Contact Us Directions & Hours Ski Train
“Wachusett” is the Algonquin Indian word for “The Great Hill.” Geologically speaking, Wachusett is a monadnock, the Indian word for a mountain that stands alone.
The first ski trails on the mountain were cut by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the late 1930’s (Pine Hill Trail 1934; Balance Rock Trail 1937) and there are anecdotal reports of people in the 1940s skiing the power line down the side of the mountain.
Our first lifts were the Oxbow T-bar in 1960 and the West T-bar in 1962 which was, at the time, the longest T-bar in New England at 3,800 feet.
Wachusett is the highest mountain in Massachusetts east of the Connecticut River and stands some 2,006 feet above sea level at its peak. Our panoramic summit views include sights of Boston to the east.
Wachusett Mountain has a long history of tourism. The first hotel was constructed on the summit in 1882. A new summit hotel was constructed in 1907 and continued operations until it was destroyed by fire in 1970. More than 600,000 people visit the mountain year round with at least half of that number visiting the Wachusett Mountain State Reservation in summer and fall.
Ski Area Operations:
Ralph Crowley was awarded a lease from the state to operate Wachusett Mountain in 1969. Located within the Wachusett Mountain State Reservation, Wachusett Mountain Ski Area operates in cooperation with the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Forest and Parks providing skiing and snowboarding on 100 acres of terrain within a 450-acre leased area. A major expansion was completed in 1982; including the construction of the current base lodge.
Contact Us Directions & Hours Ski Train