Jiminy Peak Ski Resort is a year around resort in the Berkshires. They are known for having some of the most trails in western Massachusetts. If you want to ride all day and into the night, Jiminy Peak is a good answer.
Read on why Jiminy Peak Ski Resort should be your next Massachusetts mountain getaway and to find out everything you need to know before your trip.
Where is Jiminy Peak Ski Resort?
Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort is located in Hancock, Massachusetts. The resort is 2 hours and a half hours from Boston. It is also almost 3 hours from New York City. Scranton is 3 hours and 15 minutes to the West of Jiminy Peak Ski Resort and Albany, NY is 45 minutes.
Being on the West side of Massachusetts, Jiminy Peak Ski Resort can get a lot of traffic from the surrounding states, especially from New York and Connecticut.
Does Jiminy Peak Ski Resort Have Lodging?
Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort wouldn’t be a resort without on-site lodging. The Country Inn has 1, 2 and 3 bedrooms at the base of the mountain and 1/2 a mile from the mountain as well. Generally the rooms run about the same price as any hotels near by. If you only plan on skiing and snowboarding at Jiminy than the Country Inn is a great choice to be close to the mountain.
If you want to ski multiple mountains in the Berkshires than there are also some chain hotels at different price points. The Berkshire Courtyard by Marriott Lenox, Berkshire Fairfield Inn & Suites and the Berkshire Holiday Inn Express are all close by options.
The Courtyard Marriott has rooms from $130-$400 depending if you go on the weekday or weekend. It is 30 minutes from the resort. You know what you are getting with a Marriott property.
Fairfield Inn & Suites is 5 minutes away and the rooms go for $150-$300. It has everything you’d look for including a fitness room, pool and hot tub.
The Berkshire Holiday Inn Express is 3 miles from Jiminy Peak and ranges from $120-$300 depending if it is a weekday or weekend. They have free hot breakfast.
If none of those options are attractive than there are also plenty of condos, bed and breakfasts and higher end resorts in the Berkshires too.
Does Jiminy Peak Ski Resort Have Night Skiing?
Jiminy Peak Ski Resort is popular in the Berkshires because they do offer night skiing. In fact, 21 of their 45 trails are lit at night. 4 of their 9 lifts continue to run and all 3 terrain parks stay open for night skiing and snowboarding.
As the temperature drops, the slopes can get a little icy as with most night groomer skiing.
In total, 101 acres with 100% snow making are available for night riding at Jiminy Peak Resort. They only thing to watch out for during night skiing is that as the temperature drops, the slopes can get a little icy.
The Best Time to Go to Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort
Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort can get crowded in peak season from being so close to the surrounding states and from people within the state. The best time to go and take advantage of the mountain is during the night skiing sessions.
The crowds thin out quite a bit and the mountain stays open till 10 p.m. While you can’t ride all the trails, there is more than enough trails open to have a ton of fun.
Does The Resort Have a Ski Shop?
Jiminy Peak Ski Resort has an outdoor gear shop and a rental shop at the mountain. Mountain Sports by Potter Brothers has everything to outfit you in a new kit if you want. They have skis, snowboards, apparel and accessories. Anything that you might have left at home, Potter Brothers at Jiminy Peak has it. Visit them just off from the Courtyard if you want to look at some new gear.
Highlights of the Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort
Along with Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort having the best night skiing in Western Massachusetts some of the highlights of the ski area include –
- 45 Trails
- 167 skiable acres
- 9 Lifts
- 1,150 feet of vertical
- 3 Terrain parks
- Best night skiing in Berkshires
Terrain Parks : What to Know
There are three terrain parks at Jiminy Peak Ski Resort. Grommetville is the best place to start for new freestyle riders. It is located under the novice chairlift. It is a great place to build confidence before moving up to a bigger park.
Coyote Ridge is Jiminy’s second terrain park and has a little big bigger jibs and features. You can take the Berkshire Express Chairlift and find Coyote Ridge at the top of Ace of Spades.
Lastly is Alex’s Park. It has the largest freestyle features at the resort and has it’s own lift so you can spend a full day in the park. Previous freestyle experience is needed before riding Alex’s Park.
Is Jiminy Peak Ski Resort Good for Beginners?
Jiminy Peak Ski Resort offers both private and group lessons at their ski school. They teach everyone from kids to adults and make sure they have fun out on Jiminy’s trails. The resort is definitely good for beginners. If it is your very first time than we recommend a mid-week first timer ski or snowboard lesson. It includes rental gear, a group lesson and a lower mountain lift ticket.
Does Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort Blow Their Own Snow?
Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort has snow making coverage on almost all of their trails. They have 100% of snowmaking coverage on the night trails. Don’t worry, by end of December, they try to have all trails open and the resort in full swing.
How Many Trails Does Jiminy Peak Ski Resort Resort Have?
There are 45 trails at Jiminy Peak Ski Resort. The breakdown is as follows-
- 17 beginner trails (37%)
- 6 low intermediate (14%)
- 7 intermediate (15%)
- 6 high intermediate (14%)
- 6 most difficult (14%)
- 3 extremely difficult (6%)
What Are Some Other Winter Activities at Jiminy Peak?
Jiminy Peak Ski Resort is mainly focuses on downhill skiing. They do have some uphill skiing as well. Nearby you can find more shops, wineries, spas, cross country skiing and snow tubing at other resorts.
Is There Summer Mountain Biking at Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort?
Jiminy Peak is one of the few resorts with summer mountain biking. They have a mix of intermediate and expert downhill lift serviced trails. Mountain biking is open Saturdays and Sundays in the summer when the park is open. There are no rentals and you have to bring your own bike.
Conclusion
Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort is the best place to night ski in the Berkshires. 45 trails during the day and 21 of them open a night mean you’ll probably want to stay more than two days.
Let us know if you are headed out to Jiminy Peak this winter and if not, what resort you are headed to!
