The Overview
Michael Fulton
Melbourne-based skier and snowboarder with 50+ resorts across 5 continents. Specialises in Australian resorts and international resort comparisons.
Lee Canyon's summit reaches 9,371 feet, dropping 713 vertical feet to a base at 8,658 feet across 27 runs spread over 195 acres in the Spring Mountains northwest of Las Vegas. Terrain splits 60 per cent intermediate and 20 per cent each beginner and advanced, with no expert-rated runs. Average annual snowfall reaches roughly 157 inches. The resort operates its own Power Pass network under Mountain Capital Partners ownership.
Lee Canyon sits at the base of Lee Peak, just north of Mount Charleston, Nevada's eighth-highest peak at 11,916 feet, within the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. Four lifts, including two quads and one triple, serve the compact 27-run network. Its position roughly 45 minutes from the Las Vegas Strip makes it one of the most accessible ski areas to any major US city, a genuine desert-to-snow contrast. The resort's moderate 713-foot vertical drop suits its intermediate-focused terrain.
Informal winter recreation, including sledding and snowshoeing, began in Lee Canyon in the 1930s, followed by a rope tow and warming hut run by the Las Vegas Ski Club in the 1940s. The ski area officially opened in 1963, with the first chairlift installed in 1968 and the main lodge completed in 1970. POWDR Corporation and the Thomas family took over ownership around 2003, before Mountain Capital Partners acquired the resort in April 2023, operating it under a special-use permit with the US Forest Service.
Lee Canyon's own Power Pass gives unlimited access, alongside a local season pass and weekday-only options. Adult day tickets range from 89 to 129 US dollars depending on date, with kids 12 and under skiing free. The resort suits Las Vegas residents and visitors seeking a quick escape to snow without leaving the metropolitan area, roughly 45 minutes from the Strip. Its desert-mountain setting within the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area gives it a distinctive character among US ski areas.
712ft
Vertical
27
Runs
195 acres
Skiable
13ft
Annual snow
The Terrain
27 runs across 195 acres skiable
Lee Canyon spreads 27 runs across 195 acres skiable of terrain. It leans intermediate at 60%, with 5 beginner runs to find your feet and 5 advanced or expert runs when you want to push.
Terrain split
27
runs
27 runs across 4 grades
Beginner5 runs · 20%
Intermediate16 runs · 60%
Advanced5 runs · 20%
Expert0 runs · 0%
Time it right
When to visit Lee Canyon
The 2025-26 season at Lee Canyon ran from 7 December 2025 to 5 April 2026, a roughly seventeen-week window for a Mojave Desert-adjacent high-elevation resort. The mountain's base at 8,658 feet is high enough to support a reasonable season despite its desert Southwest location. Season dates can shift based on early and late-season snowfall. This length reflects the resort's reliance on its elevation to catch what winter storms do reach the Spring Mountains.
Average annual snowfall of roughly 157 inches is notable given Lee Canyon's proximity to Las Vegas and the surrounding Mojave Desert, a result of the Spring Mountains' elevation intercepting moisture that the desert floor below never sees. This creates a striking natural contrast between desert and snow within a short drive. Base depth and season totals vary considerably year to year given the region's naturally more marginal snow climate compared with the Sierra Nevada or Rockies. Snowmaking plays an important role in supplementing natural snowfall.
January and February typically offer the most reliable conditions once natural and machine-made snow have built a consistent base. The resort's intermediate-heavy terrain, with no expert runs, makes conditions somewhat less weather-dependent than at steeper competitors. Late-season visits in March can be inconsistent given the region's marginal snow climate. Weekday visits are generally quieter than weekends, given Lee Canyon's role serving the large Las Vegas metropolitan population.
Lee Canyon's calendar centres on serving Las Vegas as an accessible day-trip ski destination rather than a multi-day resort. Under Mountain Capital Partners' ownership since 2023, the resort connects to a broader network of Southwest ski areas sharing the Power Pass. Specific festival or event programming beyond standard operations is not confirmed in available resort information. The novelty of skiing within reach of the Las Vegas Strip remains the resort's most distinctive seasonal draw.
Season 2025 - 2026
7 Dec 2025
Opens
5 Apr 2026
Closes
119
Days open
13 ft
Annual snow
Getting there
Getting to Lee Canyon, and where to stay
Lee Canyon sits in the Spring Mountains within the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, roughly 45 miles northwest of Las Vegas, with a base elevation of 8,658 feet and a summit at 9,371 feet across a 713-foot vertical drop over 195 acres. The base lodge sits at the foot of Lee Peak, just north of Mount Charleston, Nevada's eighth-highest peak. This is the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area, a genuine alpine environment within the larger Mojave Desert region.
There is no substantial town immediately at Lee Canyon; the small community of Mount Charleston, with limited lodging and dining, sits closer to the resort than Las Vegas itself. Las Vegas is the dominant nearby city and the resort's primary visitor source, roughly 45 minutes away by road. The contrast between the Las Vegas Strip's desert setting and Lee Canyon's snow-covered peaks is a defining feature of the area. The Spring Mountains rise dramatically from the surrounding desert floor.
Nevada State Route 156 provides the main access route from Las Vegas to Lee Canyon, climbing steadily into the Spring Mountains. The drive from the Las Vegas Strip takes roughly 45 minutes under normal conditions, making Lee Canyon one of the most accessible ski areas to any major US city. Winter driving on Route 156 can include snowpack and occasional chain requirements during storms. No public transport service reaches the resort, making a car necessary for access.
Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas is the nearest airport, with extensive domestic and international commercial service, roughly 45 minutes to an hour from the resort. This makes Lee Canyon unusually accessible by air relative to most US ski areas. No other airport in the region offers comparable service. Most visitors combine a Las Vegas trip with a Lee Canyon day visit rather than travelling specifically for skiing alone.
Where to stay
Search all stays →Hotels and lodges near Lee Canyon, powered by Stay22.
Latest News
From the SnowStash desk
Aspen Snowmass Marks 80th Anniversary With $3.75 Throwback Lift Tickets
Aspen Snowmass turns 80 this December, and it's marking the milestone with $3.75 lift tickets on the anniversary itself - the original 1946 price. A discounted long weekend, $19.46 dining specials, lodging deals up to 46 percent off, and a season of anniversary programming round out the celebration across all four mountains.
17 Sept 2026
Doppelmayr Group Posts 9.1% Revenue Growth in 2025/26, Passing 1.3 Billion Euros
Doppelmayr closed its 2025/26 business year with revenue up 9.1 percent to 1.3 billion euros, driven by projects including the Big Sky Explorer Gondola, Deer Valley's Mayflower East Village Gondola, and the first TRI-Line installation at Hoch-Ybrig. Headcount grew too, with the ropeway manufacturer now employing almost 4,000 people worldwide.
16 Sept 2026
Hintertux Glacier Replaces 40-Year-Old Gondola to Tuxer Fernerhaus
Hintertux Glacier is retiring its 40-year-old gondola to the Tuxer Fernerhaus. The replacement carries 10 people per cabin instead of four, with seat heating and nearly 40 percent more hourly capacity. Doppelmayr's new line opens at the end of October 2026, right as the glacier's high-altitude terrain becomes accessible again for the new season.
16 Sept 2026
FIS Weighs Holding World Championships in Almost Every Winter, Starting 2032
The International Ski and Snowboard Federation is looking at a major shake-up to its title events calendar. From 2032, World Championships could run not just in odd-numbered years but in every non-Olympic winter too, effectively putting a global title event on the calendar almost every season. The FIS Council has approved the concept following a feasibility study, though an accelerated rollout as early as 2028 is also under consideration.
4 Sept 2026
Mount Buller Becomes Latest Australian Resort to Call Time Early on 2026
Mount Buller closes out its 2026 season this Sunday, joining Falls Creek, Hotham and Charlotte Pass in a cluster of closures landing almost simultaneously and roughly a month ahead of schedule. The culprit is stark: Spencers Creek's benchmark snow depth hit 31.2cm on 3 September, just 18% of the 73-year average and an all-time low for this point in the season. Six of Victoria and NSW's best-known resorts will have shut their lifts early within a span of about two and a half weeks.
4 Sept 2026
Tremblant to Add New Timber Summit Ski Sector for 2027/28 Season
Tremblant has confirmed a major expansion of its Quebec ski area, with a new Timber Summit sector adding 62 acres of terrain, eight trails and a high-speed quad chairlift for winter 2027/28. It's part of a CAD 42.5 million investment that also includes a new beginner learning zone at Versant Soleil opening this coming season. The project has grown considerably since it was first announced back in 2020, when it carried a far smaller budget and an opening date that never eventuated.
2 Sept 2026
Mount Hotham to Close for the 2026 Season on Sunday, September 6
We knew when the Bird Bath Pond Skim showed up on Hotham's Instagram that the season was on its way out. It's been a rough one - I only managed two days on snow all year, at Falls Creek - and now Baw Baw, Selwyn and Hotham have all called it, possibly the worst Australian season I've seen in a decade. Hotham's last day of lift operations is Sunday, 6 September, with a Retro Day, Father's Day après and closing sales before the lifts stop turning for good.
1 Sept 2026
Thredbo to Replace Ageing Gunbarrel Quad With New Six-Seat Chairlift for 2028
Thredbo Alpine Resort has confirmed plans to replace its 37-year-old Gunbarrel quad chairlift with a new six-seat Doppelmayr D-Line, targeting winter 2028. The AUD 35 million project will keep travel time roughly the same but lift capacity from 2,800 to 3,000 skiers per hour. It's part of a broader investment push that also includes doubled snowmaking capacity at Friday Flat for 2027, with the ageing Kosciuszko Express now flagged as the resort's next major lift replacement after Gunbarrel.
31 Aug 2026
Lee Canyon Snow Report
Snow Report
Updated 27 Sept 2026
9,370ft
summit
+0in
new snow · last 24 hours
Overcast42°F / 56°F · SW 23mph
Snowfall
24 hours
0in
48 hours
0in
7 days
0in
Base depth
0in
Season total
0in
Total lifts4
Live open status isn’t available right now.
7 Dec 2025 - 5 Apr 2026
Hour by Hour
Next 44 hours· Updated Sep 27, 2026 at 7:02 PM
Scroll for the full outlook · Open-Meteo
7-Day Outlook
9,370 ftUpdated Sep 27, 2026 at 7:02 PMOpen-Meteo
Days 1–7
0.1"
Days 8–14
0.0"
Sun, Sept 27
Overcast
Temp56° / 42°°F
Snow0.0"(5%)
Wind23 mph SW
Live snow from the resort feed; forecast from Open-Meteo, via Supabase.
Understanding the Lee Canyon snow report
Planning a day at Lee Canyon? Our snow report combines official mountain data with live weather so you know exactly what conditions look like right now, from the 2639m base to the 2856m summit.
Snow measurements
Base depth, summit depth, and recent snowfall are the core numbers to watch. At Lee Canyon, summit conditions (2856m) can differ noticeably from the base, so we break both out separately rather than showing a single average.
Weather conditions
Snow quality tracks closely with temperature and wind. We surface both alongside the snowfall data so you can judge whether conditions at Lee Canyon are holding up or starting to soften.
Data sources
We pull Lee Canyon's conditions from on-the-ground mountain reporting, then layer in forecast data so you get a fuller picture than either source alone. The mountain is served by 4 lifts, including 2 quad chairlifts.
When to check
Conditions can change overnight, so mornings and late afternoons are the best times to check back on Lee Canyon.