This Tiny Ski Hill Was Named the ‘Greatest Hidden Gem’ in Canada—and It is Run Fully by Volunteers

Hundreds of thousands of individuals ski in Canada annually, drawn to the large sprawl of Whistler Blackcomb, the steeps of Revelstoke, or the views from Lake Louise Ski Resort. However past the highlight lies a quieter, often-overlooked aspect of Canada’s ski tradition: a whole bunch of small, family-owned, volunteer-run ski areas that hold turning their lifts even with out the crowds or the hype. 

One of the best of those low-key spots in Canada, at the very least based on a January 2025 examine led by Jackpot Metropolis, a web based on line casino, is Mt. Maichen Ski Hill. The little ski spot is situated outdoors the city of Watson Lake within the Yukon. Mt. Maichen is small, with simply 9 groomed runs and two T-bar lifts, nevertheless it has a component of soul that a lot of Canada’s larger ski resorts lack; it’s run by a group of volunteers and has a tiny ski faculty and spectacular views of Watson Lake, which sprawls out from the ski space’s base. 

“There’s usually nothing higher than stumbling throughout a hidden route you can get pleasure from nearly fully to your self and take within the peaceable environment of nature,” stated a spokesperson at Jackpot Metropolis in a launch shared with Journey + Leisure.

In their analysis, the on line casino sought to unveil the place in Canada skiers can hit the slopes with out the crowds. They analyzed Google scores and overview counts for 173 ski resorts throughout Canada, looking for these hidden gems that mix excessive total scores with comparatively few critiques—locations the place fewer folks ski, however those that do go away impressed. With only a handful of critiques, Mt. Maichen obtained a score of 4.9 stars out of 5 potential.

The closest airport to Mt. Maichen Ski Hill is Watson Lake Airport (YQH), which is 10 minutes by automobile, or you possibly can fly into the bigger Erik Nielsen Whitehorse Worldwide Airport (YXY), which is the primary hub for the territory and is sort of 5 hours from Mt. Maichen by automobile.

A whole listing of quieter, well-reviewed Canadian ski areas is under. Knowledge is appropriate as of November 2024:

1. Mount Maichen (Mt. Maichen) — Watson Lake, Yukon
2. Menihek Nordic Ski Membership — Labrador Metropolis, Newfoundland and Labrador
3. Thunderhill Ski Space — Russell, Manitoba
4. Mont Chilly — Fort Coulonge, Quebec
5. Dryden Ski Membership — Dryden, Ontario
6. Duck Mountain Ski Space — Kamsack, Saskatchewan
7. Ski Ben Eoin — Ben Eoin (close to Sydney), Nova Scotia
8. Hart Highlands Ski Hill — Prince George, British Columbia
9. Troll Ski Resort — Quesnel, British Columbia
10. Kawartha Nordic Ski Membership — North Kawartha (close to Peterborough), Ontario