Iowa Ski Resorts Ranked & Mapped
Iowa has three ski resorts, and they are spread evenly across the state. Iowa is located in the Midwest, so there are few mountainous areas where a ski slope could even work.
All Iowa Ski Resorts
Iowa has three ski resorts. None of the ski resorts in Iowa are associated with the IKON or EPIC nationwide passes.
| Resort | Location |
|---|---|
| Mount Crescent Ski Area | Honey Creek, IA, 51542 |
| Mt. Crescent | Honey Creek, IA, 51542 |
| Seven Oaks | Boone, IA, 50036 |
| Sundown Mountain | Dubuque, IA, 52002 |
Explaining Our ‘Difficulty Score’
Parks & Trips created a proprietary Difficulty Score that is generated by looking at the number of easy-intermediate-expert slopes by acreage and the maximum vertical drop of the overall resort.
Our algorithm compares each resort’s metrics with all others in North America, then gives each a Difficulty Score, which we use to rank them accordingly. Resorts with a lower score are easier than those with a higher one. However, a high score does not mean that the resort does not have any easy slopes, or vice versa. This is just an overall score given to the resort based on all its metrics grouped together.
The Most Difficult Iowa Ski Resorts
All the Iowa ski slopes are within the same low-to-medium difficulty range. None of the Iowa ski slopes would be considered hard, however Mt. Crescent has the most “expert” trails, so it by default is considered the most difficult in the state.
| Rank | Resort | Green Trails | Blue Trails | Black Trails | Difficulty Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Mt. Crescent | 18% | 45% | 37% | 40.0% |
| #2 | Mount Crescent Ski Area | 18% | 45% | 37% | 40.0% |
| #3 | Seven Oaks | 25% | 50% | 25% | 32.9% |
| #4 | Sundown Mountain | 40% | 40% | 20% | 28.8% |
The Easiest Ski Resorts in Iowa
With the criteria reversed, Sundown Mountain gets ranked as the easiest ski resort in Iowa, with 80% of its slopes considered either Easy or Intermediate.
| Rank | Resort | Green Trails | Blue Trails | Black Trails | Difficulty Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Sundown Mountain | 40% | 40% | 20% | 29% |
| #2 | Seven Oaks | 25% | 50% | 25% | 33% |
| #3 | Mt. Crescent | 18% | 45% | 37% | 40% |
| #4 | Mount Crescent Ski Area | 18% | 45% | 37% | 40% |
The Largest Ski Resorts in Iowa
Choosing the largest ski resorts is a bit of a tricky proposition. Do you look at just the summit elevation? How about the total acreage, most trails, or steepest vertical drop?
Well, we decided to combine all four of those metrics into one ranking to get the best idea, although we fully admit this is completely subjective. We’ve given you all the data in the following table to make your own decision.
All of Iowa’s ski slopes are very similar in vertical drops, acreages and total trails. However, Sundown Mountain does win the title here due to the fact that it has the most of each of those three metrics.
| Rank | Resort | Summit Elevation | Base Elevation | Vertical Drop | Acres | Trails |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Sundown Mountain | 1,059 ft | 584 ft | 475 ft | 55 | 21 |
| #2 | Mt. Crescent | 1,500 ft | 1,200 ft | 300 ft | 50 | 11 |
| #3 | Mount Crescent Ski Area | 1,500 ft | 1,200 ft | 300 ft | 50 | 11 |
| #4 | Seven Oaks | 975 ft | 800 ft | 275 ft | 35 | 11 |
