Paoli Peaks with Kids
This past weekend, our family packed up our winter gear and headed to Paoli Peaks, a charming ski destination tucked into the southern Indiana hills. Since coming home from our family trip around the world, we are always on the lookout for adventure-filled experiences close to home in between our bigger trips. Paoli is an easy drive from our home base and is worth the visit for families seeking snowy fun. Here are some helpful details when going with kids as well as a few highlights for us!
Check-in and Gear Rental
Before you visit, take a look on their website to determine which pass is right for your family. Paoli offers day tickets, season passes to Paoli, and their Vail Resort Epic Pass, giving you access to 40+ resorts throughout the world.
We visited on what was possibly their busiest day of the year. If you are in the same boat, have a little patience getting your tickets and gear. Once we hit the slopes, we quickly discovered the crowds spread out, and it wasn’t an issue. We even had the family runs to ourselves quite often!
That said, if you’re able to visit during an off-peak time, we’d definitely recommend it. Midweek might offer an even more relaxed experience. This would be perfect for beginners or families with younger children who might not be thrilled to wait in rental lines. Arriving right when they open or later in the day would also keep your wait to a minimum. We arrived in the early afternoon, and it seemed to be their biggest rush. Parking is free and super convenient!
If you don’t have your own equipment, Paoli Peaks offers gear that is well-maintained and perfectly suited for a day of adventure. The staff ensured we were fitted with boots, skis, and helmets that were comfortable and secure, setting us up for a safe and enjoyable time on the slopes.
Slopes and Lifts
Paoli has a great mix of beginner, intermediate, and advanced slopes. Each run we tried with the kids was a small step up from the previous one and prepared them for steeper runs in no time. During our visit, the majority of the runs were open and in awesome condition. Our day pass was scanned once to enter the slope area, and then it was not needed for each lift which was convenient!
Paoli offers a magic carpet, a small chair lift, and multiple longer chair lifts. One of the standout features of our visit was the efficiency of the lift crews. They worked like a well-oiled machine, keeping the lines moving quickly and safely. This meant less waiting around and more time on the slopes—a huge win when you’ve got kids who are eager to ski!
A few things we didn’t have time for, but are great options that Paoli offers: The resort has great food options in the main lodge… we were just having to much fun on the slopes to pause! Plan to use a card vs. cash for most/all things at Paoli. They also offer group and private lessons for all skill levels, a great option for kids that are beginners or need a refresher. Lastly, in case you are able to make a weekend out of it, Paoli also has snow tubing on site, and it looked like a blast!
By the end of the day, our family was happily exhausted, full of stories about our memories and mishaps on the slopes. Paoli Peaks delivered the perfect mix of fun, challenge, and convenience, making it an ideal destination for a family day trip. We loved adding this to our many adventures with our kids in 31 countries!
Have you been to Paoli Peaks? Share your favorite memories or tips in the comments below—we’d love to hear about your experience!
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