Places to Ski Locally

Updated December 16, 2025

NOTE - Please check trail conditions in advance either by checking online (their website), our list of weather/webcam resources or ask on our Google Group about current conditions.    

• Black Diamond Trail (ungroomed) - Ithaca, NY 

• Connecticut Hill Wildlife Management Area (ungroomed) - Newfield, NY

• Hammond Hill State Forest (ungroomed) - near Dryden, NY

• Interloken Trail (ungroomed) - near Trumansburg, NY 

• Jim Schug Trail (ungroomed) - Dryden, NY 

• Kennedy State Forest (ungroomed) - Harford/Lapeer, NY 

• Fingers Lakes National Forest (ungroomed) - near Ithaca, NY

• The Park Preserve South (Irish Settlement Road) - Slaterville Springs, NY 

• Robert Trent Jones Golf Course (ungroomed) - Ithaca, NY

• Six Mile Creek Natural Area (ungroomed) - Ithaca, NY 

• South Hill Rec Way (ungroomed) - Ithaca, NY

• Tuller Hill State Forest (ungroomed) - Virgil, NY 

• Yellow Barn State Forest (ungroomed) - near Ithaca, NY

Places to Ski Further Away    (Distance is from Ithaca)

• Bear Swamp State Forest (groomed and un-groomed)  33 miles from Ithaca 

• ADK Rail Trail (ungroomed) - runs from Lake Placid to Tupper Lake, NY 260 miles 

• Black River Environmental Improvement Association (BREIA) (groomed and un-groomed) - Boonville, NY  121 miles

• Bristol Mountain Nordic (groomed) - Canandaigua, NY  75 miles

• Garnet Hill Outdoor Center (typically groomed) - North River, NY  204 miles

• Greek Peak Nordic Center (groomed and ungroomed) - Virgil, NY  22 miles

• Greenwood County Park (groomed and ungroomed) - Lisle, NY  32 miles

• Highland Forest County Park (groomed and ungroomed) - Fabius, NY  50 miles

• Jack Rabbit Trail (ungroomed) - Keene Valley to Paul Smiths, NY 244 miles 

• James Kennedy State Forest (ungroomed) - Lapeer, NY  23 miles

• Lapland Lake Nordic Center (mostly groomed) - Benson, NY  166 miles

• Lime Hollow Nature Center (ungroomed) - Cortland, NY  19 miles

• Mt Van Hoevenburg (mostly groomed) - near Lake Placid, NY  260 miles

• Oakley Corners State Forest (ungroomed) - Newark Valley, NY  34 miles

• Osceola Ski and Sport (mostly groomed) - Osceola, NY  113 miles

• Osceola Tug Hill (mostly groomed) - Osceola, NY  112 miles

• Paul Smith's Visitor Interpretative Center (groomed and ungroomed) - Paul Smiths, NY  245 miles

• Scotts Cobble Nordic Center (groomed) - Lake Placid, NY 260 miles 

• Stoney Pond State Forest (groomed and ungroomed) - Erieville, NY  58 miles 

• Tupper Lake aka James Frenette Trails (mostly groomed) - Tupper Lake, NY 224 miles 

• Winona State Forest  (groomed and ungroomed) - in the Tug Hill Region, NY  110 miles

• Whiteface Club Nordic Center (mostly groomed) - Lake Placid, NY 260 miles 

Also check Trail Forks, you may need to change the Default Activity Type to Nordic Ski

Looking for a place further away?    Check out the listings on the Cross Country Ski Areas Association directory.  

Recommendations on Driving in Winter Conditions to Ski Places 

• When you use a mapping program,  look at the map route especially for the Northern portion.    Example: Google Maps says the shortest route to Mt Van Hoevenburg is up I-81 then at Watertown East on NY 3.     But this takes you on the West side, then across the top, of the Tug Hill - lots of lake effect snow.    Going to Rome then East on NY 8, or up I-88 to Albany then North, might be better routes.

• Also expect cell phone no coverage zones - even around the Ithaca area. Backcountry SOS www.backcountrysos.com is an app that you can install on your phone for Text-to-911. Text, SMS - Small Message Service, requires lower power/less signal strength, and will often go through when a voice call will not.  https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/what-you-need-know-about-text-911