Okemo Mountain, part of Vermont's famed Green Mountains, rises 2,200 feet above the Black River and the charming 150-year-old village of Ludlow. While the mountain's primary occupant, Okemo Mountain Resort, is most known for its skiing and other winter sports, the resort has plenty of year-round outdoor activities, accommodations and dining options. Ludlow and the surrounding Okemo Valley region are also home to numerous recreational, cultural and historical attractions.
Make Mountain Memories
- During the winter season, from mid-November to late April, you can tackle Okemo Mountain Resort's network of 120 ski trails -- spread across 655 acres and five mountain areas, and featuring Vermont's longest vertical drop -- along with cross-country skiing, snow tubing, ice skating and snowshoeing. The resort also provides plenty of family-friendly adventure in warmer weather, with zip line tours, a challenging obstacle course and the year-round Timber Ripper roller coaster, which has 3,100 feet of twisting, turning track that drops 375 feet through an alpine forest. Other features include a climbing wall, trampoline bungee, racquetball courts and indoor and outdoor swimming pools with fountains and splash areas for children.
Hit the Links
- Okemo Mountain Resort has a variety of golf options. Okemo Valley Golf Club, less than 2 miles from the resort, allows golfers to enjoy a round surrounded by scenic views of the Green Mountains and accompanying forests. The par-70, 6,400-yard championship course has a heathland-style layout that includes wide, rolling fairways surrounded by golden fescue and well-placed bunkers. The club also has a 9,200-square-foot clubhouse with a pro shop, locker rooms and on-site lounge and restaurant. For children and beginners, the club's four-hole Family Fore Course provides the chance to learn the game on holes that range from 60 to 100 yards. If other forms of golf are more your style, check out the resort's 18-hole miniature golf and disc golf courses.
Hiking and Biking
- Perhaps the best way to enjoy the Okemo Valley's abundance of natural resources is on a hike or bike ride that allows you to soak in the experience through all your senses, especially during the fall, when the region bursts into brilliant autumn hues of yellow, orange and red. Okemo State Forest's Healdville Trail, 6 miles round trip, crosses several mountain brooks on its way to Okemo Mountain's summit and a fire tower that provides sweeping vistas of the White Mountains, Green Mountains and valleys below. Among the suggested cycling tours is the Okemo Mountain Forest Loop, a 23.7-mile trip that starts in Ludlow and includes several difficult climbs and long downhills. Another tour takes you near picturesque Buttermilk Falls, where a swimming hole is the perfect spot to cool off on summer days.
Educational Diversions
- Several Okemo Valley attractions provide the opportunity to learn more about the region's history and culture in pleasant environments. Take a one- or two-day class in subjects such as basketry, quilting or woodcarving at the Fletcher Farm School for the Arts and Crafts. The historic campus includes a late 18th-century farmhouse and more than 400 acres of forests and meadows. The Black River Academy Museum, set in a circa-1880s structure and tower along the namesake river in Ludlow, has exhibits that tell the story of the valley's early days. Or make the short drive to the Calvin Coolidge State Historic Site, about 12 miles north of Ludlow. Maintained here are the 30th president's boyhood home and the restored village of Plymouth Notch, including a church, one-room schoolhouse, cheese factory and general store.
