Five Snow-Loving Ski Resorts in the U.S. to Spa Hop, Party and Ski

The best ski resorts in the United States offer wonderful resorts with amenities, like hot tubs and fine dining, with a rich set of winter activities to please every taste, skill level and interest.

Here's five of the best and most popular ski resorts, most noted for their beautiful scenery, accessibility and fun:

Sun Valley, Idaho

Sun Valley, Idaho, is one of the most well-known ski resort meccas in Idaho. Besides downhill skiing with lift prices running from $64 for adults, they have world class snowboarding at park and pipe on Dollar Mountain with three different parks. Sun Valley Heli Ski pioneered American helicopter skiing and provides trips over four mountains on small group ski trips priced at $1,100 per person. Tubing costs $15 for the first hour, then $10 after that for adults. Sleigh rides leave Sun Valley Inn for dinner at Trail Creek Cabin, the center of Nordic Skiing, with dinner prices at $32 and requires advanced reservations.

Teton Pass, Wyoming

Teton Pass offers a no lift line experience for downhill skiing at $38. They have a terrain park for snowboarding--one for beginners and one for experienced. Teton accommodations are available in Choteau and a free shuttle visits every hotel and delivers guests to the ski slopes making it a low stress event. Ski lessons are also available.

Aspen, Colorado

Aspen, Colo., is a place many consider ski heaven with four ski areas, including Arapahoe Basin, Snow Mass, Steamboat, Loveland, offering deals and many more resorts offering lift ticket passes for the season. I think perhaps you're supposed to just move in for the season then take your pick of any. I've only been there in autumn for hiking.

Aspen Meadow Resort is one of the best places with amenities to stay.

Lake Placid, New York

Lake Placid is the center for winter activities in the Adirondack Mountains of New York. It offers the wintertime activities using the former Olympic Facilities, including ice skating $8, bob sled experience at $80, snow tubing at $9 an hour, snowshoeing at $20 for adults, cross-country skiing passes at $20 a day, and downhill skiing--including at the slides an expert-rated ski slope. Downhill ski passes at Whiteface Mountain run $785 for adults, half that for college students. We recently stayed at the Crowne Plaza Resort this summer and found their service good, read "Reasons to Enjoy the Crowne Plaza, Lake Placid." They also have a terrain park for snowboarding.

Mt. Bachelor, Oregon

Mt. Bachelor Ski Resort is located near Bend Oregon and features downhill skiing at $63 for adults. They also offer a fun new treat-dog sled trips at $75-85 for a 26-mile each way trip. Half-day snowshoeing trips are offered by experts and naturalists at a variety of times, no skill needed; prices are yet to be announced for 2011. The place to stay with the hot tubs and free skating for children is the Seventh Mountain Inn.