Mountain Creek Snowboarding Review: Luxury, Lengthy Runs & East Coast Powerhouse
Mountain Creek Resort
200 NJ-94, Vernon Township, NJ 07462
Rating: ♡♡♡♡ 4 out of 5 hearts
Just a note! This review has been updated on April 14, 2025. With that being said, I’ve read so many horrible reviews before I visited Mountain Creek that my expectations were quite low going in. I honestly fully believe that 90% of location reviewers do not know how to accurately review a service or establishment. Mountain Creek was far better than my expectations, BUT it does have drawbacks!
Parking
There’s a few different places to park at Mountain Creek. General Parking is available across the street from both the North Lodge (main area) & South Lodge (think more terrain park and feature hitting areas). These parking lots are free of charge.
Supposedly, people don’t like to go to the North Lodge because of the walk from the general parking lot to the slopes. It is a bit of a walk, but it is a very cute and scenic walk! It was super easy enough to get into the parking lot and find a spot, and whether you’re with friends or alone, it really isn’t that big of a deal!
There are also options to pay for closer or preferred parking. There’s the Red Tail Lodge Preferred Lot for $50 a day (online purchases only), and Cobblestone Village Preferred Lot for $20 a day.
Tickets & Passes
This is another thing I saw people complaining about. Weekday prices are $90. Weekend & holiday prices are $119.99. There is also the option of twilight tickets (starts at 3pm), weekend/holidays: $69.99, midweek: $59.99.
A better deal is their triple play cards for $159.99 + fees. That’s THREE anytime lift tickets with no restrictions & no blackout dates. That’s practically the price of one on the weekend and two tickets on the weekday.
Mountain Creek’s prices for what they offer is worth it, for what they offer. Blue Mountain is just as expensive also. The winter sports industry just isn’t cheap. If you want cheap, you’ll get a cheap experience which usually leads to injuries. Not to mention, the percentage of people who ski or snowboard worldwide is relatively small, as these activities are niche sports that require specific geographic, economic, and cultural conditions. It takes money to upkeep a mountain and make it great. It takes people to run it, maintain it, and organize, and guess how we get great workers, money. The money is well-spent when it comes to Mountain Creek.
That being said, we had to change the date of our tickets the one day because it was raining and it wasn’t possible for us to do so from the app or the website. We had to literally drive an hour to an hour and a half just so we wouldn’t lose our tickets for the day. That’s why I’m very of the mindset, don’t book until you’re there but I do get that you may not get tickets day of depending on the day.
Facts
The biggest fact I will drop on you is this, both Blue Mountain in Palmerton, PA and Mountain Creek in Vernon Township, NJ have impressive snowmaking systems. Blue Mountain has one of the largest snowmaking systems on the East Coast, while Mountain Creek has one of the largest and most powerful in the country.
But Blue Mountain still stays open longer into the season than Mountain Creek. I don’t know why. I was impressed to know this fact, but they still closed really early.
Globally, it is estimated that less than 1% of the world's population skis or snowboards regularly. This translates to roughly 50-70 million people out of a global population of over 8 billion. Mountain Creek is operated by Snow Operating which also runs and owns Big SNOW in the American Dream Mall. With Big SNOW being in the mall, it invites more average people to learn or try skiing or snowboarding. I know Big SNOW has helped grow the population of skiers and snowboarders, and I know this because I am one of many that got their start from Big SNOW.
Mountain Creek is the biggest mountain in the New Jersey area.
Unlike some other mountains that call themselves resorts, Mountain Creek has lodging and rooms you can stay at. They also have a plethora of amazing summer activities such as: the waterpark, ziplining, mountain coaster, and more.
Mountain Creek is one of the closest ski resorts to New York City, located just 47 miles (about an hour's drive) from the city. This makes it a convenient getaway for urban dwellers looking for a quick escape to the slopes.
Mountain Creek is one of the few resorts in the region that offers night skiing. The slopes are illuminated until 10 PM, allowing visitors to enjoy skiing or snowboarding under the stars.
Mountain Creek Resort is renowned for its terrain parks, which are some of the best on the East Coast. It features multiple parks with jumps, rails, and other features designed for freestyle skiers and snowboarders. The South Peak area is particularly famous for its advanced terrain
Ride Life
Have you looked at their trail map? Mountain Creek has some of the longest trails I’ve ever seen or felt on a mountain. At first, I was daunted by just how much it had to offer.
As someone who got their start at Big SNOW, I will say this—riding at Big SNOW is not the same as riding on actual mountains. The green trails at Mountain Creek are much harder, steeper, and the snow conditions are completely different. The trails themselves are far more impressive than anything at Big SNOW.
That being said, Big SNOW helped me build up my skills and confidence enough to ride alone in my first season—yup, alone! Even at the big mountains! I took what I learned and applied it to real slopes, and I’m realizing now that’s not something everyone does. This is officially my second winter riding, and if you know snowboarding, you know it doesn’t take just one lesson to learn. It takes multiple. I did start out in winter, like many others, but thanks to Big SNOW being open year-round, I was able to progress much faster and carry my skills into the next season. Snowboarding isn’t something you pick up overnight, and you definitely don’t become a perfect rider after just one session. It doesn’t work like that.
Even in my first full winter of riding on mountains, I had never even heard of Mountain Creek. I grew up only really knowing the Pennsylvania mountains because my dad was a skier, and they were just more commonly talked about. But over time, with Mountain Creek and Big SNOW gaining more recognition, the name started to spread. I finally had the pleasure of checking out Mountain Creek during my birthday weekend, and I had a blast. I can’t wait to come back and keep exploring, documenting, and enjoying more of the mountain and what Mountain Creek has to offer.
I’m not much of a terrain park rider or a feature hitter, but supposedly, the sunset at South Peak is breathtaking, and I’m on a mission to capture it through my camera lens! I love riding in general because I know it’s prolonging the longevity of my life, but like any snowboarder, I also love it because it just feels amazing. It’s so rewarding.
The green trails at Mountain Creek are definitely much steeper than what you’ll learn on at Big SNOW, but they are so much fun! The first time I rode down Upper Horizon to Lower Horizon to Cab Ride, I was completely winded before I even reached the bottom of Cab Ride. But as time went on, I got better and could last longer. It was such a beautiful experience—the snow felt great under my board, and I was riding on a brand-new snowboard at the time! I had gifted myself a 142 Ride TwinPig.
Learning a new mountain and adjusting to a new board takes more energy than you expect, but I cannot get enough of this place. By the end of the day, even with my quads burning, I asked for one more run—even if it meant taking extra breaks. And that last run? It was my best yet. Everything about that day was perfect—the perfect birthday, the perfect board, on the most amazing mountain.
I truly fell in love with this place, but riding the cabriolet to the top and seeing those views? That really took the cake!
But it’s not all great…
Let me be honest with you some of the people at this resort are incredibly rude. I've been here several times now, and I keep running into the same problem: guests with huge egos who act like they own the mountain. It doesn't matter if they're snowboarders or skiers, beginners or experts. They're confrontational and seem to think they can say or do whatever they want. It's pure entitlement, and it's way worse than anything I've seen at Blue Mountain.
Here's the thing that really gets to me, these interactions stick with you. I'm still thinking about some of these encounters months later, and that's not okay. It actually makes me not want to come back, which is saying something. What does it say about a place when so many people there are just plain miserable and take it out on everyone else?
But here's what we figured out, and this is important: we started avoiding the main slopes & main lifts where all these people hang out. We went to the runs that most people skip, and honestly? It was amazing. The powder was incredible - soft, fluffy, and barely touched. We had the best time just staying away from the crowd.
The mountain itself is actually great. The problem is definitely the attitude of some of the people who go there. It really affects the whole experience when you're constantly dealing with people who seem determined to ruin everyone else's day.
Refreshments & Bathrooms
At one point in time, our friends, my boyfriend and I took a break at The Biergarten. They had some beers that they enjoyed, while I got myself a free cup of water.
Later, after our day was done, my boyfriend, our friends, and I had a meal at the Kink and each of our meals was mouth-watering! If you’re from Philly or enjoy Chickie’s & Petes you will enjoy their Cajun Red Fish fries! We ordered more of the fries as we devoured them quite quickly. At first, it seemed like it was too much, but after taking a bite it was obvious we needed more.
My boyfriend and I got the 4 Cheese Mac & Cheese as well as the Beer Battered Cod to share. As someone who doesn’t eat fish sandwiches like that, I enjoyed splitting the Beer Battered Cod with my boyfriend. I was pleasantly surprised.
I have heard great things about Mountain Creek’s cabin waffles, the Kink had sold out of them, but I will be back earlier in the day to definitely try some! It’s definitely a must, I hear, to eat one when here.
The prices are a tad bit more expensive than a regular restaurant, but it’s not overkill and for how delicious everything was it was well worth it.
The bathrooms, on the other hand, not the greatest, but I can’t say I’ve seen great bathrooms at any ski resort so far. People are people after all.
Gift Shop
There are two gift shops, and I went to both in search of Mountain Creek specific stickers. I found none. They had pins & keychains, but no stickers. As someone who collects mountain-specific and adventure-specific stickers, to me this is a must! My hope and expectation is, they will get some before the season ends! I absolutely need to add this to my collection!
The gift shop at the South Lodge had decal stickers, but they’re too big for what I want to use mine for. Also, I am not joking when I say I want MOUNTAIN CREEK SPECIFIC STICKERS. I want to the Mountain Creek brand on a sticker. Not just a Ride New Jersey sticker, but a Mountain Creek specific sticker. There were pins I bought that would have been great as stickers! I’m not a pin girl though, but they were cute and I wanted to commemorate somehow.
With that being said, I did buy gloves & a pin for my boyfriend and I, like mentioned above, at the gift shop in the North Lodge. I had gloves, but I was sweating so much in them on a warm day that I needed something thinner. I found the perfect gloves for my tiny hands, in a pale pink color, with grips, water resistant fabric, AND they were touch screen gloves. Decently priced for quality gloves. The pins were $3 each.
Quick Tips
Mountain Creek is cashless! Fill up your child’s Apple Pay or GPay with some cash before you go. Take your credit or debit card with you.
Overall
Mountain Creek Resort is truly a beautiful establishment, location, and has amazing slopes & trails for everyone to enjoy. The price is well worth it for what they’re offering.
Their website has a high level of professionalism and is easy to maneuver. They make their entire system easy to use and understand. Everything is so well kept you can tell Mountain Creek is well-loved by everyone who works here. BUT the guests are … shitty. There’s no other way to say it. I tried.
I really want to try out the summer activities Mountain Creek has to offer, but after the few interactions I had with some of the other guests I’m like wary to.
