Cataloochee Ski Area

North Carolina, US — size XS · 4 km of trails · 221 m vertical · 5 lifts · light snowfall

Open it on the map cataloochee.com

North America
New York City — town, pop. 8,804,190Los Angeles — town, pop. 3,820,914Toronto — town, pop. 2,794,356Chicago — town, pop. 2,664,452Cataloochee Ski AreaNew York CityLos AngelesTorontoChicago
North Carolina
Knoxville — town, pop. 190,740Athens — town, pop. 127,315Asheville — town, pop. 95,056Roswell — town, pop. 94,501Gastonia — town, pop. 74,543Hatley PointeOber MountainCataloochee Ski AreaKnoxvilleAthensAshevilleRoswellGastonia
Within 30 km
Waynesville — town, pop. 9,809Cullowhee — town, pop. 6,228Canton — town, pop. 4,190Lake Junaluska — town, pop. 2,734Sylva — town, pop. 2,617Cherokee — town, pop. 2,138Cataloochee Ski AreaCataloochee Ski AreaWaynesvilleCullowheeCantonLake JunaluskaSylvaCherokee

Closed today

Season: usually early November - late March.

26/27 Passes

PassWhat it grantsBlackouts
Indy Pass2 daysblackout calendar not published
Indy+ Pass2 daysno blackout dates

The mountain

Trails
4 km — size XS
Vertical
221 m
Summit
1583 m
Base
1362 m
Lifts
5
Trees
0.1 km, 2.5% of mapped runs plus 1 ha of zones — Wild Cat Glade (2 matched by distance, not outline)
Region
North Carolina, United States

Typical Snowfall

Our take: ❄︎❄︎❄︎❄︎ Light

Measured, 10-season mean
58 cm — OnTheSnow
Snow-day share
6% of December–March days — a centimetre or more; ERA5 model
Longest snowy stretch
2 days — consecutive days with a centimetre or more, typical winter; ERA5 model
Model climatology
36 cm — ERA5 model, ~10 km grid

The Season

Snowfall, season to date model
20406080 cmOctNovDecJanFebMarAprMayJun

middle half of winterstypical (dashed: model)2025/26

Snowfall: model (ERA5 at mid-mountain), 10 winters, scaled ×1.61 to OnTheSnow 10-season mean
Natural snow; a groomed base runs deeper.

Character

It is a small hill: 4 km of trails, against 19 km for the median North American resort on a pass. Most of what the independents' passes sell is this size.

Terrain

  • novicegreen circle0.1 km · 2 runs
  • easygreen circle1 km · 5 runs
  • intermediateblue square2.1 km · 8 runs
  • advancedblack diamond0.4 km · 2 runs

North American grading.

Lifts

  • 3chairlifts
  • 2magic carpets

Nearby

ResortDistanceTrailsSnowfallPasses
Ober Mountain45 km2 kmlightIndy Pass, Indy+ Pass (shared)
Hatley Pointe68 km5 kmlightIndy Pass, Indy+ Pass (shared)

FAQ

Is Cataloochee Ski Area on the Indy Pass?
Yes. The Indy Pass grants 2 days at Cataloochee Ski Area for 2026/27, with blackout calendar not published.
Is Cataloochee Ski Area on the Indy+ Pass?
Yes. The Indy+ Pass grants 2 days at Cataloochee Ski Area for 2026/27, with no blackout dates.
How much snow does Cataloochee Ski Area get?
Cataloochee Ski Area has light snowfall by our banding, averaging 58 cm a season over the last ten measured seasons.
What else can I ski nearby on the same pass?
Ober Mountain (45 km), Hatley Pointe (68 km)

Sources

Pass terms
Indy
Mountain figures
OpenSkiMap, from OpenStreetMap
Season dates and live status
skiresort.info
Snow on the ground
Open-Meteo

Data (ODbL) · Method

All ski passes in North Carolina · All 501 resorts · The map