Millions of people ski in Canada each year, drawn to the massive sprawl of Whistler Blackcomb, the steeps of Revelstoke, or the views from Lake Louise Ski Resort. But beyond the spotlight lies a quieter, often-overlooked side of Canada’s ski culture: hundreds of small, family-owned, volunteer-run ski areas that keep turning their lifts even without the crowds or the hype.
The best of these low-key spots in Canada, at least according to a January 2025 study led by Jackpot City, an online casino, is Mt. Maichen Ski Hill. The little ski spot is located outside the town of Watson Lake in the Yukon. Mt. Maichen is small, with just nine groomed runs and two T-bar lifts, but it has an element of soul that many of Canada’s bigger ski resorts lack; it’s run by a team of volunteers and has a tiny ski school and spectacular views of Watson Lake, which sprawls out from the ski area’s base.
“There’s often nothing better than stumbling across a hidden route that you can enjoy almost completely to yourself and take in the peaceful surroundings of nature,” said a spokesperson at Jackpot City in a release shared with Travel + Leisure.
In their research, the casino sought to unveil where in Canada skiers can hit the slopes without the crowds. They analyzed Google ratings and review counts for 173 ski resorts across Canada, searching for those hidden gems that combine high overall ratings with relatively few reviews—places where fewer people ski, but those who do leave impressed. With just a handful of reviews, Mt. Maichen received a rating of 4.9 stars out of 5 possible.
The closest airport to Mt. Maichen Ski Hill is Watson Lake Airport (YQH), which is 10 minutes by car, or you can fly into the larger Erik Nielsen Whitehorse International Airport (YXY), which is the main hub for the territory and is almost 5 hours from Mt. Maichen by car.
A complete list of quieter, well-reviewed Canadian ski areas is below. Data is correct as of November 2024:
- Mount Maichen (Mt. Maichen) — Watson Lake, Yukon
- Menihek Nordic Ski Club — Labrador City, Newfoundland and Labrador
- Thunderhill Ski Area — Russell, Manitoba
- Mont Chilly — Fort Coulonge, Quebec
- Dryden Ski Club — Dryden, Ontario
- Duck Mountain Ski Area — Kamsack, Saskatchewan
- Ski Ben Eoin — Ben Eoin (near Sydney), Nova Scotia
- Hart Highlands Ski Hill — Prince George, British Columbia
- Troll Ski Resort — Quesnel, British Columbia
- Kawartha Nordic Ski Club — North Kawartha (near Peterborough), Ontario
