Montana Ski Areas 2026/27: Opening Dates, Passes, Snowmobiling

Montana has about 15 lift-served ski areas, and most of them are small, community-run hills where a day ticket costs a fraction of a destination-resort price. Three of them stand out for size: Big Sky Resort in the Madison Range, Whitefish Mountain Resort above the Flathead Valley, and the non-profit Bridger Bowl north of Bozeman. The rest range from mid-sized areas like Red Lodge Mountain and Discovery to one-chair hills that open only a few days a week.

This guide covers the 2026/27 season as it stood in mid-October 2026: which opening dates the ski areas have announced and which are still third-party projections, which multi-resort passes are confirmed in Montana, and where to go for cross-country skiing and snowmobiling around West Yellowstone and Cooke City. Openings always depend on snow, so treat every date below as a target.

Montana ski areas and 2026/27 opening dates

"Announced" means the ski area itself has published the date. "Projected" means a ski-media site (OnTheSnow) lists an estimate; these are often based on past seasons and can move by a week or more.

Bridger Bowl held its season-kickoff party on October 17, 2026, but had not posted an opening date. Whitefish usually opens in early December; the December 4 figure is a forecast, not an announcement. The private Yellowstone Club at Big Sky is members-only.

The big three: Big Sky, Whitefish and Bridger Bowl

Big Sky Resort

Big Sky covers 5,850 acres with a 4,350-foot vertical drop from the 11,166-foot summit of Lone Peak, reached by a tram that opened in December 2023. It is about 50 miles south of Bozeman via US-191 through Gallatin Canyon, a two-lane road that slows to a crawl in snow. Day tickets are dynamically priced and among the most expensive in the US, so the Ikon Pass (7 days on the full Ikon, up to 5 days with blackouts on the Ikon Base Pass) or the Mountain Collective (2 days) is the usual way in.

Whitefish Mountain Resort

On Big Mountain, about 3,000 acres and 2,353 feet of vertical with close to 300 inches of snow a year. Skiing began here on December 14, 1947. Amtrak's Empire Builder stops at Whitefish Depot, and Glacier Park International Airport (FCA) is about 13 miles from town, so this is the easiest Montana ski trip without a car.

Bridger Bowl

A community-owned non-profit about 16 miles north of Bozeman, with 2,600 feet of lift-served vertical and expert hike-to terrain on the Ridge, where an avalanche transceiver and shovel are mandatory. Online adult day tickets for 2026/27 are $86 ($99 at the window). When Bridger reports 2 inches or more of new snow, a blue beacon on top of the Baxter Hotel in downtown Bozeman flashes.

The local hills

• Montana Snowbowl, about 12 miles northwest of Missoula: 2,600 feet of vertical on about 950 acres, with vintage chairlifts. It is on the Indy Pass.
• Discovery, near Georgetown Lake between Philipsburg and Anaconda: 2,388 feet of vertical, and about 30 percent expert terrain on the back side.
• Red Lodge Mountain, about 8 miles from Red Lodge on Grizzly Peak: 2,400 feet of vertical and the closest sizable area to Billings, about an hour and a half away.
• Showdown, on Kings Hill in the Little Belt Mountains: described as Montana's oldest ski area, with about 1,400 feet of vertical. It joined the Indy Pass for 2026/27 but blacks out its Youth Ski League Saturdays.
• Lost Trail Powder Mountain, on US-93 at the Idaho border: about 1,800 acres served by double chairs and rope tows, roughly two hours from both Missoula and Butte.

Many small areas run only Thursday to Sunday plus holidays. Check each area's own calendar before you drive.

Passes that work in Montana in 2026/27

• Ikon Pass: Big Sky Resort only.
• Mountain Collective: Big Sky (2 days, no blackouts). The 2026/27 pass kept all its 2025/26 partners.
• Indy Pass: Montana Snowbowl, Lost Trail Powder Mountain and, new this season, Showdown. The Base Pass gives 2 days at each partner. Indy's directory also lists cross-country centers near Bozeman, Whitefish and Butte.
• Epic Pass: no Montana ski area.

If you are not on a big pass, the small areas are good value: Bridger's 2026/27 adult ticket is $86 online, and Snowbowl's and Discovery's most recent published adult prices were under $85.

Cross-country skiing

• Rendezvous Ski Trails, West Yellowstone: about 35 km of groomed classic and skate trails, entirely on Custer Gallatin National Forest land and starting at the edge of town. The Forest Service lists a $15 day pass, $30 for 3 days and $100 for a season; children under 12 ski free.
• Glacier National Park: in winter only the road from West Glacier to Lake McDonald Lodge is plowed. The unplowed Going-to-the-Sun Road beyond it and the trails around Apgar become ski and snowshoe routes. See Going-to-the-Sun Road.
• Ski-area Nordic tracks: Discovery grooms about 19.6 miles of cross-country trail.

Snowmobiling: West Yellowstone and Cooke City

West Yellowstone calls itself a snowmobile capital. Hundreds of miles of groomed trails run from town into the Custer Gallatin and Caribou-Targhee national forests, including the Two Top loop along the Montana–Idaho line. Mileage figures quoted locally vary from 300 to over 400 miles, so take any single number as approximate.

Inside Yellowstone National Park the rules are stricter:

• The winter season starts December 15, 2026, and oversnow roads generally stay open until mid-March, depending on snow.
• You must either join a commercially guided snowmobile or snowcoach tour, or hold a Non-Commercially Guided Snowmobile Access Program permit. The 2026/27 lottery ran August 1–31 on Recreation.gov. Permits are $40 a day plus a $6 application fee, for trips of up to 3 days and up to 5 snowmobiles. Unclaimed permits were released first-come, first-served from October 1.
• Sleds must meet the park's Best Available Technology standard, and every operator must be at least 16, hold a valid driver's license and pass the park's snowmobile education certification.

Cooke City is the other snowmobile base. In winter the road from Gardiner through the park is plowed only as far as Cooke City, and the Beartooth Highway beyond is closed and buried in snow. Cooke City sits in serious avalanche terrain, so carry a beacon, shovel and probe off the groomed routes.

Winter driving to the ski areas

• MDT road reports are at 511mt.net or by dialing 511. Check them before every mountain drive.
• US-191 to Big Sky, Big Mountain Road in Whitefish and MT-1 to Discovery all need good winter tires or chains after storms.
• Bozeman Yellowstone International (BZN) is the main airport for Big Sky and Bridger; FCA serves Whitefish and Blacktail; Billings Logan (BIL) serves Red Lodge.

Before you go

• Confirm the opening date on the ski area's own site the week before you travel.
• Check which pass covers which area, and any blackout dates.
• Buy day tickets online; Bridger and Big Sky both charge more at the window.
• Carry chains or winter tires, and check 511mt.net.
• For Yellowstone snowmobiling, book a commercial guide or check Recreation.gov for released permits.
• In backcountry or snowmobile terrain, check the local avalanche forecast and carry rescue gear.

Details checked October 2026.