Updated October 10th, 2026 by Aaron McFarland

Idaho has 19 ski areas, and the first lifts of the 2026-27 season are scheduled to turn the week of Thanksgiving: Grand Targhee on November 20th, Sun Valley on November 26th, and Brundage and Schweitzer on November 27th, with Bogus Basin aiming for late November as snow allows. For Boise, the short list is Bogus Basin 16 miles up the hill (adult tickets were around $85 last season, with 2026-27 pricing due in November), Tamarack and Brundage about two hours north near Donnelly and McCall, and Sun Valley under three hours east, which opens two new high-speed lifts this winter.

Below are all 19, ordered by driving distance from Boise, with the stats, 2026-27 dates and prices that have been posted so far, pass affiliations and what’s new. Last winter was one of the driest on record in Idaho, three small hills never opened, and this winter is shaping up as a strong El Niño, so check the mountain’s own snow report before you drive. Where a resort hasn’t released 2026-27 prices yet we’ve said so and given last season’s for reference; we’ll update as they post.

Boise’s home mountain is a nonprofit that puts everything back into the hill, and it shows: 2,600 acres, four high-speed quads, 200 acres of night skiing, 37 kilometers of Nordic trails at Frontier Point, an 800-foot tubing hill and the Glade Runner mountain coaster, all 16 miles up Bogus Basin Road from the North End. It’s the second-largest ski area in the state and the only one where a weeknight after work is realistic.

What’s new for 2026-27: lifts now open at 9am every day (weekdays used to be 10am), night skiing runs to 9pm Sunday through Thursday and 10pm Friday and Saturday, and blackout dates are gone from every pass. Two new groomed top-to-bottom runs in the Pine Creek zone on the back of Shafer Butte were cut this summer, and The Outpost, a 250-seat food and event building next to Pioneer Lodge, is slated to open this winter on the heels of Pioneer’s $5 million remodel and the 21-and-over High Peak Hangout lounge. After a 111-inch season that ended March 22nd, Bogus also set a snowmaking record and is piloting summer snow storage, so expect early-season beginner terrain to open on manmade snow again.

Drive from Boise: 16 miles, about 40 minutes. Snow tires, 4WD or chains are strongly advised; the road is plowed but steep and 35 mph
The mountain: 2,600 acres, 1,800 ft vertical, 10 lifts, 88 runs, about 250 inches a year, 200 acres lit for night skiing
2026-27 season: Opening date not announced; the resort is targeting late November, with daily lift operations typically from mid-December and the season running into April
Lift tickets: 2026-27 prices not posted yet. Last season’s adult ticket was about $84 on weekdays, juniors 7-12 $37, seniors 70+ $62, kids 6 and under $10, with a $15 early-season conveyor ticket. Season passes are unchanged: True Bogus $779, Winter $749, Value $499, Midweek $469, Twilight $239, Night $129
Passes: Powder Alliance and Freedom Pass partner days come with the True Bogus pass; Ski Idaho 5th and 6th grade passport. Not on Ikon, Epic or Indy
Getting there: Free parking in six lots, no reservations; carpools of three or more get front-lot parking on busy days. The $10 cash bus from Nampa, Meridian, Eagle and the Bogus Basin Road park-and-ride ran weekends and holidays last season (details below)
Website: Bogus Basin

Tamarack has the biggest vertical drop within two hours of Boise, 2,800 feet from the 7,700-foot summit down to the village above Lake Cascade, with 1,610 acres, seven lifts and a 300-inch average. Travel + Leisure named it the top resort in the West for 2026, and it’s the one Boise-area mountain with a real base village, with condos, restaurants, a spa and a Nordic center on site.

The news this year is that Tamarack joined the Ikon Pass as a Bonus Mountain, so full Ikon Pass holders get two days here (blackouts December 26th to 30th, January 16th to 17th and February 13th to 14th). The resort also put seven figures into snowmaking over the summer, with automated tower guns now covering Waltz, the main beginner run, and the full length of Serenity top to bottom, so about a fifth of the terrain can be made. Last season added 60 acres of advanced terrain south of Bliss and the Mid-Mountain Lodge. The long-planned expansion with a gondola and new lifts is on hold after its Forest Service permit lapsed in June. Day tickets are dynamically priced and capped on peak dates, so buy ahead.

Drive from Boise: About 90 miles, a little under 2 hours via Highway 55 to Donnelly, then West Roseberry and West Mountain roads. 4WD recommended
The mountain: 1,610 acres, 2,800 ft vertical, 7 lifts, 57 runs, 300 inches a year, 3 terrain parks, groomed Nordic trails ($15 day pass)
2026-27 season: Opening date not announced; last season opened November 28th and ran to April 11th. Lifts 9am-4pm
Lift tickets: Dynamic pricing, cheaper 10 or more days out; 2026-27 table not posted. Last season ran about $88 weekday and $110 weekend for adults, $60 to $75 for juniors and seniors. Discovery beginner area ticket $10. All Season Pass currently $799 adult, $1,699 family
Passes: Ikon Pass Bonus Mountain (2 days, full pass only), Indy Pass, Ski Idaho passport
Getting there: Free parking with an overflow shuttle. The Tamarack Ski Bus runs Saturdays from Eagle Promenade at 6am, $25 round trip, free for passholders with a reservation
Website: Tamarack Resort

Two miles north of McCall on Highway 55, the Payette Lakes Ski Club’s community hill has been running since 1937 and is the only lit ski area in the McCall area, which makes it the after-dinner option on a McCall weekend. One T-bar, six runs, 405 feet of vertical and an eight-acre terrain park with 20-plus rails, plus a rustic lodge with a real food menu. The same club runs Bear Basin Nordic Center across town, 25 kilometers of groomed classic and skate trails where dogs are welcome on every trail, and one season pass covers both. There are no rentals on site, so pick up gear in McCall first.

Drive from Boise: About 105 miles, 2 hours 10 minutes
The mountain: 405 ft vertical, 1 T-bar, 6 runs, terrain park, night skiing
2026-27 season: Usually mid-December to early March, evenings on weekdays and Saturday afternoons and evenings; confirm the schedule on the club site. Last season closed March 14th for lack of snow
Lift tickets: About $30 adult. Season pass $150 adult, $325 family, $50 kids
Passes: Indy Pass (Little Ski Hill and Bear Basin Nordic both), Ski Idaho passport
Website: Payette Lakes Ski Club

Brundage sells itself on the best snow in Idaho, and the 320-inch base-area average backs it up most years (last year’s 161 inches was the lowest on record, and it still ran a full season to April 12th). The 1,920 lift-accessed acres include 420 acres of unpatrolled backcountry off the lifts, the experts-only Hidden Valley zone that opened last season, two high-speed quads and 18,000 acres of guided snowcat terrain. It’s four miles from McCall, so lodging and dinner are in town and a free shuttle runs seven days a week from the post office.

Brundage has posted a projected opening of Friday, November 27th. Day tickets are date-based and sold online, with the resort advertising prices as low as $65 on select days and higher at the window; the 4PAK of four all-mountain days goes on sale November 1st. Nothing new is opening on the mountain this winter, but the resort broke ground in August on an $8 million wastewater plant that clears the way for base-area development, and a master plan filed in January calls for a new Sargent’s Mountain lift, 115 acres of snowmaking and a new day lodge in the next few years.

Drive from Boise: About 105 miles, 2 hours 15 minutes via Highway 55 through McCall
The mountain: 1,920 acres, 1,921 ft vertical, 6 lifts, 70 trails, 320 inches a year, 2 terrain parks, cat skiing. No night skiing
2026-27 season: Projected opening Friday, November 27th, 2026, weather permitting; 9am-4pm daily; usually runs to mid-April
Lift tickets: Dynamic, from $65 on select days online, more at the window; holiday periods are December 19th to January 3rd, January 16th to 18th and February 13th to 15th. Last season’s peak adult window price was about $117 to $127. Season pass currently $929 adult, $619 midweek
Passes: Indy Pass (advance reservation required), Ski Idaho passport
Getting there: Free parking, no reservations. Free McCall-Brundage shuttle leaves the McCall Post Office at 6:30, 7:30 and 8:30am and returns at 3:15, 4:15 and 5:15pm. Snow tubing is at McCall’s Activity Barn, 2-hour sessions $30 online
Website: Brundage Mountain

Soldier sits above Fairfield on the way to Sun Valley, two hours from Boise on US-20, and is the valley’s best-kept secret for uncrowded skiing: 1,150 acres, 1,425 feet of vertical, three lifts and 36 runs, with 2,000 acres of cat skiing above the lifts topping out near 10,000 feet. Bruce Willis owned it through the 1990s and 2000s; a Utah investment group has run it since 2020. Tickets are among the cheapest for a hill this size, and kids 6 and under ski free.

Two things to know for 2026-27. The lift schedule is now Friday through Sunday only (last season was Thursday to Sunday), with cat skiing seven days and private full-mountain buyouts Monday through Wednesday. And last season was rough, with a January 10th opening and a March 6th close, so watch the snow report. Season passholders get 14 free days at seven partner hills, including two at Bogus Basin.

Drive from Boise: About 105 miles, 2 hours via I-84 and US-20 through Mountain Home, then 11 miles north of Fairfield
The mountain: 1,150 acres, 1,425 ft vertical, 3 lifts, 36 runs, about 250 inches a year, terrain park, cat skiing
2026-27 season: Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 9am-4pm. Opening date not posted
Lift tickets: 2026-27 prices not posted. Last season was $59 adult and $39 youth online, kids 6 and under free, with a $15 surcharge at the window. Season pass pre-season $329 adult, $99 youth. Cat skiing $579 a seat
Passes: Indy Pass, Ski Idaho passport, reciprocal days with Bogus Basin and others for passholders
Getting there: Free parking; lodging in Fairfield or nearby cabins, with a stay-and-ski-free promotion at participating properties
Website: Soldier Mountain

Hailey’s nonprofit hill, three miles west of town on Croy Canyon Road, has been teaching Wood River Valley kids to ski since 1948. It’s 15 acres, a Poma lift to mid-mountain, seven runs, a terrain park and lights, and as of last December a new free magic carpet for the bunny slope. Wednesday nights are free for everyone. It is worth knowing about if you’re in the Sun Valley area with beginners or a tight budget, and it’s a fun night out on its own, with tailgating, grills and fire pits welcome. Rotarun is the one Idaho ski area not in the 5th and 6th grade passport program.

Drive from Boise: About 145 miles, 2 hours 30 minutes
The mountain: 15 acres, 441 ft vertical, Poma lift and magic carpet, 7 runs, night skiing
2026-27 season: Typically early January to early March. Wednesdays 6-9pm (free), Fridays 6-9pm, Saturdays and Sundays 11am-3pm; confirm on the site
Lift tickets: Adults $20, youth 6-17 $10, kids 5 and under free, magic carpet always free. Season pass $175 adult, $300 family
Passes: None
Website: Rotarun

America’s first destination ski resort opens its 91st season on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 26th, and this is a big year on Bald Mountain. Two new Doppelmayr lifts open in December: Lookout Express becomes a high-speed six-pack, cutting the ride to about eight and a half minutes, and Christmas becomes a high-speed quad. There are 50 more acres of gladed terrain on top of last year’s 90, upgraded snowmaking pumphouses, and the resort is the first in the country certified by DarkSky International. The FIS Alpine World Cup Finals return March 20th to 25th, 2027.

Baldy is 2,533 acres and 3,400 vertical feet of fall line with almost no flats, and Dollar Mountain across the valley is the gentle, lift-served learning hill with Sunny’s Adventure Park. Day tickets are date-priced and the most expensive in Idaho (last season’s adult window price was about $253), but the resort runs a lodging package with $129 adult tickets, kids 12 and under ski free on three-night stays, and two free tickets per night at the Lodge from November 29th to December 20th.

Drive from Boise: About 155 miles, 2 hours 45 minutes via I-84, US-20 and Highway 75
The mountain: Bald Mountain 2,533 acres, 3,400 ft vertical, 12 lifts, 120-plus trails; Dollar Mountain 296 acres, 628 ft vertical, 5 lifts; 37 km Nordic Center; about 220 inches a year. No night skiing
2026-27 season: Opening Thursday, November 26th, 2026 at 9am; Dollar and the new lifts open in December; usually runs to mid-April
Lift tickets: Date-specific online pricing; 2026-27 rates were not up at press time. Last season adults were about $253, kids 5-12 $127, seniors $165. Season passes from $3,464 (Challenger) and $1,064 (Dollar only)
Passes: Ikon Pass, 7 days on the full pass only; Mountain Collective, 2 days; Ski Idaho passport
Getting there: Free parking at River Run, Warm Springs and Dollar; free Mountain Rides buses between Ketchum, the Village and both base areas; nonstop flights into Hailey
Website: Sun Valley Resort

Twin Falls County’s little hill, 28 miles up Rock Creek Canyon from Kimberly, is 120 acres, 700 feet of vertical, a double chair, a Poma and a rope tow, a tubing hill and the cheapest chairlift ticket in southern Idaho at $40. It has no snowmaking, and in the drought winter of 2025-26 it never opened; the owners canceled the season in March, rolled passes over to 2026-27 and threw a sold-out community benefit dinner in May. No opening plan for this winter had been posted as of mid-October, so check Facebook before you make the drive.

Drive from Boise: About 160 miles, 2 hours 45 minutes
The mountain: 120 acres, 700 ft vertical, 3 lifts, 22 runs, about 230 inches a year, tubing hill
2026-27 season: Not announced; did not operate in 2025-26. Normal schedule is Thursday through Sunday, 9am-4pm, plus daily over the holidays
Lift tickets: Adults $40, kids 7-17 $30, seniors and military $35, under 6 free (undated)
Passes: Indy Pass, no blackouts; Ski Idaho passport
Website: Magic Mountain

Grangeville’s city-owned hill on the Camas Prairie is a weekend operation with a T-bar, a rope tow, nine runs and a proper tubing park with two 1,100-foot lanes on its own lift, which is why it’s on this list at all. It’s the only lift-served skiing between McCall and Lewiston, and at $28 for a ski day or $18 for an hour of tubing it’s about as cheap as snow gets. It only got a few weekends in last winter.

Drive from Boise: About 200 miles, 4 hours 20 minutes via Highway 55 and US-95
The mountain: 60 acres, 400 ft vertical, T-bar and rope tow, 9 runs, tubing park. No night skiing
2026-27 season: Weekends and some holidays, 10am-4pm, when there’s snow; opening not announced
Lift tickets: Last season $28 ages 7 and up, $24 after 1pm, 6 and under free; tubing $18 for an hour, $24 for two, $28 all day; ski and tube combo $36
Passes: Ski Idaho passport
Website: Snowhaven

Six miles outside Cottonwood on the Camas Prairie, with views to the Seven Devils, Cottonwood Butte is a volunteer-run T-bar hill with 845 feet of vertical, four groomed runs plus tree trails, and the cheapest lift ticket in Idaho at $25. It averages only about 45 inches of snow and has no snowmaking, and it did not open last winter. Nothing has been posted for 2026-27.

Drive from Boise: About 210 miles, 4 hours 30 minutes
The mountain: 260 acres, 845 ft vertical, T-bar and rope tow, 6 runs. Night skiing the first Friday of January, February and March
2026-27 season: Not announced; did not operate in 2025-26. Normal schedule Saturdays and Sundays 10am-4pm plus New Year’s Day, MLK and Presidents’ Day
Lift tickets: $25 full day, $20 half day or night, preschoolers free (undated)
Passes: Ski Idaho passport
Website: Cottonwood Butte

Pomerelle sits at 8,762 feet in the Albion Mountains south of Burley and claims 500 inches of snow a year, the most of any small hill in southern Idaho, which is why it tends to open early and stay open when others can’t. Two triple chairs and a magic carpet serve 500 acres and 1,002 feet of vertical, and it runs night skiing Tuesday through Saturday until 9pm. The resort changed hands in March 2026: longtime mountain manager Zack Alexander and his wife Crystal bought it from the Anderson family, who founded it, and say it will stay independent and affordable. New RFID gates mean you buy online and save $15 over the window.

Drive from Boise: About 200 miles, 3 hours via I-84 to Albion, then Howell Canyon Road
The mountain: 500 acres, 1,002 ft vertical, summit 8,762 ft, 3 lifts, about 31 runs, 500 inches a year, night skiing
2026-27 season: Opening not announced; usually mid-December. Daily 9am-4pm, nights Tuesday through Saturday to 9pm
Lift tickets: Adults $58 online or $73 window, youth 7-12 $45, seniors 70+ $35, night $30 all ages, 6 and under free online (posted rates, not labeled for 2026-27). Season pass $539 through October 31st
Passes: Indy Pass, no blackouts; Ski Idaho passport
Website: Pomerelle

Twenty minutes south of Pocatello, Pebble Creek is the steepest sustained skiing in southeast Idaho: 2,200 feet of vertical off a 9,271-foot summit, 1,100 acres, three triple chairs and 51 runs that skew advanced, plus night skiing on the lower mountain. It is new to the Indy Pass for 2026-27. Last season was brutal, 54 inches of snow and a March 12th close three weeks early, and season pass prices were held flat in response. Deals include two-for-one Mondays on adult tickets after the holidays and $25 Friday and Saturday night tickets bought in advance in Pocatello.

Drive from Boise: About 245 miles, 3 hours 40 minutes on I-84 and I-15
The mountain: 1,100 acres, 2,200 ft vertical, summit 9,271 ft, 3 triples and a conveyor, 51 runs, 225 inches a year, night skiing
2026-27 season: Opening not announced; permit season runs mid-December to late March. Lifts about 9:30am-4pm
Lift tickets: Adults $83, youth 13-17 and seniors $67, kids 6-12 $58, night $35, beginner lift only $35 (posted rates match last season; confirm). Two-for-one Mondays from early January
Passes: Indy Pass (new for 2026-27), Ski Idaho passport, reciprocal days at Bogus Basin and Soldier Mountain for passholders
Website: Pebble Creek

Not to be confused with Sun Valley’s Baldy, this is the Clearwater Ski Club’s all-volunteer T-bar hill near Pierce in north-central Idaho, running since 1959 on land leased from Potlatch. It’s 684 feet of vertical, 21 runs with surprisingly good tree skiing, a $30 ticket, $20 rentals and free lessons by appointment, and USA Today readers once voted it a top place to snowboard in North America. It nearly lost the 2024-25 season to an insurance problem and did not open at all in 2025-26. Worth a stop only if you’re already in the Orofino area in a good snow year, and only after checking the club’s Facebook page.

Drive from Boise: About 265 miles, 6 hours
The mountain: 140 acres, 684 ft vertical, T-bar and rope tow, 21 runs, about 100 inches a year
2026-27 season: Not announced; did not operate in 2025-26. Normal schedule Saturdays and Sundays 9:30am-3:30pm
Lift tickets: Adults $30, juniors 7-17 $25, 6 and under and 70 and over free (undated)
Passes: Ski Idaho passport
Website: Bald Mountain

Eastern Idaho’s night-skiing hill, 30 minutes from Idaho Falls near Ririe, has been investing hard after a tough couple of seasons. Summer 2026 work extended snowmaking to the top of the Goldrush chair for top-to-bottom coverage, doubled the terrain park with lights, a sound system and a snack shack, and enlarged the main lot; last year added a terrain-park rope tow, new trails and a cat track linking the lifts. Roughly 700 acres, 1,000 feet of vertical and 51 runs, with groomed Nordic and snowshoe trails on the summit. Tickets are dynamic and run higher than you’d expect for a hill this size. The resort has targeted December 4th to open.

Drive from Boise: About 275 miles, 4 hours 40 minutes
The mountain: About 700 acres, 1,000 ft vertical, 5 to 6 lifts, 51 runs, about 200 inches a year, night skiing, Nordic trails
2026-27 season: Target opening December 4th, 2026, conditions permitting. Day and night operations; check the site for the weekly schedule
Lift tickets: Dynamic, adults about $99 to $119, youth and seniors $65 to $85, kids 7-12 $45 to $65 (last season’s ranges)
Passes: Indy Pass, Ski Idaho passport
Website: Kelly Canyon

Lost Trail straddles the Idaho-Montana line at Lost Trail Pass above Salmon, with terrain on both states’ sides, and it has been run by the Grasser family since 1938. It’s 1,800 acres and 1,800 feet of vertical on five double chairs, 300-plus inches a year, no snowmaking, no crowds and a four-day week (Thursday through Sunday, daily over Christmas break) that lets the snow stack up for what the locals call Powder Thursday. From Boise it’s a long haul through Stanley and Challis, so it pairs with a night in Salmon.

Drive from Boise: About 315 miles, 6 to 7 hours via Highway 21 and US-93; 45 minutes from Salmon
The mountain: 1,800 acres, 1,800 ft vertical, 5 double chairs and 3 rope tows, 69 trails, 300-plus inches a year
2026-27 season: Thursday through Sunday plus holidays, 9:30am-4pm; opening not announced (last season ran December 5th to April 6th)
Lift tickets: 2026-27 not posted. Last season adults $60 to $73 by date, kids 6-12 $50 to $63, 5 and under free, $5 RFID card. Season pass now $700 adult
Passes: Indy Pass, Ski Idaho passport
Website: Lost Trail

Targhee is technically in Wyoming, but the only road in comes from Driggs, Idaho, and it’s a Ski Idaho member, so it counts. The draw is 500-plus inches a year of famously light Teton snow on 2,602 acres and 2,270 feet of vertical, with a ski-in, ski-out base village and a fraction of the crowds and prices across the pass at Jackson Hole. It opens earliest of anything on this list, Friday, November 20th, and runs to April 18th. The Forest Service approved a 694-acre expansion in May 2026, though nothing from it opens this season. Kids 6 to 12 ski free on two- to six-night lodging stays.

Drive from Boise: About 340 miles, 6 hours via I-84 and I-15 to Driggs
The mountain: 2,602 acres, 2,270 ft vertical, summit 9,862 ft, 6 lifts including the Colter six-pack, 95 runs, 500-plus inches a year
2026-27 season: Opens Friday, November 20th, 2026, through April 18th, 2027; lifts 9am-4pm
Lift tickets: 2026-27 online single-day $125 to $180 by date, $10 more at the window; kids 5 and under free. Season pass $2,009 adult
Passes: Mountain Collective (50% off day tickets after your 2 days), Ski Idaho passport
Website: Grand Targhee

Silver is the only Idaho resort where you park in town, in Kellogg off I-90, ride a three-mile gondola up to the Mountain House, and end the day at Idaho’s largest indoor waterpark. The mountain is 1,600 acres and 2,200 feet of vertical with 340 inches a year and the region’s longest tubing park, and it’s the best big-mountain value in the Northwest: 2026-27 adult tickets are posted at $64 midweek, $76 weekends and $80 holidays online, and kids 6 and under are free. A March 2026 powder day went badly, with a power outage that held the gondola until 3pm and in-bounds slides that caught two skiers unhurt, and the general manager committed to burying power lines and adding avalanche infrastructure this offseason.

Drive from Boise: About 385 miles, 7 to 8 hours via US-95 and I-90
The mountain: 1,600 acres, 2,200 ft vertical, 7 lifts plus the gondola, 81 runs, 340 inches a year, tubing park, indoor waterpark
2026-27 season: Opening not announced, likely late November; gondola 8:15am-5pm, chairs 9am-4pm weekends and to 3:30pm weekdays
Lift tickets: 2026-27 online rates: adults $64 midweek, $76 weekend, $80 holiday; youth 7-17 $48, $59, $65; seniors, college and military $59 to $76; 6 and under free; window prices higher. Tubing $30.95 for a 2-hour session
Passes: Indy Pass (Base pass blacked out Saturdays and holidays), Powder Alliance, Ski Idaho passport
Website: Silver Mountain

Idaho’s oldest ski area, operating since 1935, sits right at I-90 Exit 0 on the Montana line with no access road to speak of, and catches 450 inches a year. The 2022 Eagle Peak expansion took it to 1,023 acres and 1,650 feet of vertical on five chairs. It’s known for deals: two-for-one Thursdays ($75 for two adults), half-price Monday through Thursday tickets for anyone with another resort’s season pass, a free ticket on your birthday, and the Famous Free Ski School for ages 7 to 17 on seven Saturdays, now in its 83rd year. Lookout has posted its 2026-27 hours but not its adult day rates yet, and it has dropped off the Indy Pass roster.

Drive from Boise: About 400 miles, 7 to 8 hours; 22 miles east of Kellogg
The mountain: 1,023 acres, 1,650 ft vertical, 5 lifts, 51 runs plus glades, 450 inches a year, 3 terrain parks. No night skiing
2026-27 season: Opens as early as November allows; 9am-3:30pm before Christmas, 8:30am-4pm over the holidays, then 7 days a week January through March
Lift tickets: 2026-27 adult rates listed as TBD; last season about $63 weekday and $75 weekend. Kids 6 and under free with an adult ticket; advance reservation saves $4 to $10. Season pass $579 adult
Passes: Ski Idaho passport; passholders get reciprocal days at 13 partners including 3 at Bogus Basin
Website: Lookout Pass

Idaho’s largest ski area by acreage, 2,900 acres above Sandpoint and Lake Pend Oreille, with 2,400 feet of vertical, a six-pack, five high-speed quads, 92 trails plus open bowls, twilight skiing on Friday and Saturday evenings, tubing at Hermit’s Hollow, 32 kilometers of Nordic and a walkable village with the Humbird hotel. Alterra has owned it since 2023, so it is unlimited on the full Ikon Pass and five days on Ikon Base. Opening is tentatively Friday, November 27th.

This is a transition year: president Tom Chasse has said 2026-27 is his last season after 20 years, and the Schweitzer Creek Village project, a new access road and a 1,400-space day lot, is under construction for 2027-28. Day tickets are dynamically priced; the resort advertises three-packs from $83 a day, and last season’s single-day adult tickets ran about $120 to $138.

Drive from Boise: About 425 miles, 7 to 9 hours via US-95
The mountain: 2,900 acres, 2,400 ft vertical, 10 lifts, 92 trails and open bowls, 300 inches a year, twilight skiing Fridays and Saturdays 3-7pm, tubing, 32 km Nordic
2026-27 season: Opening tentatively Friday, November 27th, 2026, 10am; usually runs to mid-April
Lift tickets: Dynamic online pricing; 3-packs from $83 a day, twilight tickets $25 in advance or $50 same day; kids under 4 and seniors 80+ free. Last season’s single-day adult ticket was about $120 weekday, $138 weekend
Passes: Ikon Pass (unlimited), Ikon Base (5 days), Ikon Session; Ski Idaho passport
Website: Schweitzer

Bogus Basin Road and the bus

Bogus Basin Road is 16 miles of switchbacks that are plowed and sanded but not forgiving. The resort asks for snow tires, all-wheel drive or chains, no rear-wheel drive or summer tires, 35 mph, and pulling into turnouts if someone is behind you. Idaho’s chain law only applies to commercial trucks, so this is advice rather than law, but it’s good advice. The alternative is the Bogus Basin bus, $10 cash each way or round trip, first come first served, which last season picked up in Nampa at 6:30am, Meridian at 7am, Eagle at 7:30am and the Bogus Basin Road park-and-ride at 8am and left the mountain at 4pm sharp, running daily over the holidays and weekends through late March. Bus riders can buy a day ticket even on sold-out days. The 2026-27 schedule should post in November.

Tamarack runs its own Saturday ski bus from Eagle Promenade at 6am, back at 4pm, $25 round trip and free for passholders with a reservation. Brundage has no Boise bus but a free shuttle from McCall seven days a week.

Highways 55 and 21

Check Idaho 511 before heading up Highway 55 to Tamarack, McCall and Brundage; there are no scheduled construction closures this winter (the Rainbow Bridge replacement isn’t slated to start until 2028), but weather and slide delays through the canyon are normal. Highway 21 above Idaho City closes periodically for avalanche risk. Snow tires or chains and a shovel in the car are the standard for either road.

Renting gear in Boise

Three shops cluster at the bottom of Bogus Basin Road: McU Sports (adult sport ski package about $50, snowboard $45, kids $30, with season leases from $170 for juniors and $275 for adults), Eco Lounge (adult package $45, junior $30) and Greenwood’s Ski Haus for rentals and season leases. Bogus Basin’s own shop at the base rents adult skis or a board for $36 plus $32 for boots, and a kids’ package for $36. Boise State’s Outdoor Rental Center rents full alpine packages to the public for $48. Most shops drop to a half-day rate after the first day on multi-day rentals.

If you’d rather buy, the 75th annual Bogus Basin Ski Education Foundation Ski Swap at Expo Idaho runs October 30th to November 1st, 2026: Friday 10am-10pm, Saturday 10am-6pm, Sunday 10am-3pm, $5 admission (Sunday free with two cans of food), kids 12 and under free.

Kids ski free in Idaho

The Ski Idaho 5th and 6th Grade Passport gives 5th graders three free days and 6th graders two free days at each of 18 Idaho ski areas (every one on this list except Rotarun) for a $29 processing fee through December 20th, 2026 and $49 after. It’s open to any 5th or 6th grader in the country, and the free days alone are worth more than $1,800. Some resorts, including Bogus Basin, restrict weekend daytime use.

What is the closest ski resort to Boise?

Bogus Basin, 16 miles and about 40 minutes up Bogus Basin Road from the North End. It has 2,600 acres, four high-speed quads and 200 acres of night skiing, and lifts open at 9am daily this season. Tamarack (about 90 miles) and Brundage (about 105 miles) near Donnelly and McCall are the next closest, each a little over two hours.

When do Idaho ski resorts open for the 2026-27 season?

Grand Targhee opens November 20th, Sun Valley on Thanksgiving, November 26th, and Brundage and Schweitzer are projecting November 27th. Bogus Basin is targeting late November for early-season terrain with daily lift operations usually starting in mid-December. Tamarack opened November 28th last year and hasn’t announced this year’s date. The small hills typically open in mid-December to early January, snow permitting.

How much is a lift ticket at Bogus Basin?

Bogus Basin hadn’t posted 2026-27 day ticket prices as of mid-October. Last season an adult day ticket was about $84 on weekdays, juniors 7-12 were $37, seniors 70 and over $62 and kids 6 and under $10, with a $15 ticket for the early-season beginner conveyor. Season passes are unchanged this year: $779 for the unrestricted True Bogus pass, $499 for the Value pass and $129 for a Night pass.

Which Idaho ski resorts are on the Ikon Pass?

Schweitzer is unlimited on the full Ikon Pass and five days on Ikon Base. Sun Valley gives seven days on the full Ikon Pass only. New for 2026-27, Tamarack is an Ikon Bonus Mountain with two days for full pass holders. No Idaho resort is on the Epic Pass. Sun Valley and Grand Targhee are on Mountain Collective, and Brundage, Tamarack, Little Ski Hill, Soldier Mountain, Pomerelle, Magic Mountain, Pebble Creek, Kelly Canyon, Silver Mountain and Lost Trail are on the Indy Pass, which is sold out for this season.

Does Bogus Basin have night skiing?

Yes, 200 acres of lit terrain, usually from mid-December through mid-March. For 2026-27 night operations run until 9pm Sunday through Thursday and 10pm Friday and Saturday, and the Night pass ($129) is good from 5pm. Little Ski Hill in McCall, Pomerelle, Pebble Creek, Kelly Canyon and Rotarun also have lights, and Schweitzer runs twilight skiing Friday and Saturday evenings.

Is there a ski bus from Boise?

Two. Bogus Basin runs a $10 cash bus from Nampa, Meridian, Eagle and the Bogus Basin Road park-and-ride on weekends and holidays, daily over the Christmas break, returning at 4pm; the 2026-27 schedule posts in November. Tamarack runs a Saturday ski bus from Eagle Promenade at 6am for $25 round trip, free for its passholders with a reservation.

For everything else to do once the snow flies, see the Boise winter bucket list, our McCall Winter Carnival guide for the valley’s biggest winter weekend, where to see Christmas lights in Boise and the Boise holiday markets guide. The rest of the year is on the Boise and Treasure Valley annual event calendar.

Prices and dates here are as posted by each resort in mid-October 2026. We’ll update as the mountains release their 2026-27 rates and opening dates through November.