Whenever I'm asked about my favorite place to ski in the United States, I always have the same response: Deer Valley. The Park City, Utah, resort-neighbor to Park City Mountain-made it easy for me to fall back in love with skiing as an adult. Each winter, I look forward to planning a trip out to the Wasatch Mountains, eager to spend all day on its well-groomed pistes, have a low-key après moment at a slopeside five-star hotel, and get my fill of snow, sun, and shopping in downtown Park City. This year, I'm even more excited to get out on its trails-dozens of which I've never skied before.
The resort town of Banff, in southwestern Canada's Alberta province, is the heart of Banff National Park, a 2,500-square-mile adventure haven beloved in summer for its sparkling alpine lakes, wildflower fields, and scenic hiking trails that crisscross the mountainous landscape. But in this stretch of the Rockies, where ski season can last up to late May, resorts, hotels, and tours are adding winter appeal on and off the slopes.
The year 2026 is going to be a momentous one for the United States as it celebrates its 250th anniversary. Across the country, national parks, historic sites, and cities will gear up to show up-and show off-in ways big and small. Against this backdrop, how does one pick where to visit? Inevitably, we were led by some nostalgia: Route 66, for instance, was an easy one.