Best Snow Tubing Near Boston for Families | MommyPoppins

Easier than skiing and more thrilling than sledding, the best snow tubing is a wicked big deal here in Massachusetts! Snow tubing provide a low-stress, relatively low-cost family day set at a giggle-inducing pace. It also helps you earn major points with the kiddos. For snow tubing near Boston, kids (and adventurous parents) have their choice of several well-groomed trails to launch down on a soft-sided innertube. Go a little further and be rewarded with lengthy runs and breathtaking views. All of these tubing parks are located within 3 hours of Boston, and many are also open on winter holidays!

For other ways to hit the slopes, check out our favorite Boston-area sledding hills, a roundup of New England ski resorts that cater to families, and list of more ski resorts in the Northeast. Also, our Boston Winter Fun Guide can always be relied on to get kids off their devices and out in the fresh winter air.

Best Snow Tubing Near Boston

1. Nashoba Valley’s Snow Tubing Park – Westford

Opening Day: TBD, check the website for updates

A short drive from Boston lands you in the largest tubing park in New England, with as many as 18 lanes available and more than 600 snow tubes on site. An easy tow-handle lift brings you to the top of the hill, where you can decide which lane you’d like to try. Don’t worry about making a wrong decision. Tickets are good for 2 hours, so you and the kids can try them all. Note, only one person is allowed per tube. The tubing park has an on-site lodge with a snack bar where you can take a break and warm up. 
Age/height requirements: 6 years or 42 inches tall

New England’s largest tubing park is less than 1 hour from Boston. Photo courtesy of Nashoba Valley Ski Area

2. Ski Ward – Shrewsbury

With 12 lanes, 200 tubes, and 2 lifts, snow tubing at Ski Ward in Shrewsbury is a blast. For an extra thrill—one that kids especially like—go at night. 
Age/height requirements: 6 years and 42 inches tall

Best Snow Tubing in Massachusetts

3. Berkshire East – Charlemont

This tubing park isn’t huge with just 3 lanes, but the 500-foot runs are definitely a thrill. A magic carpet easily gets you up the hill, a major plus when pulling a tube. This mountain has a 1-person-per-tube policy, so prepare your kiddos in advance. And a visit to Berkshire East, which also features skiing and boarding in the wintertime, is supporting renewable energy. It’s the only ski area in the world to generate 100% of its electricity from onsite renewable energy. 
​Age/height requirements: 42 inches tall

4. Ski Butternut – Great Barrington

Offering hundreds of snow tubes, 11 lanes, and a magic carpet lift to transport you to the top, this mountain is a full-service operation. Butternut guarantees 100% snow-making coverage, so there is snow when your own backyard doesn’t have it. Kids must be able to ride in a tube on their own because only single tubes are available.
​Age/height requirements: Tubing is recommended for ages 5 and over

 
Head to Pittsfield for great snow tubing. Photo courtesy of Bousquetmountain.com

5. Bousquet Mountain – Pittsfield

Bousquet was the first ski area in the U.S. to offer night skiing thanks to a partnership with General Electric. Good for 1.5 hours, snow tubing tickets can be purchased ahead and reservations are highly recommended. There are up to 10 tubing lanes and 100 tubes available.
Age/height requirements: 42 inches tall 

Best Snow Tubing Near Boston – New Hampshire

6. McIntyre Ski Area – Manchester, NH

This hill just an hour from Boston is serious about tubing. A conveyor carpet easily ferries tubers up to the top of the hill, where there are 8 tubing lanes and plenty of grooming machines for a smooth ride. One person per tube only. 
Age/height requirements: 5 years and 44 inches tall

Pats Peak offers 100% snowmaking for guaranteed fun. Photo courtesy of Pat’s Peak

7. Pats Peak – Henniker, NH

Opening Day: TBD, check the website for updates

So popular is tubing in Henniker that sessions sometimes fill up, so make reservations ahead to hit the hill, which is 85 feet wide and 600 feet long. Or, go at 5pm on Saturday for no-reservations POP Tubing, when there’s music and lights, too.
Age/height requirements: 5 years and 44 inches tall

8. Loon Mountain – Lincoln, NH

Opening Day: TBD, check the website for updates

Part of the reason this is one of our favorite family ski mountains in New England is its tubing park, which is a great way to keep kids who are too young or not so excited about skiing or boarding entertained. A special feature here is a separate tot tubing area at the base of the “Little Sister” trail, where little ones can try snow tubing for the first time without worrying about big kids or teens crashing into them. Reservations are strongly recommended.
Age/height requirements: For big tubing hill: 8 years and 48 inches tall; tot tubing: ages 7 and under or weighing under 50 pounds (parental supervision required)

 
Conquer Cranmore Mountain across 10 lanes of lift-serviced snow tubing. Photo courtesy of Cranmore Mountain Resort

9. Cranmore Mountain Resort – North Conway, NH

Opening Day: TBD, check the website for updates

Set in the White Mountains, this 170-acre ski resort offers a large snow tubing resort with 10 lanes of lift-serviced trails for families to zip down. The snow tubing resort is located between the main base lodge and the Artist Falls Lodge.
Age/height requirements: Riders over 42 inches tall must ride solo; under 42 inches must ride with a parent or guardian.

Originally published in January 2018

Updated December 2022