A Guide to Car Camping at Ski Resorts
It’s no secret that skiing and snowboarding are expensive in 2024. Between the lift tickets, gear, and overpriced yet tempting chili in a bread bowl, the costs stack up quickly–and that’s without factoring in lodging. Add a semi-decent, conveniently located hotel room, condo, or cabin into the mix, and your budget for a weekend ski trip can spike well over a grand. No thanks.
Luckily, many ski resorts allow car camping in designated areas, enabling Luno community members to “sleep for cheap” only a snowball’s throw from the chairlift. That’s right–the best way to beat the inflation of ski travel is to inflate a Luno Air Mattress and car camp in the ski resort parking lot. Below, we’ll share a few tips for car camping in cold weather with ski and snowboard gear. If you’re already an expert ski bum, feel free to skip to the end of the article, where we’ll give you the lowdown on fourteen road trip-worthy ski resorts that cater to car campers.
How to Car Camp at Ski Resorts
1. Research Resorts Before Arrival
Double-check the resort website or call ahead to make sure that camping is indeed allowed at your shred destination of choice, as camping rules and regulations change with time. We last updated this article in January, 2024, ensuring links, pricing, and info are accurate, but it’s always worth visiting resort websites to get accurate info.
When you click through to a resort website, check whether or not you need to reserve an overnight parking spot. While some resorts offer first-come, first-serve camping, some may require camping reservations and sell out on popular weekends and holidays. This pre-trip prep will also help you budget for your ski adventure: How much does car camping cost per night? Are there limits to how many nights you can camp? Can you camp in your vehicle or do you need a motorhome (the worst rule ever, btw)? What facilities are available to car campers? Do your research!
2. Check the Weather
Will it be dumping snow? Sunny? Will temperatures be moderate? Or will it be -30°F overnight? Weather dictates your gear choices on the slopes, like what skis or goggles to use, and it should also dictate your approach to car camping. As your trip creeps closer, keep an eye on the weather.
3. Know Plow Schedules and Policies
If snow is stacking up, plow drivers may ask you to move your rig so that you don’t get plowed in–it’s in your best interest to oblige. Bring a shovel just in case you do get plowed in and need to dig your vehicle out. Last but not least, don’t leave gear outside overnight unless you don’t mind it pulverized by a plow blade.
4. Pee Jars and Bathroom Etiquette
No matter the season, it’s important to keep Leave No Trace principles close to heart when car camping. No one wants to stumble across your yellow snow—or worse–in the ski resort overnight lot. That said, most resorts that offer overnight camping have restrooms nearby–find out where the closest restrooms are and when they’re open. If it’s late at night and the restrooms aren’t open, or it’s blizzarding and you don’t want to leave the comfort of your Luno lounge, a pee jar–and pee funnel for women–is essential. You can use a pee jar without leaving your warm sleeping bag in the middle of the night, then dump it into a toilet later on. Lastly, speaking of Leave No Trace: be sure to pick up after your pets in the parking lot, too.
5. Wet Gear Storage
The hardest aspect of car camping at ski resorts isn’t staying warm–it’s staying dry. Wet and sweaty gear is damn near impossible to dry out in a compact space like an SUV, so you want to be extremely careful of how you stash your skis, boards, and wet gear. Here are a few helpful tips in that regard:
- Skis and Boards Stay Outside — Unless you have a built-out bed platform, chances are storing snowboards and skis inside your vehicle is a recipe for disaster. After scraping snow and ice from ski and snowboard bases and top sheets, stash gear in a locked roof box or roof rack. If you don’t have this option, you can consider storing skis and boards under your car–though they’ll obviously be more susceptible to opportunistic theft. If you’re in luck, some resorts have overnight lockers for rent - this is a great way to ditch the hard goods so you can enjoy the evening without having to worry about about your shred sleds getting swooped.
- Boot Liners in the Bottom of the Bag — Wet boot liners can freeze overnight, and frozen boot liners are uncomfortable at best. Worst-case scenario, they can lead to frostbite. The cure? Stash damp boot liners inside your sleeping bag overnight. It’s not five-star living, but chances are your liners will be dry in the morning. And if they are a little damp, at least they won’t be frozen. We’ll often stash smaller items, like socks and gloves, at the bottom of our sleeping bag, too.
- Extra Layers Are Lifesavers — You know what’s a real wet noodle? A wet kit. We like to hang wet gear inside overnight using clothes hangers, but this isn’t a foolproof method for drying clothes in colder conditions. Another hack is to grab some pizza or hit up a local brewery after shredding, hang your jacket up at the door and spend some time inside enjoying a nice dinner while your gear dries out. However, whether you’re camping for a weekend or a month, we highly recommend you bring an extra set of base layers and outerwear.
- Separate Wet Gear – If you have to bring wet gear into your vehicle, be strategic and carefully separate wet gear from dry gear. We like to use the upcycled Luno 50-Liter Gear Tote for seriously sopping gear, and air out damp duds in the Luno Mesh Gear Duffel.
- Take Advantage of Sunshine — If your trip’s far from over and your clothes are starting to smell like a ski shop’s boot rentals after a holiday weekend, consider skipping the last few runs on a sunny afternoon. Instead, rig a makeshift clothesline in the parking lot, then let your long johns dance in the wind.
- Camp Out In The Lodge — While ski resort management might be a little peeved if you bust out your sleeping bag and literally camp in the lodge, you’re more than welcome to hang out indoors after you’re done skiing for the day. Grab some hot chocolate and take a few minutes to hang your wet jacket and gloves up by the fire. Drying gear indoors is significantly easier than doing so in your car.
- Invest In A Portable Boot Dryer – Investing in a high-quality, portable boot dryer, like the Solo 12V from GearDryer, is a pro move. We love that it has room for boots, gloves, and a helmet. Plus, it comes with a 12-volt car adaptor, so you can dry out your gear in the lot before hitting the hill.
6. Waxing and Maintenance
It’s always a sharp idea to sharpen your blades before battle. Get your gear tuned up and hit them with hot wax before you hit the road. While it’s possible to bring a waxing iron and run it off your car or auxiliary battery, this is overkill for all but the most disciplined of powderhounds. Instead, bring along some rub-on wax as a quick fix–we’re big fans of Mountain Flow EcoWax’s sustainable yet speedy Quick Wax, and we always travel with two tins: one for cool temps and one for warm temps. Additionally, we like to have a toolkit and spare parts on hand, too, in case a binding busts, you need to touch up your edges, etc. In the event of a more serious issue, like a deep core shot or delamination, you can always visit the resort’s ski shop.
Pro Tip: Stash multi-tools, rub-on wax, and more in your Seatback Organizer 2.0. You don’t want to misplace these easy-to-lose essentials!
7. To Quiver or Not to Quiver?
One of the best parts about driving to ski instead of flying is that you have room for more toys. Bring a quiver. If it dumps, you’ll be happy to have your powder tools on hand. If the resort is crowded, maybe it’s an opportune time to explore the backcountry (assuming you have safety gear, partner, knowledge, etc.). If space is tight, be smart about your gear picks: For instance, bring two boards–an all-mountain board and powder board, or a park board and an all-mountain board–but only one pair of bindings.
8. Hot Food is A Gamechanger
Some resorts have plentiful dining options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner–others, not so much. We like to splurge on the occasional meal on the mountain, but usually, we’re stoked to chow down in the lot. We recommend easy, hot meals, like oatmeal in the morning or ramen with eggs and veggies for dinner. Pro meals - Hot Soup: Prepare a pot of your favorite soup before you leave and reheat it on a portable stove. Pack instant soup mixes that only require hot water. Chili: Cook chili at home and reheat it over the campfire or stove. Consider canned chili for convenience. This hits different on a cold night. Trust me. One-Pot Pasta: Make a simple pasta dish by cooking pasta with canned tomatoes, veggies, and pre-cooked sausage or meat.
9. Make Sure Your Sleep Setup is Ready For Winter Weather–And Resort Regulations
If you’re a powder-chasing skier who doesn’t want to shell out money for slopeside accommodations, the most important piece of gear you can have in your trunk is a Luno Air Mattress. And we’re not just saying that because a good night's sleep will help you crush pow laps from bell to bell. The truth is that the vast majority of resorts that allow overnight parking prohibit tents–and that can go for rooftop tents, too–making a self-contained sleep system a must.
While a Luno Air Mattress will undoubtedly make car camping in a ski resort parking lot easier, anytime you camp in winter weather requires serious forethought and preparation. We’ve written entire articles about how to achieve negative-temp nirvana while spending the night in your SUV, but here are a few essential tips:
- Get a Warm Sleeping Bag — We recommend at least a 0°F bag. You won’t regret having a -10 or even -20°F bag, either. Yes, it’s an expensive investment, but it’s well worth it. Besides, a winter-ready sleeping bag costs about as much as a couple of nights in a decent ski condo, and you’ll get to use it for years to come.
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Hot Water Bottle Hack — Boil water before bed and pour it into a Nalgene. After tightening the lid—and checking it for leaks—pop the Nalgene into your sleeping bag. Push it to the bottom of your bag to warm up your feet (and boot liners), or tuck it between your thighs to warm up your core. Another benefit of this old mountaineer’s trick is that you’ll have water that isn’t frozen solid in the morning.
Pro tip: get two half-liter Nalgenes, fill them with boiling water, and tuck them into your boot liners overnight. It’ll help them dry out. - Intelligent Insulation — Insulate your vehicle windows with Reflectix cut-outs, and secure the cut-outs to the windows with tape or magnets. Windows leak heat and even a thin layer of Reflectix makes a big difference.
- Pro tip: invest in a 12v headed blanked to go under your sleeping bag. Like this one here from Ignik.
Winter Camping 101
The Luno team lives and breathes car camping, and we’re constantly testing gear and embarking on adventures–even in the thick of winter. Recently, two Luno team members checked in from snowy road trips in their respective rigs to share a few tips and tricks, covering everything from wet gear storage to car battery common sense. Watch the videos below to get a feel for their winter car camping setups and strategies!
Zak Shelhamer, Strategic Growth at Luno - checking in from a snowboard trip in his Subaru Ascent.
Landon Burnley, Marketing Manager at Luno - checking in from a winter adventure in his Toyota 4Runner.
Looking for more cold-weather camping tips? Check out our complete guide on the subject here.
Ten Road Trip-Worthy Ski Resorts that Allow Overnight Camping
Ikon Pass:
Ikon Pass-holders, rejoice! No pass gets car campers as close to the action as the Ikon. Our advice? Link a few of these resorts together for a legendary road trip.
1. Crystal Mountain Resort, Washington
While you may be able to get away with parking overnight in one of Crystal’s overflow lots, we don’t recommend it, as resort policy states overnight campers are required to book RV spots. Check out Crystal’s RV parking page here and reserve on Roverpass. Pricing is as low as $45 per night but it can be much higher, especially on holidays.
2. Summit at Snoqualmie, Washington
With no hookups on site, Snoqualmie is a little less friendly to the RV crowd, but it’s perfect for Luno life. Overnight camping spots must be reserved online and cost $40 per night. Reservations are tricky, though. The resort releases half of the overnight parking spots at the beginning of the season, and then half of the spots are released each Sunday at 4 PM PST for the following week. If you do score a spot, you’ll camp in Lot 3 (Alpental) or Summit Central (Ski Patrol lot). A few more things to note: the resort limits stays to three nights per week, bathrooms are only accessible while the resort is operating (BYOPJ–bring your own pee jar), and there is no overnight parking allowed on Sunday and Monday nights.
3. Schweitzer Mountain, Idaho
Unlike most of the resorts on this list, there’s no charge to crash at Idaho’s Schweitzer Mountain. That said, don’t go planning a month-long road trip, as stays are limited to three consecutive nights. More info here.
4. Mount Bachelor, Oregon
Bachelor-bound car campers and vanlifers are looking at $49 per night for a non-powered overnight parking space during the week. That price bumps up to $59 on weekends, and it’s worth noting that there’s a two-night minimum when booking a Saturday night. The Oregon ski resort does also have hook-ups on deck for RVers, but these spots are more expensive. More information and reservations here.
Pro Tip: Bachelor’s overnight parking spots are sized for RVs, and the resort has a $10 vehicle add-on fee. If you’ve got shred buddies who also have a Luno car camping setup, a van, etc., invite them to join you and split the cost. Not only will you save some dough, but powder days are always more fun with friends.
Epic Pass:
5. Steven’s Pass, Washington
Epic Pass-holders don’t exactly have an epic amount of car camping-friendly resorts to choose from, but that’s okay, as all signs point to Washington’s beloved Steven’s Pass. Pricing starts at $53 per night, and online reservations are required. Take a look and book here.
No Pass? No Problem.
Maybe you don’t have an Ikon Pass, or an Epic Pass, or any pass at all. Maybe you just want to pass the time chasing powder from mountain pass to mountain pass. If that’s the case, look no further than these camping-friendly resorts from Montana to Washington.
6. Wolf Creek, Colorado
Not only does Wolf Creek boast the most snow in Colorado, but it also has the fewest Gucci stores–we’re looking at you, Aspen. This mom-and-pop mountain is the perfect destination for car campers hunting for an off-the-beaten-track, old-school adventure. Camp overnight in the overflow lot, no purchase necessary. Visit Wolf Creek’s endearingly archaic website here.
7. Dodge Ridge, California
Located smack dab between Lake Tahoe and Yosemite, Dodge Ridge is a small but sparkling gem of the Sierras. If unpretentious vibes and untracked snow sound like a good time, give this underrated resort a visit after the next snowstorm. Free, first-come, first-serve camping and vault toilets are available at Pioneer Trail. More info here.
8. Mt. Baker, Washington
The crown jewel of Cascadia, Mt. Baker is high on the bucket list of any skier or rider who appreciates deep powder. The resort recommends you arrive before 7 pm due to the propensity for pow to pile up on the roads. Starting at a mere $5 a night, you can camp for up to a week straight in the White Salmon lot or Heather Meadows lot. Learn more about this affordable ski-in, ski-out option here and book on Roverpass.
9. Whitefish Mountain Resort, Montana
Score Whitefish Mountain Resort on an uncrowded powder day, and you’ll be tempted to move to Montana. Tourists can test the waters with a three-day stay in the Aspen Lot for a reasonable $15 per day. There are no reservations here; rather, it’s first-come, first-served. More info here.
10. Grand Targhee Resort, Idaho
A gateway to the gorgeous Tetons, this low-key Idaho operation is easy to love, especially for backcountry skiers and splitboarders who enjoy sidecountry access. For $28 per day, you can turn the Targhee lot into a bona fide base camp for a maximum of one week. Rules, regulations, and booking info are available here.
Consider these ten resorts a jumping-off point. Do some more digging, and you’ll find additional resorts that offer overnight camping in one capacity or another. Furthermore, even resorts that don’t offer overnight parking on-site are often adjacent to world-class car camping in surrounding national forests and BLM land areas. Regardless of where the road takes you this winter, we hope you score deep snow and good times, and we’re grateful to be along for the ride.
