Vernon Valley Great Gorge

Mountain Creek is the New York/New Jersey Metro area’s closest ski resort. Located just 47 miles from NYC, Mountain Creek offers 167 skiable acres on four mountain peaks, 100% night skiing, the region’s most extensive snowmaking system and highest vertical at 1040’. Mountain Creek is also home to the region’s only true All-Mountain Terrain Park at South Peak. Our 65-acre Terrain Park is nationally renowned, most recently being named a Top 5 Park in the nation in Freeskier’s 2012 Resort Poll.

Originally opened in 1965, Mountain Creek began as Great Gorge Resort on what is currently our Bear and South Peaks. In 1971 Great Gorge merged with neighboring Vernon Valley Resort, becoming Vernon Valley/Great Gorge and connecting our 4 peaks. Together, Vernon Valley/Great Gorge enjoyed tremendous success for the next three decades. It was THE place to see and be seen, on the trails or at the neighboring Playboy Club where the likes of Ann Margaret and Sammy Davis Jr. performed. It seems no matter what resort you go to today, you can always find someone who made their first turns at Vernon Valley/Great Gorge.

In 1998 Vernon Valley/Great Gorge was purchased by Intrawest, a Canadian owner operator of such notable resorts as Whistler Blackcomb, Tremblant and Steamboat and we were renamed Mountain Creek.

In May of 2010, Mountain Creek merged with Crystal Springs Resort right next door to establish a true 4-season recreation and leisure playground. During the span of five years, this partnership invested over 30 million into Mountain Creek and Action Park. Notable improvements included the spectacular 50, 000 square-foot Red Tail Lodge, expanded snowmaking, the snow tubing center, the world’s first Terrain-Based Learning center, rehabilitation of Surf Hill – the world’s largest Slip N Slide and installation of the Soaring Eagle, Alpine Mountain Coaster and Zero G, the world’s tallest and only double-looping waterslide.

In June 2015, The Koffman family, one of four partners that purchased Mountain Creek from Intrawest in 2010, became the sole owner of the resort. The Koffman family was also a partner in the original Great Gorge ski area in the 1970s. The change in ownership will allow for additional improvement and expansion capital as the resort enters its 50th anniversary year.