For many skiing families in New England and New York, Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort is their closest full-scale ski resort. It offers lodging, lessons for all ages and abilities, childcare for your youngest or non-skiers, and a great mountain with lots of varied terrain. For families with young kids, these amenities are a must if Mom and Dad hope to have any time to do some grownup skiing! To put it in perspective: the weekend we visited, my husband had to work, so I ended up going by myself with two kids aged 4 and 2. I think my husband probably thought I was a little bit crazy for going solo, but fortunately, it turned out great. And I think that’s in large part due to the accessibility of Jiminy Peak and all its amenities (for example, I could manage to get both kids to their respective ski lessons/child care by myself with kids and skis in tow). It’s also due to the helpfulness and friendliness of the staff everywhere we went. I was helped with bags, skis, and kids every time I turned around, and it made the trip not only possible, but fun as well.

Because I grew up in northern California, with some very impressive skiing in my backyard, I tend to be a little skeptical of east coast skiing. That being said, Jiminy Peak does offer a range of terrain, with a few double black diamonds thrown in for the more adventurous crowd. A lot of the off-trail or glade runs depend on a good natural base, and Jiminy Peak depends heavily on snowmaking, so some of the trails that I would have found really fun were closed during our visit. But because of their snowmaking efforts, coverage and a variety of runs are pretty much guaranteed at Jiminy.

I will say that the folks at Jiminy Peak know how to show you a good time. The highlight of my visit was First Tracks, a program Jiminy offers about once a month for season pass holders (and some very lucky travel writers!). At First Tracks, they open the mountain an hour early and from 8am to 9am, you get exclusive access to some freshly groomed snow (or if you’re really lucky, powder!). Not only was it fun to make the first tracks, but the mountain was so quiet and peaceful that early in the morning, that I felt like I had it all to myself (which I practically did!).

Overall, Jiminy Peak is a great place for families because it offers enough of a challenge to keep experienced skiers entertained, but is extremely accessible to intermediate or beginner skiers.

My family and I experienced Jiminy Peak as guests of the resort. While we appreciate this opportunity to inform Trekaroo readers about another great family resort, it came with no expectation of a positive review.

During a recent visit to Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort, we stayed slope side at the Country Inn at Jiminy Peak. The real value of the hotel is its location. Once you arrive, you’re just steps away from restaurants, a general store, and—of course—the chairlifts! Keeping skiers in mind, each room conveniently comes with a ski locker on the ground floor, so there’s no need to lug skis and boots all the way up to your room. The rooms themselves are pretty standard, with a small kitchen, sitting room, and bedroom (the layout and number of bedrooms varies with the number of people in your group, of course. We were a family with one adult and two kids, and were very comfortable in a one bedroom). The Country Inn is pretty expensive for what you get (one bedroom suites cost $289 per night during peak ski season), but what you’re paying for is the convenience of staying on the mountain. Apart from a few communities of timeshares, the Country Inn is the only hotel at the base of the mountain, and it’s well worth the price to have the ability to park your car for your entire stay, and ski-in/ski-out from your front door!

While the resort offers a few restaurants and a general store, I would recommend that you stock up on supplies before you arrive. The general store is pretty small, and prices are quite a bit higher than those you’d find at a bigger store at home.

At the base of the mountain (and roughly next door to the Country Inn), Jiminy Peak has a ski village with all you need to get you started—ski rental, a store for all the equipment you forgot at home, and a few places to grab a bite. If you have non-skiers in your group, though, make sure they have a good book. There’s not a lot to do at Jiminy Peak, or the surrounding area, if you’re not on the slopes. The hotel has a fitness room and pool, although the pool was closed during our visit. (I suspect it was due to weather—high temperatures that weekend barely made it into the teens!) Also, the game room listed as an amenity at the Country Inn is really just a small room in the basement with a few video games, so don’t count on that to keep the kids entertained on a bad-weather day!

My family and I experienced Jiminy Peak as guests of the resort. While we appreciate this opportunity to inform Trekaroo readers about another great family resort, it came with no expectation of a positive review.

There are a lot of ways your kids can enjoy Jiminy Peak—and learn a few tricks on the ski hill as well! Jiminy offers a wide range of lessons, from KidsRule mountain camps, to GET skiing and riding group lessons, and traditional private and group lessons. They also offer the Stride Adaptive Ski Program, which offers adaptive instruction and/or equipment for skiers with special needs. For the very little ones (under 3), there’s the Cubs Den, a day care program located right in the village at the base of the mountain.

Homer (4 years old) spent two days in the KidsRule mountain camp, and loved every second of it. The nice thing about KidsRule is that they divide kids up by both ability and age. The goal is to keep kids with their own age group to maximize fun, but to also make sure they’re in a group of their level so that they’re able to learn a lot of new skills. The program starts at 9:45am, includes lunch and a few hot chocolate breaks, and ends at 3:15. This gives you enough time left over for a few runs with your kids so they can show you everything they learned at KidsRule! There’s also an option of having your child ski with KidsRule in the morning, then go to the Cubs Den after lunch for a more low-key afternoon. This is especially good for 3 year olds, for whom a whole day of skiing is probably a little too much.

The GET Program, which stands for Guaranteed Easy Turns, is offered to older kids and adults and gets them skiing directly to parallel in 90 minutes. Sounds too good to be true? Well, remember, this is all happening on the beginner lift. But the idea behind the program is solid—if you learn to ski directly to parallel, you don’t have all those nasty habits to break from wedge turns and snowplowing! The “guarantee” part of the GET program applies to kids/adults 8 and over, although they will take kids as young as 7. If you don’t get the hang of it, come back for the GET II program at a discount. This is a great option if you have folks in your group who have never skied before, but would like to enjoy their vacation on the slopes, rather than from the lodge. After all, it’s guaranteed!

While Homer was in his lessons, Greta (2 years old) was spending her days next door at the Cubs Den. The staff were very friendly and attentive, and she happily stayed at the Cubs Den for a full two days (keep in mind that this is a child who spends very little time in child care, so it was quite a feat to keep her comfortable and cheerful for all that time. Those folks deserve a raise!). That being said, I had hoped that Greta would be able to spend a little time outside, and maybe even play in the snow, while she was in the Cubs Den. Sadly, there is no outside space, and the indoor space is pretty minimal. It’s clean and bright, with plenty of toys and a table for lunch/snacks, but there’s no separate room for naps, just a line of pack and plays against one wall. By some miracle, Greta napped both days, but if you have a child who is finicky about his/her naps, and really needs to sleep, you might have a tough time.

All things considered, both kids had two really great days at Jiminy Peak, and because they were so happy in their activities, it meant that I could really enjoy myself on the mountain.

Website info:
KidsRule/Cubs Den: http://www.jiminypeak.com/childrens-programs
GET Program: http://www.jiminypeak.com/first-time-lessons

Prices:
A full day at KidsRule (9:45am to 3:15pm) costs $109 on regular days, $122 on holidays. This includes lessons, lunch, and lift ticket. Given that your child’s lift ticket will cost between $49 and $58 anyway, this seems like a very reasonable price.

The Cubs Den costs $15 per hour, with a two hour minimum, and $8 for lunch. Again, this seems pretty reasonable and is similar to other ski hills that we’ve visited.

The GET Program costs just $79 and includes your rental, lesson, and beginner (lower mountain) lift ticket. Lessons are 90 minutes long and are offered at a few different times every day.

My family and I experienced Jiminy Peak as guests of the resort. While we appreciate this opportunity to inform Trekaroo readers about another great family resort, it came with no expectation of a positive review.

The WilloughVale Inn and Cottages was a great place to spend a few relaxing days with young kids. Homer (3.5) and Greta (1.5) had a great time each morning playing on the playground and splashing in Lake Willoughby. For the more adventurous set, there were kayaks, canoes, a paddle boat, and even a water trampoline available free of charge for WilloughVale guests.

The cabin we stayed in was great for families. We had two bedrooms (one with a jacuzzi tub!), a full kitchen and living room, and a porch with a hammock and beautiful lake view. The Inn's restaurant is open Tuesday-Sunday and serves a variety of meals for adults and children. The staff were friendly and helpful and made our vacation (even with two very young kids!) relaxing and fun.

As much as my kids loved playing in the lake (and it's a beautiful lake, with nice, clear water and a pebbly/sandy bottom), there were a lot of activities available for a rainy day. The Fairbanks Museum and Planetarium is about 20 minutes away in St. Johnsbury. For the cheese lovers in the group, the Cabot Creamery is about 30-40 minutes away in Cabot. And if you're visiting during the late summer/fall, you can check out the Vermont Corn Maze and Barnyard in Danville.

My family and I experienced the WilloughVale Inn and Cottages as guests of the resort. While we appreciate this opportunity to inform Trekaroo readers about another great family resort, it came with no expectation of a positive review.