A key aspect in the availability of cross-country skiing to the general population is logistical. Framing the issue is pretty simple: the upfront cost and effort to get to a trail, based on where you live and where the skiing is on any given day.

Absent a major shift in where cross-country skiing can be done and where people live, the only way to make the activity more available is to address transportation. Hence, the list below, broken out into the following:

• Population centers where XC skiing is available using public transit. You can certainly use a car, but the point is that there are other ways to get there.
• Vacation spots that can be reached by some combination of plane, train, and bus, with local taxi or other service needed only for the last 10 miles to a resort. This minimizes automobile use so that owning or renting a car isn’t a requirement.

Info below sourced in 2023 and 2026, and no guarantees of reliability. Do your own work to avoid unplanned headaches.

Access to local ski trails using public transit (from 2023 blog post)

Minneapolis and St. Paul, MN (see Minneapolis Parks and Recand St. Paul city website, or the Twin Cities Outdoors blog). There is possibly no urban area better suited climatically, topographically, and temperamentally to winter outdoor sports than the Twin Cities. Rentals available.
Transit directions for: Theodore Wirth Park, Hiawatha Golf Course, Battle Creek Regional Park West, Como Park Ski Center.

Montreal, QC, Canda (see Montreal city website). Montreal has several parks within the city with groomed ski trails, including the reknowned Parc du Mont-Royal that rises aove the downtown. Multiple parks also rent skis. The city itself is worth a trip even if you don’t ski. Rentals available at certain locations.

Park City, UT (see mountaintrails.org). There are free cross-country trails sind around the hills surrounding the valley. Rentals available at shops in town.
Transit directions for: White Pine Touring Center, Round Valley trails via Quinn’s Junction trailhead, Round Valley Way/Sunny Slopes trailhead.

Ottawa ON, Canada (see Ottawa tourism site and the National Capital Commission website). Ottawa is a short drive from Gatineau Park, a popular area for cross-country skiing, and an urban ski trail developed in 2016. The Kichi Sibi Winter Trail links downtown with some transit stops, so it’s possible to use it as part of a commute. Imagine that. BYOS (Bring Your Own Skis)
Transit directions for: Mooney’s Bay Ski Centre (Terry Fox Athletic Facility), Wesley Clover Parks.

Quebec QC, Canada (see Quebec city tourism site). Squeaks in to the category becaus the Plains of Abraham and its World Cup trails are in the heart of downtown. However it’s the only place acceessible my mass transit. Several great parks are a short drive from the city, but there’s no mass transit option to get to them. Does not appear to have rentals at the park. BYOS.

Duluth, MN (see Duluth city website). Trails are in the city, but it takes a good while to get there by bus and the walk at the end can be long. (Update 3/22/24: Spirit Mountain Nordic Center kicks Duluth up to 2 of 3, as a bus stops right there). BYOS.
Transit directions for: Piedmont trails, Chester ski area,Hartley park trails, Spirit Mountain Nordic Center.

XC ski vacationing without a car

Prices below based on round-trip Friday to Sunday in January 2026. Assume starting point as NYC unless otherwise stated. I’ve excluded downhill-skiing resorts for the most part because IMHO they don’t have much to offer cross-country skiers and the vibe is also kind of off.

Train

Amtrak trains stopping within about 10 miles from a resort with XC skiing. Resort areas will have taxis, Uber/Lyft, and sometimes buses for the final leg to accomodations and local trips. Amtrak prices are demand based, with limited seats so pricing will vary.

Vermonter – daily service from Washington DC to | St. Albans – Essex Junction (Burlington). Typical train has four coach cars and a cafe car.

• Get off at Waterbiury stop:
• Green Mountain Transit has a route from Waterbury to Stowe town hall. Take a taxi or Uber/Lyft for the last leg. Or just take a taxi from Waterbury to Stowe, 10 miles away, and Trapp Family Lodge another 4 miles further. Contact Jessica’s Vital Transit (802- 279-8251) or Stowe Taxi (802- 253-9490). Call ahead and book a taxi to meet your train.
• Take a taxi to Bolton Valley Resort, 11 miles away. Similar local transport options as for Stowe/Trapp.

California Zephyr and Winter Park Express – regular and seasonal service respectively, from Denver to Winter Park Resort. The Callifornia Zephyr is a long-distance train between Oakland and Denver with coaches, observation car, full dining car, and sleeper cabin cars. The Winter Park Express is a seasonal train from Denver to Winter Park.

• Get off at Fraser Winter Park stop:
• Take Uber/Lyft or taxi to:
  • Devils Thumb ranch – 6 miles
  • Snow Mountain ranch and YMCA of the Rockies – 9 miles
  • Grand Lake Nordic Center – 31 miles

The nice thing about the places on the Amtrak list are that once you are at the resort dining and activities are right there, no need to travel to town unless you want to.

Bus

Buses ypically stop near the Amtrak station if there is one, or a depot somewhere near the town center. Resorts will have taxis, Uber/Lyft, and sometimes local bus transit for the final leg.

• Stowe VT: Info: Visit OvRride seasonal snow bus. $299.95 bus only (2026)
  • Trapp Family Lodge – 4 miles. Contact Jessica’s Vital Transit (802- 279-8251) or Stowe Taxi (802- 253-9490) for local transit.
• Truckee CA – Greyhound from Bay Area to Truckee, $107 round trip (2026)
  • Tahoe Donner is a 15 minute car/taxi ride;
  • Tahoe XC is 30 minutes;
  • Royal Gorge or Sugar Bowl resort 20 minutes
• Winter Park CO – Greyhound from Denver, $30-$40 round trip. See ‘Train’ option above for resort options
• Lake Placid NY– Trailways from NYC to Lake Placid, $91 round trip. Lodging in town, use local taxi or Uber/Lyft to get to trails.
  • Scotts Cobble – 8 miles
  • Mt. van Hoevenberg – 10 miles
  • Dewey Mountain recreational area – 10 miles
  • Paul Smith’s VIC – 21 miles

Truckee and Lake Placid present a greater logistical dilemma in tht the XC ski areas are located at some distance from lodging. I’ve included them simply becasuse there aren’t so many options to begi with. And while the Sugar Bowl resort has access to Royal Gorge trails, it’s not near the center of the trail system.