Mountain Creek
46 runs, 1,040ft vertical, 167 acres 47 miles from NYC. Night skiing, gondola access in New Jersey.
Season 2025 - 2026
Opens
7 Dec 2025
Closes
13 Apr 2026
Days open
127
Annual snow
5ft
The Overview
Michael Fulton
Melbourne-based skier and snowboarder with 50+ resorts across 5 continents. Specialises in Australian resorts and international resort comparisons.
Mountain Creek's summit reaches 1,480 feet, dropping 1,040 vertical feet to a base at 440 feet across 46 runs spread over 167 acres in Vernon Township, New Jersey. Terrain splits 46 per cent intermediate, 30 per cent advanced and 24 per cent beginner, with no expert-rated runs. Average annual snowfall is modest at roughly 65 inches, making the resort reliant on snowmaking for most of its season. Mountain Creek carries no major multi-resort pass affiliation.
The resort's 1,040-foot vertical drop is unusually large for the New York metropolitan area, a legacy of its origins as three separate ski areas merged into one property. A gondola, the Cabriolet, added during Intrawest's late-1990s renovation, remains a distinctive feature for a resort this close to New York City. Night skiing extends access into evening hours, popular with commuters from northern New Jersey and the city. Eight lifts, including one gondola, one quad and other chairs, serve the 46-run network.
The resort traces its roots to 1965, when Great Gorge opened in McAfee, New Jersey, followed by Vernon Valley Ski Resort in 1968; the two merged into Vernon Valley/Great Gorge in 1974 under Great American Recreation, which also built the adjacent Action Park. Great American Recreation went bankrupt in 1995, and Intrawest bought the ski area and Action Park site in 1998 for 40 million US dollars, renaming it Mountain Creek and rebuilding much of the lift network. When Intrawest divested assets in 2010, a group led by Eugene Mulvihill, the former Great American Recreation owner, purchased Mountain Creek alongside the adjacent Crystal Springs Resort.
With no major pass affiliation, Mountain Creek sells its own day tickets and season passes directly rather than through a shared network. Adult day tickets range from 89 to 119 US dollars depending on date, with night skiing available at a reduced rate and a season pass, the Snow All Access Pass, priced at 599 dollars. The resort suits New York City and northern New Jersey skiers seeking the closest major ski area to Manhattan, roughly 47 miles away. Its history of ownership turnover, from Great American Recreation through Intrawest to the current Mulvihill-led group, reflects the volatile economics of running a ski area this close to a major metropolitan market.
1,040ft
Vertical
46
Runs
167 acres
Skiable
5ft
Annual snow
The Terrain
46 runs across 167 acres skiable
Mountain Creek spreads 46 runs across 167 acres skiable of terrain. It leans intermediate at 46%, with 11 beginner runs to find your feet and 14 advanced or expert runs when you want to push.
Terrain split
46
runs
46 runs across 4 grades
Beginner11 runs · 24%
Intermediate21 runs · 46%
Advanced14 runs · 30%
Expert0 runs · 0%
Time it right
When to visit Mountain Creek
The 2025-26 season at Mountain Creek ran from 7 December 2025 to 13 April 2026, a roughly nineteen-week window supported heavily by snowmaking rather than natural snowfall. The resort's proximity to the New York metropolitan area makes season length and reliability commercially important, driving investment in artificial snow production. Season dates can shift based on early and late-season temperatures suitable for snowmaking. This is a comparatively long season for a resort with modest natural snowfall.
Average annual snowfall of roughly 65 inches is low relative to higher-elevation Northeast resorts, meaning Mountain Creek depends on snowmaking for the great majority of its season-long conditions. This makes temperature, rather than storm cycles, the key variable in the resort's operating reliability. Base depth is maintained through snowmaking rather than tracked as natural accumulation. The resort's proximity to a major population centre makes consistent machine-made conditions commercially essential.
Midwinter, from late December through February, typically offers the most reliable conditions once snowmaking has established a consistent base. Night skiing sessions extend the useful hours of each day, particularly popular with weekday commuters from New York and northern New Jersey. Weekend crowds are generally heavier than weekdays, given the resort's role serving a massive nearby metropolitan population. Late-season visits into April can be inconsistent as temperatures warm.
Mountain Creek's season calendar centres on serving its metropolitan-area customer base through extensive night skiing and session-based ticketing rather than festival programming. The resort's ownership history, including its time under Intrawest and the current Mulvihill-led group, has shaped operating priorities toward reliable, snowmaking-driven conditions. Specific events beyond standard operations are not documented in available resort information. As the closest major resort to New York City, the calendar leans toward maximising accessible operating hours over destination-style programming.
Season 2025 - 2026
7 Dec 2025
Opens
13 Apr 2026
Closes
127
Days open
5 ft
Annual snow
Getting there
Getting to Mountain Creek, and where to stay
Mountain Creek sits in Vernon Township, New Jersey, with a base elevation of 440 feet and a summit at 1,480 feet across a 1,040-foot vertical drop over 167 acres. This is the Highlands region of northern New Jersey rather than a true mountain range, though the vertical drop is unusually large for the area. The resort's origins as three merged ski areas, Great Gorge and the two Vernon Valley areas, still shape its layout. Vernon Township itself is a small rural municipality rather than a resort town.
New York City lies roughly 47 miles southeast, making Mountain Creek the closest major ski area to Manhattan. Northern New Jersey towns provide closer, smaller service centres than the city itself. The region carries a rural, exurban character despite its proximity to one of the world's largest metropolitan areas. The adjacent Crystal Springs Resort, under related ownership, adds golf and additional lodging to the area.
State Route 94 and other local roads connect Mountain Creek to the broader northern New Jersey highway network, including Interstate 80 and Route 23. The drive from New York City typically takes 60 to 90 minutes depending on traffic and conditions. Winter driving in the region can include snow and ice, though the route is well-travelled and generally well-maintained given traffic volumes. No direct rail service reaches the resort, though some visitors arrive via bus services from the city.
Newark Liberty International Airport is the nearest major airport with extensive commercial service, roughly an hour's drive from Mountain Creek. John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia airports in New York City offer further options for international and domestic visitors respectively. Stewart International Airport in the Hudson Valley provides a smaller alternative. Most visitors reach Mountain Creek by car directly from the New York metropolitan area rather than flying into a specific regional airport.
Where to stay
Search all stays →Hotels and lodges near Mountain Creek, powered by Stay22.
Latest News
From the SnowStash desk
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
Aerial Tram Collides With Crane at Alpe d'Huez: 23 Injured
An aerial tram carrying around fifty passengers struck the boom of a construction crane on the route to Pic Blanc at Alpe d'Huez on Wednesday morning, injuring 23 people, three seriously. The cabin tipped on impact before the operator reversed it to right the car. Most of the injured were treated on site, with five taken to hospital in Grenoble, including a pregnant woman assessed as a precaution.
28 Aug 2026
Why Glaciers Are Collapsing - And What Happens When They Do
A deadly flood on the Nepal-China border, a decade-old tragedy on Italy's Marmolada, and an unstable glacier right now above a village near Zermatt - three very different mountain ranges, the same underlying story. Warming ice is destabilising terrain that was considered settled for generations, and the results range from catastrophic floods to slow-motion monitoring situations that could go either way.
27 Aug 2026
Pitztal Glacier Set to Reopen for the 2026/27 Ski Season on 26 September
Tyrol's highest ski area is gearing up to open a full month ahead of most of the Alps. The Pitztal Glacier is scheduled to start its 2026/27 season on Saturday 26 September, running through to 2 May 2027, with the lower-altitude Rifflsee area following in December. High-altitude terrain up to 3,440 metres gives the glacier a head start on snow, though as always, the actual opening extent will depend on how September's weather plays out. Early online ski pass bookings can save up to 30%.
26 Aug 2026
Mountain Creek Snow Report
Snow Report
Awaiting live data
1,480ft
summit
+0in
new snow · last 24 hours
-°F / -°F · - -
Snowfall
24 hours
0in
48 hours
0in
7 days
0in
Base depth
-
Season total
-
Total lifts8
Live open status isn’t available right now.
7 Dec 2025 - 13 Apr 2026
Hour by Hour
Next 46 hours· Updated Sep 11, 2026 at 4:02 PM
Scroll for the full outlook · Open-Meteo
7-Day Outlook
1,480 ftUpdated Sep 11, 2026 at 4:02 PMOpen-Meteo
Days 1–7
0.0"
Days 8–14
0.0"
Fri, Sept 11
Overcast
Temp73° / 60°°F
Snow0.0"(5%)
Wind11 mph NW
Live snow from the resort feed; forecast from Open-Meteo, via Supabase.
Understanding the Mountain Creek snow report
See what's happening on the mountain at Mountain Creek right now — snowfall, snow depth, and weather data to help you plan your day in New Jersey.
Snow measurements
Base depth, summit depth, and recent snowfall are the core numbers to watch. At Mountain Creek, summit conditions (451m) can differ noticeably from the base, so we break both out separately rather than showing a single average.
Weather conditions
Current weather conditions affect snow quality. Cold temperatures with low wind typically preserve snow quality, while warm temperatures or rain can impact conditions negatively — something worth watching closely at Mountain Creek's 134m base elevation, where temperatures run milder than the summit.
Data sources
Snowfall and depth figures for Mountain Creek come from official mountain sources; weather and outlook data comes from independent forecasting services. The mountain is served by 8 lifts, including 4 quad chairlifts and a gondola.
When to check
Snow reports are typically updated early morning and late afternoon. For the most current conditions, check back regularly, especially if a winter storm is approaching.