6 Best Ski Resorts in Duluth

The state of Minnesota boasts one of the US’ longest downhill skiing seasons, making it a prime spot for winter skiing vacations. That, coupled with Minnesota’s gorgeous lakes, rich forests, and cold, snowy winters, makes skiing vacations a great way to soak in the wilderness of Minnesota. Many of the largest, best skiing resorts are clustered around the port city of Duluth, making it a great destination for a ski vacation. The best ski resorts in Duluth had something for everyone, whether we wanted relaxing B&B experiences or the bells and whistles of a luxury resort. However, what made them all great was the abundance of snow and the varied landscape.

Moreover, they’re all clustered around the town, which made them very accessible for us to do skiing, even night skiing. So, even though there aren’t huge mountains, Duluth still has some great hills that make for perfect places to hit the slopes. To that end, here’s a detailed guide to Duluth’s skiing slopes for a memorable winter vacation.

Korkki Nordic Ski Center

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Best XC skiing. The classic Korkki Nordic Ski Center is tucked in the lovely Clover Valley between Duluth and Two Harbors and overlooks Lake Superior. For more than four decades, Korkki has been a special place where skiers and their families have learned and enjoyed skiing. What’s more, it boasts a single skiing trail that’s 6 mi (11 km) of the most challenging and yet beautiful single-track ski trails in the region, making it as much-loved as legendary in the Duluth-region XC skiing scene.

What makes Korkki so famous is that it’s hosted annual races since 1960, including the Bangin’ in the Brush trail race, the Eric Judeen 10k Classic, and the newest member of the family, the Balsam Basher 10k Fat Tire Bike Race!

The Terrain. The terrain across Korkki’s classic-only trails is varied. Dorothy’s Loop, for instance, 1 mi (1.6 km) loop without hills, designed originally for Dorothy, co-founder Charlie Banks’ wife. Cook’s Fall, on the other hand, is a rollercoaster section where Sam Cook of Duluth plowed face-first into the deep snow!

The Town. Since Korkki lies exactly between Duluth and Two Harbors, they both serve as base towns for the ski center.

At a glance

• Known for: A 6mi (11 km) long single trail system with looped and non-looped trails.
• Opening: Mid-December
• Closing: Mid-March
• Elevation: N/A
• Summit: N/A
• Lifts: None
• Airport: Duluth International Airport, 24 mi (38 km)

Where to Stay: 10 minutes away from Korkki towards Two Harbors lies the charming Larsmont Cottages on Lake Superior. This luxurious yet on-budget resort features a host of rooms, of which the best ones have sweeping views of Lake Superior. Nevertheless, they’re all equipped with mod-cons, including contemporary bathrooms. Aside from free Wi-Fi everywhere, the resort also has a restaurant, a bar, a fitness center, and its highlight, an indoor pool and a hot tub. There were even free bikes that we used to explore the surroundings.

Snowflake Nordic Ski Center

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Sitting near the airport, high above Duluth, is the privately operated Snowflake Nordic Ski Center, where Olympians ski for free! This year-round family recreation center-cum-XC cross-skiing facility offered a wide range of outdoor opportunities in the winter. The top one was skiing, with 8 mi (13 km) of trails that are groomed often. What’s more, the classic tracks flank skate lanes, where we saw the many racers who frequent Snowflake zip by. In fact, they even arranged skiing lessons when we requested them! In fact, the full package, with poles, boots, and skis, cost us just 10 USD per person per day.

The highlight here is KidSki, which has been getting children on skis and making Nordic skiing fun for them for the last 27 years. The objective is to make skiing lessons safe and exciting, with all coaches following the time-tested KidSki lesson plans. Open for kids ages 4-16 years, kids are divided into different groups according to their experience.

The Terrain. Snowflake has 200 skiable acres and 8 mi (13 km) of 4-5 skiing routes. There’s a Kids’ Klassic Loop, Jane’s 5k, the Biathlon, Geroge’s 10k, and even a few cutoff routes. There’s even a sliding hill where we had lots of fun with the kids. While a trail pass costs 10 USD, Olympians ski free, as we mentioned earlier.

The Town. At the ski center, there’s a spacious, warm, and convivial chalet with a snack counter, a waxing room, and rentals. Since it sits right on the northwestern fringes of Duluth, that’s the default base town. So, there are tons of accommodations and places to dine and drink close by.

At a glance

• Known for: Excellent skiing, especially for kids.
• Opening: End of November
• Closing: March/April, depending on the snow
• Elevation: N/A
• Summit: N/A
• Lifts: None
• Airport: Duluth International Airport, 2.4 mi (3.8 km)

Where to Stay: Since we were staying right in Duluth, we had the choice of hotels all over the city. Even the shores of Lake Superior were barely a 10-15 minute drive, so we thought, why not stay right on the waterfront? That’s why we chose Beacon Pointe At Lake Superior, which is one of the best hotels in Duluth, MN. It offered us some of the most stunning wintertime views of Duluth Harbor and Lake Superior right from the patio of our oceanfront room. The hotel overflowed with comfort amneties like a fitness center, a sauna and a hot tub, and even an indoor pool. Duluth Lake Walk was right outside, and there were even free bikes that we could borrow to explore the area.

Spirit Mountain Nordic Center

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Spirit Mountain Nordic Center (formerly Grand Avenue Nordic Center) brings world-class Nordic skiing to the southern fringes of Duluth. A joint effort between the city of Duluth, Spirit Mountain, and the Duluth XC Ski Club boasts consistent grooming and snowmaking, which is what makes it exciting for skiers of all skill levels. Some of the country’s best Nordic trail designers have designed the new XC trails here. In fact, it also connects to the Magney Snively trail system, giving us even more ground for skiing. Aside from expert grooming, the trails also have ‘Dark sky’ LED trail lighting for skiing in the early morning and evenings!

What’s more, we could even enjoy Snow tubing with the entire family and the children, as they allow kids aged 3 years and older. What made it all the better was that we didn’t have to walk to the top, thanks to the tubing lift! If that wasn’t enough, there are even freestyle terrain parks and areas here where snowboarders can show off their tricks. In fact, it’s the largest terrain park and half-pipe in the entire Midwest! All in all, Spirit Mountain certainly dialed up the alpine action up a notch or two in Duluth.

The Terrain. Spirit Mountain has 175 acres of skiable terrain across 22 alpine runs, 6 mi (11 km) of skiing routes, and a thrilling 700 ft (213 m) vertical drop. Moreover, they’re divided into 36% beginner runs, 46% intermediate ones, and 18% expert runs.

The Town. The full-service Grand Avenue Chalet at the trailhead was perfect for enjoying snacks between our skiing sessions. That said, this skiing resort sits just south of West Duluth, not far from the central part of the city or the harbor, thus serving as a base town.

At a glance

• Known for: Being Minnesota’s second-tallest ski hill.
• Opening: Mid-December
• Closing: Mid-March
• Elevation: 620 ft (190 m)
• Summit: 1,298 ft (396 m)
• Lifts: 7 (5 chairlifts, 1 rope tow, 1 magic carpet)
• Airport: Duluth International Airport, 11 mi (17 km)

Where to Stay: We were quite close to Duluth Harbor, which is why we chose to stay at Park Point Marina Inn. It was rightly named Duluth’s No. 1 award-winning waterfront hotel resort, as it offers panoramic views of Duluth Harbor from every angle. Most rooms have balconies, including ours, which meant watching the lovely sunsets right from our room. There was even an indoor family recreation center where we had fun the time we weren’t skiing.

Giants Ridge Recreation Area

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Minnestora’s tallest skiing area. We didn’t mind heading slightly out of Duluth to get all the skiing action, which is how we ended up at the fabulous Giants Ridge Recreation Area. Tucked in Iron Ridge, these ancient mountains are amongst Minnesota’s tallest skiing areas at 1,792 ft (546 m) and sit just an hour north of Duluth. Apart from the relatively abundant natural snowfall that they get, Giants Ridge also boasts an extensive snowmaking system. So, skiing here was a real delight, especially since nearly three-quarters of the runs are either beginner or intermediate. Nevertheless, there’s tons of challenging terrain here, along with a fantastic ski and snowboarding school where we newbies had a ball learning the basics of the sport.

Besides the impressive 35 skiing runs spread across the mountain, Giants Ridge has not one but two terrain parks. Garmisch has extensive boxes and rails and large jumps, while Placid Terrain Park is targeted towards beginners like us. We even indulged in fat biking on the XC trails and even the thrilling snow tubing, which has three lanes. If all that activity already wasn’t enough, we even went snowshoeing on 3 mi (4.8 km) of forested trails. The best bit? There’s night skiing available on most of the mountain.

The Terrain. With a vertical drop of 500 ft (152 m), 35 named runs, and 7.4 mi (12 km) of skiing routes, there’s no dearth of skiing areas and options here. What’s more, the runs are divided into 33% beginner runs, 42% intermediate ones, and 25% expert runs.

The Town. The town of Biwabik, around 5 mi (8 km) away, serves as the base town for Giants Ridge. As it is, Giants Ridge has an impressive base lodge too.

At a glance

• Known for: All-season recreation area with both natural and artificial snowmaking capabilities and night skiing.
• Opening: End of November to the first week of December
• Closing: Mid-March
• Elevation: 1,472 feet (449 m)
• Summit: 1,972 feet (601 m)
• Lifts: 9 (7 chairlifts, 1 T-bar lift, 1 magic carpet)
• Airport: Duluth International Airport, 63 mi (101 km)

Where to Stay: While most of the chain hotels are in Virginia, a further 18-minute drive from Biwabik, Biwabik does have some lovely choices for condos and vacation rentals – especially on Embarrass Lake. That’s why we chose to stay at Lakefront Giants Ridge Retreat, which not only boasted a fabulous lakefront location but also spectacular views of the lake. The four-bedroom holiday home easily accommodated our party of eight people and also came with free Wi-Fi so we could stay connected and plan our trip. What’s more, it even came with a fully-equipped kitchen and a whole boatload of appliances and mod-cons, including an indulgent spa bath. Did you know that this place even had an outdoor dining area? Yes!

Lutsen Mountains

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Minnesota’s largest skiing resort. Lutsen Mountains, comprised of the Moose, Mystery, Ullr, and Eagle Mountains, is Minnesota’s largest skiing area. As the only geological mountain range in the state, Lutsen in the unique Sawtooth Mountains makes for a real mountain skiing experience. Since it lies on the shores of Lake Superior, we were treated to some of the most jaw-dropping views we’d ever seen while skiing. With 95 runs, it’s Minnesota’s largest skiing area, and there are runs for skiers of all levels. Since we were with the kids, we signed up for lessons at the Snow Sports Learning Center and had a whale of a time.

Besides that, there were as many as four terrain parks where snowboarders showed off their tricks, as well as a half-pipe. While one terrain park is full of rollers, steep sections, and banked corners, the other has all kinds of humps, bumps, and other things to ride along or on. Beyond skiing and snowboarding, we enjoyed everything from sleigh rides and snowshoeing to even dog sledding! But what surprised us was that the Lusten Mountains had a gondola, which is quite rare in this part of the United States. 

The Terrain. With a vertical drop of 825 ft (251 m), 25 mi (40 km) of skiing routes, and 95 named runs, Lutsen certainly has a wide range and variety of runs for all skill levels. In fact, intermediate skiers loved the presence of tree runs, which are semi-off-trail, ungroomed areas, all bursting to the seams with fresh snow. Finally, there are even a few double black diamond runs.

The Town. Even though Lutsen is a long drive from even the second-tier cities along Lake Superior, it has tons of staying options around, especilly in the base town of Lutsen and around. In fact, there are many resorts on the ski road to the resort itself.

At a glance

• Known for: One of the country’s northernmost ski areas with lots of natural snow.
• Opening: End of November
• Closing: End of April
• Elevation: 863 ft (263 m)
• Summit: 1,688 ft (515 m)
• Lifts: 9 (1 surface lift, 7 chairlifts, 1 gondola)
• Airport: Duluth International Airport, 96 mi (155 km)

Where to Stay: We stayed at the Caribou Highlands Lodge, which lies just half a mile from the ski resort. Not only did the resort have modern accommodations, of which our room even had a fireplace and mountain views. Nevertheless, they all came with kitchens, which made it very convenient for us to whip up meals on the fly. When it comes to the amenities, this resort boasts both an indoor and seasonal outdoor pool, free Wi-Fi access, and an on-site restaurant and bar, which is a ski-in-ski-out restaurant!

Mont du Lac Resort

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Best overall. Mont du Lac Resort sits overlooking the St. Louis River, 20 minutes south of Duluth. The groomed slopes were perfect for the entire family, as they offered a variety of thrilling and scenic runs with different difficulties. Besides beginners’ runs, Mont du Lac also has un-groomed terrain with tree-skiing opportunities. What’s more, the skiing resort boasted Western owl-style mogul runs spread over 10 acres and offered professional skiing and snowboarding lessons for beginners like us.

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Are you not into skiing? Fret not, for there’s a fantastic terrain park with more than 20 elements that rotate throughout the hill. We saw many freestyle skiers and snowboarders testing their abilities here, riding through various-sized jumps and rails. If that wasn’t enough, there’s even the thrilling Outta Bounds tubing park, which is the only one of its kind in the US, with tubing runs careening through the woods. It certainly made for a high-speed, unique, and enthralling ride!

“Mont du Lac was certainly one of the best places we’ve been to for downhill skiing.”

WOW Travel

The Terrain. With a total of 9 ski trails, 66 skiable acres, a 320-ft (97 m) vertical drop, and 2.5 mi (4 km) of skiing routes, skiing Mont du Lac was certainly a delight. What’s more, they’re divided into 13% beginner routes, 36% intermediate routes, and 51% expert ones. In fact, the longest run is as long as 3,000 ft (914 m)!

The Town. Since it sits just south of Duluth, it’s as good as the base town for the skiing region.

At a glance

• Known for: Year-round family destination with a whole lot of wintertime activities and fun.
• Opening: November end/December first week
• Closing: Early April
• Elevation: 617 ft (188 m)
• Summit: 918.6 ft (280 m) 
• Lifts: 3 (1 chairlift, 1 rope tow, 1 magic carpet)
• Airport: Duluth International Airport, 19 mi (30 km)

Where to Stay: We enjoyed absolutely amazing ski-to-door access at the Mont du Lac Resort, which is the only place to stay at the Mont du Lac skiing resort. That said, we didn’t feel anything lacking here and stayed in utmost comfort in the accommodations. In fact, our unit even came with a balcony from where we could spy sweeping views of the St Louis River. At the resort, we’d enjoy an aperitif at the bar after a long day of skiing, followed by an alfresco barbecue by the outdoor fireplace. There’s even a sun terrace which was a blessing when the sun was out in the winter.

Our Verdict!

While all Minnesota skiing resorts are amazing, here’s a specialized list to help you get started.

• Best XC skiing: Korkki Nordic Ski Center
• Minnestora’s tallest skiing area: Giants Ridge Recreation Area
• Minnesota’s largest skiing resort: Lutsen Mountains
• Best overall: Mont Du Lac Resort

What is the tallest ski resort in Minnesota?

With a base elevation of 1,472 feet (449 m) and a summit elevation of 1,972 feet (601 m), Giants Ridge Resort is Minnesota’s tallest ski resort.

Are you going skiing with your tots? Check out the best snow sleds for toddlers.

What is skiing like in Minnesota?

The state might be known for its prairies and lakes, but its famed Sawtooth Mountains offer some of the Midwest’s biggest and best ski runs, and that too with spectacular drops. Lake Sueprior’s steely winter blues and the dark green forests make for as perfect as a backdrop can get.

What is the ski season in Minnesota?

Usually, the skiing season in Minnesota runs between late November to mid-March and sometimes even stretches into April in good years.