Catskills Ski Cabins: Where to Stay Near Belleayre, Hunter, Windham and Plattekill

The Catskills have four ski mountains worth planning a weekend around, and each one suits a different kind of trip. The cabin you choose decides which of them you will actually ski.

This guide sorts Catskills ski cabin rentals by mountain. Every home here is booked directly with its owner, with no platform fees added at checkout.

Four mountains, four different weekends

Start with the mountain, then pick the house.

• Hunter Mountain, in Hunter. 1,600 feet of vertical and 67 trails. Projected to open November 21. It is on the Epic Pass, and 45% of its terrain is rated advanced.
• Windham Mountain Club, in Windham. 1,600 feet of vertical and 54 trails. Projected to open December 4. Day tickets are sold to the public, and it pays to buy ahead.
• Belleayre, in Highmount. 1,404 feet of vertical and 62 trails. Projected to open November 20. It is state-run, has a gondola, and about 70% of its runs are beginner or intermediate.
• Plattekill, in Roxbury. 1,100 feet of vertical and 41 trails. Projected to open December 12. It is family-owned and runs on Fridays, weekends and holidays.

Opening dates are OnTheSnow's projections for 2026–27 and depend on weather. Plattekill lists December 12 as tentative on its own site.

Hunter is the big, busy one, with the most snowmaking and the most challenging terrain. Belleayre is gentler and run by the state. Plattekill is small and independent, the last family-owned mountain in the northern Catskills. Windham sits in between, with a more polished feel.

Near Hunter and Windham: Tannersville

Tannersville is the village at Hunter's doorstep, with Windham a short drive north. It has the most to do after the lifts close.

Tannersville Forest Retreat sleeps five across two bedrooms and two bathrooms. It has a private hot tub, an open-air shower and a fireplace, which covers most of what a ski weekend asks of a house. The owners describe it as "ideal after a day on the trails or the slopes." From $500 a night.

Stay here if your group wants Hunter's terrain by day and a village main street close by for dinner.

Near Belleayre and Plattekill: Roxbury

Roxbury is quieter and further west. Plattekill is in the town itself, and Belleayre is a short drive south.

Yamagoya Cabin is a Japanese-inspired mountain house with three bedrooms, a tatami room and a living space built around the fireplace. It sleeps five. The listing names both Plattekill and Belleayre, and the Catskill Scenic Trail nearby is used for cross-country skiing in winter. From $450 a night. Read the story behind Yamagoya.

The Mountain House and The Valley Cottage are two homes by designer Wilfredo Perdomo, each with three bedrooms and spa-like bathrooms. The Mountain House sleeps five and the Valley Cottage sleeps six. Both list Belleayre as 12 minutes away, and both start at $395 a night.

Book the pair together and you have room for eleven. That makes them the best fit here for two families or a group of friends. Wilfredo's own story is in Building a Micro-Resort Dream in the Catskills.

The cabins at a glance

• Tannersville Forest Retreat, Tannersville. Sleeps 5. Nearest to Hunter and Windham. Private hot tub and fireplace. From $500 a night.
• Yamagoya Cabin, Roxbury. Sleeps 5. Nearest to Plattekill and Belleayre. Fireplace and tatami room. From $450 a night.
• The Mountain House, Roxbury. Sleeps 5. Nearest to Belleayre and Plattekill. Spa-like bathrooms. From $395 a night.
• The Valley Cottage, Roxbury. Sleeps 6. Nearest to Belleayre and Plattekill. Pairs with the Mountain House for a group of eleven. From $395 a night.

See every home in the region on our Catskills page.

For the ones who don't ski

Not everyone in a ski house skis. A good one works for them too.

Plattekill runs snowtubing on weekends and holidays from December 26 through mid-March. The Catskill Scenic Trail is flat enough for a first try on cross-country skis or snowshoes.

Then there is the house itself. A fire, a long breakfast and a book are a full day in any of these homes.

The weekends that fill first

Ski cabins book earlier than most winter travel, and three periods go before the rest:

• Christmas to New Year's. Both holidays fall on a Friday this season, so each is a long weekend.
• Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, January 16–18, 2027.
• Presidents' weekend, February 13–15, 2027, and the school break week that follows.

If you want one of those, ask now. For the full timeline, see When Should You Book a Ski Cabin?

Ordinary January and March weekends are easier to find, and more of each mountain is usually open than in early December. Midweek is quieter still.

About Locèlle, and why these cabins are booked direct

Locèlle is a curated collection of design-led vacation homes, and it works differently from the big platforms. We do not process bookings or add fees. We introduce you to the owner, and you book with them.

Jorge and I started it in 2025. We host a home ourselves, and we kept seeing the same problem. The most considered houses, built or restored by people with a real point of view, were buried under generic listings and ranked by algorithms that reward volume. Fees grew at checkout while the good homes got harder to find.

So we built something closer to a magazine than a marketplace. Every home is handpicked and reviewed for its design, its photography, how well it works for guests and the story behind it. Then we tell that story properly, as in the host features linked above.

Booking direct helps on a ski trip in three ways:

• The price is the price. No service fee appears on the last screen, because there is no platform in the middle.
• You talk to the person who knows the house. Ask whether the driveway needs four-wheel drive, how the road is plowed and what happens if a storm closes the Thruway.
• The owner can say yes. A late checkout after a last morning on the mountain, or first call on next year's holiday week, is theirs to give.

New to booking this way? Start with What Is Direct Booking? A Beginner's Guide, or read our letter from the founders.

Frequently asked questions

When does ski season start in the Catskills?

Usually in late November, weather permitting. For 2026–27, projected opening dates are November 20 for Belleayre, November 21 for Hunter, December 4 for Windham and December 12 for Plattekill. Check each mountain's snow report before you travel.

Which Catskills ski mountain is best for beginners?

Belleayre is the gentlest of the four, with about 70% of its runs rated beginner or intermediate. Windham has a similar mix. Hunter has the most advanced terrain, at 45% of its trails.

How far are the Catskills ski areas from New York City?

Most are about two and a half to three hours by car, depending on traffic and which mountain you choose. Hunter calls itself the closest big mountain to the city. Roxbury and Plattekill are the furthest west.

Can the public ski at Windham Mountain Club?

Yes. Windham Mountain Club sells day tickets to the public alongside its memberships. Buy them online in advance, and check the club's site for current availability before you plan a weekend around it.

How do I book one of these cabins?

Each listing on Locèlle connects you with the owner. You contact them directly, by email, WhatsApp or their own booking site, agree your dates and pay the owner. Locèlle adds no booking fee and takes no commission.