Read skier and snowboarder-submitted reviews on Chestnut Mountain Resort that rank the ski resort and mountain town on a scale of one to five stars for attributes such as terrain, nightlife and family friendliness. See how Chestnut Mountain Resort stacks up in the reviews, on and off the slopes, from skiing and family activities to the après scene. Read up on pros, cons and other comments in reviews left by fellow skiers and riders. Don't forget to submit your own Chestnut Mountain Resort review! Scroll to the bottom of this page to let other travelers know about your skiing and resort experience.
Reviews for Chestnut Mountain Resort
Total (2.9)
A ski resort's overall star rating displayed here is not calculated based on a simple average but takes several factors, including the age of a review, into account.
I drove the extra hour to reach Chestnut from Chicago, versus closer hills in Wisconsin. I have to say, this is a really nice mountain, in particular for the Midwest. It is fairly big -with a 500-foot vertical-, and there is quite a variety in scenery and runs. It comes close to giving you the 'real mountain' experience you get out West. There are plenty of nice Blues, and as others mentioned the few Black-Diamond runs are definitely a challenge. I skied a bunch of fairly easy Black Diamonds the week prior in Wisconsin but got a reality check here. Eagle was tough yet manageable, but Warpath was pretty steep - I mainly slid down it, good practice. The restaurant and bar in the hotel was nice and only charged 16 bucks for a decent burger, compared to $26 at Vail. I would suggest getting tickets online, which were ridiculously cheap are $45 bucks for a Saturday. That jumps o over $70 soon in full season, but still a good deal. On the downside, the lifts are a bit snow, but look back, the view of the Mississippi is fantastic.
Ryan
This place is truly one of the best locations to Ski or SB in the Midwest, especially within a 3 hr. drive from the Chicagoland area with almost a 500' vertical (high for Midwest). I spent 7 hrs. hitting 65 runs #LoveTheMidwestRep's. Don't be afraid to look up while you hit the challenging terrain to enjoy overlooking the Mississippi River.
After spending so much time here I keep coming back because the vibe, people, and terrain actually challenges me (skiing 37 years - PSIA instructor)! I don't get that feeling other then at Mt. Bohemia or out West!
I couldn't wait to catch up to my older ski buddies and get the free lift ticket. That lasted one year for me before the Owner started to get greedy, selling a discounted season senior pass. Staff blamed Covid, the pass goes up ever year. Our group has moved on to explore other areas and are happy we were forced into it. I just don't get it, i find as a senior we spent more and more time in the lodge sipping drinks and having a few quality snacks
Charles
One of the best ski resorts in Midwest and so close to Chicago. Steeps may be steepest in Midwest with consistent pitch top to bottom. Intermediate runs challenging too with many interesting lines to choose from. Nearby town of Galena is a Midwest Aspen. I have skied here about 10 times.
Sham Patel
I hv been boarding the midwest for 12 years now.
My ratings are as such.
Best: chestnut,
Good: alpine, devils head, cascade.
Dont care for: tyrol basin
Way to fkn expensive: wilmont.
Longer and steeper runs than most midwest places, not as crowded and not as expensive.
J iPhone
Best ski area within 8 hrs of Chicago.
Chris Jackson
see above
I went to school in platteville and held a season pass here for two years logging at least 20 days both years. Chestnut is easily the best in the area. You have to get to granite peak in Wausau to find a better midwest experience. I always find it annoying when ski hills have runs that terminate with a long fairly flat ski out at the bottom that serves no purpose other than to squeeze of couple extra feet out for their mountain vertical statistics. Chestnut has no such excessive run out, if its marked blue on the map you will be skiing blue caliber slope all the way to the bottom. I enjoy watching this place put beginners who think they can ski a midwest black in their place because they are accustomed to pizza-ing the hill and controlling speed in the long runout at the bottom, attempt that here and you'll get a face full of chain link fence (still better than ending up on the railroad track on the other side). Before you go, check the wind forecast, If winds are forecasted greater than 15mph out of the west consider going elsewhere because the hill faces west with the wide open mississippi river at the bottom so their is no wind protection. Lift lines here are pretty much non-existent. they open the blackhawk triple only when slight lift lines occur on the quads. In those two years and 40+ visits, I can count on one hand the number of times they were forced to open that triple, the lines just don't happen.
Laura
The very first thing to understand that it's not a hill - it's a ridge with the lodge at the top and the Mississippi river at the bottom. They bill themselves as having the largest vertical drop in the lower Midwest, which is true. What they don't say is that a lot of it is very, very steep. If you're an adrenaline junkie, you may enjoy feeling like you're going to hurdle into the Mississippi, but it was nerve racking for me. I'd say a lot of it is more intermediate to advanced than beginner. I think it offers some of the more difficult terrain of the hills within east driving distance of Chicago.
Snowboarders love it, and the terrain park is self contained with its own lift.
The lifts are probably the slowest I have ever been on.
The lodge amenities are better than average and the view is spectacular. I would not take a beginner here. Even the easier runs look intimidating because of the steep angle.
Kevin
My son and I are experienced intermediate skiers who have skied both in New England and Colorado. We spent two days at Chestnut recently. The first day was a typical Illinois winter day with temps in the 20's and 30's. We hit the trails right as they opened and skied the entire day. We skied all the trails except Eagle (black diamond mogels) and upper Warpath (black diamond - we did ski lower Warpath). The trails were well groomed, but towards early afternoon had become skied off, showing the layers of packed powder and ice below. In this regard, Chestnut is similar to what you find on eastern ski resorts in the late afternoons. While the three major ski lifts at the bottom of the mountain do a good job of moving skiers back up, the trails themselves did get crowded at times, especially in the mid-mountain area (trails Moser, Fox and Catwalk).
The resort has a learner's area, and then an easy green trail (Old Main), which is served by it's own lift. Progressing from there to the blues might be somewhat challenging for true beginners. Take lessons.
As for the intermediate trails, we found plenty to keep ourselves busy. Again the runs are not long, but the lifts do a good job of moving you back up to the top quickly, so you can get a lot of runs in. We skied all the blues, and were pleasantly surprised by the variety and the challenges that the different runs posed. Our favorite trail was Crazy Horse. I would warn beginners to not attempt this trail until at least Moser and Apache have been mastered.
The Mountain Top Cafe was pleasant and the food adequate and the Summit was comfortable and the food good. Apres Ski in the Summit was fun and the atmosphere relaxing.
My son had rentals for both days, and the equipment seemed to be either new (skis) or in decent condition (boots). All-in-all I would rate the facilities here very good.
On the second day, Illinois got hit with about 8 inches of new snow overnight. The resort let the snow accumulate before grooming, so we ended up skiing through some very skied up powder before the snow cats came out. A good opportunity for everyone (including Ski Patrol) to get acqainted with different snow conditions.
The only downside that we experienced was the lack of scenery. The resort makes its own snow, so the trail conditions were fine, but the area itself was not snow covered and was consequently somewhat bleak. Small issue, I know, but if you are looking for the Winter ambiance that a large eastern or western resort gives you, you won't find it here. Come here for the ski practice (and the fun) and not the scenery.
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