Maine snowmobiling than downhill sports. There are more trucks with snowmobile
trailers than SUVs with ski racks on a winter weekend. See a complete guide to
Maine lodging at Maine ski resorts including Sugarloaf, Sunday River,
Shawnee Peak and Saddleback.
Maine skiing ranges from rugged snowfields at Sugarloaf to the best snowmaking
in the East at Sunday River, but Maine is not known for its luxury. Hence the
state slogan “the way life should be” not “the way life would be preferred”.
