National Parks Near Alpine Slides
Some of the best alpine slides in the country sit in gateway towns for famous national parks. That makes a slide a perfect reward after a morning on the trail, or a flexible backup when a park road is crowded. Here are the pairings that work especially well, with distances only where the park or resort publishes them.
| Alpine slide | Nearby National Park Service site |
|---|---|
| Snow King Mountain, Jackson, WY | Grand Teton National Park; Yellowstone National Park beyond it |
| Whitefish Mountain Resort, MT | Glacier National Park, 35 miles to the West Glacier entrance per the resort |
| Rushmore Tramway Adventures, Keystone, SD | Mount Rushmore National Memorial, about 2 miles southwest of Keystone per the NPS; Wind Cave National Park |
| Purgatory Resort, near Durango, CO | Mesa Verde National Park, entrance about 35 miles west of Durango per the NPS |
| Winter Park Resort, CO | Rocky Mountain National Park, via the western gateway town of Grand Lake |
| Ober Gatlinburg, TN | Great Smoky Mountains National Park, whose Sugarlands area is the northern gateway near Gatlinburg |
| Crystal Mountain, MI | Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore |
| Lutsen Mountains, MN | Isle Royale National Park, by ferry from Grand Portage |
Grand Teton and Yellowstone, from Jackson
Snow King Mountain rises right above the town of Jackson, and its Alpine Slide comes with views of the Tetons. From town, the National Park Service directs visitors about twenty miles north on US 26/89/191 to Moose Junction, where the Teton Park Road leads to the Moose Entrance Station and the Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center. Continue north through Grand Teton and the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway to reach Yellowstone's South Entrance. Separate entrance fees apply to the two parks, though a combined pass is available.
How to pair it: spend the morning in Grand Teton, when light on the peaks is beautiful, then return to Jackson for slide laps and dinner in town.
Glacier, from Whitefish
Whitefish Mountain Resort calls itself the ultimate base camp for Glacier National Park, 35 miles from the park's West Glacier entrance. The resort suggests a day of hiking and sightseeing in Glacier, including a scenic drive on the Going-to-the-Sun Road and perhaps a boat tour on a glacial lake, followed by the Alpine Slides, zip lines, or a scenic lift ride back at the resort.
How to pair it: Glacier's roads and trailheads are busy in summer. Check the park's website for current road status and any reservation requirements, start early, and save the slide for the afternoon.
Mount Rushmore and the Black Hills, from Keystone
Rushmore Tramway Adventures is in Keystone, and the National Park Service places Mount Rushmore National Memorial about two miles southwest of town. Its 2,000-foot, two-track Alpine Slide is a natural add-on to a visit to the memorial. Farther south, Wind Cave National Park protects one of the longest and most complex caves in the world, with bison and elk roaming the prairie above. The NPS places the Wind Cave visitor center 11 miles north of Hot Springs.
How to pair it: see Mount Rushmore in the morning, ride the slide midday, and take a scenic drive through the Black Hills toward Wind Cave or Custer State Park.
Mesa Verde, from Durango
Purgatory Resort sits in the San Juan Mountains north of Durango. The National Park Service says Mesa Verde National Park's entrance is along Highway 160, about 35 miles west of Durango, and that the first view of a cliff dwelling is 21 miles inside the park along a steep, narrow, winding road. The NPS estimates about 1.5 hours from Durango to the park headquarters and Chapin Mesa area.
How to pair it: Mesa Verde deserves a full day. Ride Purgatory's slide on a separate day, perhaps combined with the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad.
Rocky Mountain National Park, from Winter Park
Winter Park Resort, home of what it calls Colorado's longest alpine slide, is in Grand County. Grand Lake, in the same county, is Rocky Mountain National Park's western gateway town, and the NPS routes visitors from the west via US 40 to Granby and US 34 to Grand Lake. Trail Ridge Road crosses the park from Grand Lake to Estes Park and closes for winter, roughly from mid-autumn to late spring, according to the NPS.
How to pair it: drive Trail Ridge Road early on a clear day, then head back to Winter Park for slide laps.
Great Smoky Mountains, from Gatlinburg
Ober Gatlinburg's Smoky Mountain Bobsled looks out over the mountains. The National Park Service calls the Sugarlands area the northern gateway to the Smokies, near Gatlinburg, with a visitor center and trails leading to streams, waterfalls, and historic log cabins. Newfound Gap Road, US 441, climbs from there across the park.
How to pair it: hike a Sugarlands-area trail in the cool of the morning, then ride the Sky Village Express up to the slide.
Sleeping Bear Dunes, from Crystal Mountain
Crystal Mountain describes Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore as a short drive away, with 70,000 acres and 35 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline in Benzie and Leelanau counties. It is a classic summer day of dunes, beaches, and scenic overlooks.
Isle Royale, from the North Shore
Lutsen Mountains sits on Minnesota's North Shore of Lake Superior. Farther up the shore, Grand Portage is a departure point for passenger ferries to Isle Royale National Park, an island in Lake Superior. The NPS notes that vehicles stay on the mainland. An Isle Royale trip is a serious undertaking, but a North Shore vacation can include both a slide day at Lutsen and a lake crossing.
National park tips for slide trips
- Start early. Popular parks are busiest from mid-morning onward. The slide makes a great second half of the day.
- Check current conditions. Park roads, reservation systems, and closures change. The NPS website for each park is the authority.
- Buy the right pass. An annual pass may make sense if you plan to visit several parks on one trip.
- Pack for both. Hiking shoes and layers work for the trail and the chairlift alike.
Sources
- National Park Service, Moose Entrance Station
- National Park Service, Yellowstone South Entrance
- Whitefish Mountain Resort, Glacier National Park
- National Park Service, Glacier National Park
- National Park Service, Mount Rushmore geodiversity atlas
- National Park Service, Wind Cave National Park
- National Park Service, Wind Cave basic information
- National Park Service, Mesa Verde directions
- National Park Service, Rocky Mountain directions
- National Park Service, Sugarlands area
- Crystal Mountain, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
- National Park Service, Isle Royale directions