Hands down one of the top three ski resorts in New England and when it comes to customer service, easily the best. After a superb trip to Saddleback three years ago, we decided to make another trip to Saddleback. We stayed about an hour away in the beautiful town of Andover, and came up early enough to make first tracks. Three years ago, the Resort had almost just opened up again after many years of being idle. This time, it had matured into an even better place, with a fantastic group of ambassadors greeting the guests at the resort entrance and being present on the mountain trails to answer questions, a wonderful staff that made our stay quite pleasant, great food, service, and most of all, superb conditions, grooming, and ski operations. Mother Nature had contributed copious amounts of snow before our arrival, and the conditions were awesome. Glades, steeps, groomers, it was all absolutely fantastic. We skied the very steep Tight Line several times, and many of our family members enjoyed the challenging tree-line skiing available at the resort. The outstanding food and drinks available at the Nest restaurant in mid mountain gave us a welcome break in our skiing day. We will definitely be back. This is a gem of a place in the entire nation. read more

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We went to Saddleback for one of the summer Mountain Music Series shows. Fantastic show, beautiful views, however, the ticket purchasing process was intrusive and the food selection was disappointing. The venue itself is about 2,000+ feet up on Saddleback Mountain and the view from the lawn is breathtaking. The lawn seats (byo blanket or chairs) are on a gentle slope which allows for great views of the performers and the mountains. The weather on this particular July evening was perfect, low humidity, a cool breeze, and the sun was shining on the lawn for almost the entire performance. The show itself was terrific. There were a few problems with this venue which started with the ticket purchasing process. They insist on capturing too much personal information: the usual name, address, credit card of the person buying the tickets, but also the names and dates of birth of every person in the party. I called to ask about this and the woman on the phone assured me that our info was safe in their "secure system". This, just on the heels of the Ticketmaster breach. She told me I could either put our dates of birth in or buy tickets at the mountain on the day of the show. The other big problem was the food. Doors opened at 4:30, the show was 5:00 - 8:00. Understandably they have a no outside food and drink policy, so I assume most people plan to buy dinner there. We were very disappointed by the food menu--the only non meat item was the "walking taco"--an actual bag of Doritos with beans dumped in--not an option for someone who can't have dairy, etc. When the show ended (again, it was fantastic) all of the restaurants in Rangeley had closed, so we ended up getting dinner at the IGA. There are several more shows in this series, I hope in the future Saddleback will consider all of its guests when planning the menus for the remaining summer musical performances. Alternatively, eat before you go! read more

Saddleback Mountain - Lineup for Saddleback's Mountain Music Series. - Hotels Near Me - Rangeley, Maine

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Heard about Saddlebacks Oktoberfest and purchased two tickets and two lift tickets to see the fall foliage at its peek. Parking was real easy with staff scattered about to help navigate. At the gate we were greeted by volunteers who checked us in and wished us a fun day! They had several breweries represented as well as full bars in a sample house close to the entrance as well as in their Pub. Went to the Pub first for some lunch, before the festivities began. Had a hard seltzer and beef stew in a bread bowl. The stew was tasty and meat tender. Bread bowl was good but too much for me. Topped with pickled onions this stew was really good flavor and texture wise. After we ate outside we went where we met up with friends and enjoyed the entertainment of pie eating contest, beer stein holding, keg toss, and music. In between events we took the lift up to the top where their restaurant the Nest is located. Having to get EPA approval to build this place has amazing views in a wilderness oasis. It was closed due to be off season. Too bad I do not ski. I wonder if you can still come up and eat? Friends had children with them and the mountain provided games and pumpkin painting for them. Back down we saw that the live music had started and people were dancing and having a great time. Kudos to the Saddleback team for providing age appropriate activities for all! read more

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Our second visit, up from FL. Our group skied and snowboarded 3 days this week. The staff is excellent in every department and the indoor greeter/advisor was particularly helpful and caring. The food and service in the pub were both excellent. I heard that the Nest was really cool and fun and that the fries were great! We can't wait for our next trip. read more

If you are someone who enjoys difficult terrain, cleared out glades, and no lines then you should certainly make your way up here. The staff were very friendly from the vehicle parkers, to the lodge workers and lift staff. The pastrami breakfast special is a must get if you need morning fuel. Ironically the day I come here I met Maine's famous Donny Pelletire. Cool dude, ripped on my my fat skis in a jokingly manner but gave him a fist bump and went on my way. But yeah, this is a place to come to check off your New England skiing destinations. Not sure what a lift ticket costs but if you are an Indi Pass holder coming for the first time save some time and create a Saddleback account on their web page, sign the wavier, and getting your $5 rfid card will take two seconds inside. read more

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It's 0 degrees outside and probably 20 people on the mountain. Easy to get on the lift and down the trails. Lots of fun! Grabbed a bite at the pub and back out for one more run! read more

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The snow is falling.. The mountain and the Pub are open. Delicious brunching! Can't wait to get on these trails!! read more

Saddleback Mountain - Sunday brunch at the Pub. Delicious!! - Hotels Near Me - Rangeley, Maine

We were looking for a place near Wayne's dad's for Fathers Day and decided to try the brunch at the Pub at Saddleback. Bloody Mary and mimosa bars, full buffet with omelette station and several gluten free options. Great service, wonderful view. Great smoked salmon, lobster eggs Benedict and more. read more

Saddleback Mountain - Biscuits and gravy - Hotels Near Me - Rangeley, Maine

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SADDLEBACK IS BACK!!! Kicking off the reviews with the newly re-opened Saddleback Mountain! The mountain has been closed the past 5 years but is back and better than ever. Couldn't ask for anything more with a ski mountain. Great skiing and friendly staff! The new lodge is big and bar upstairs is awesome! New high speed quad gets you to the top to get all those great views/runs in. Great slopes for all levels. The lodge has a wide variety of drinks and your classic pub food tastes great after a day of skiing. Excited to see what the 20/21 ski/snowboard season brings! read more

Saddleback Mountain - Hotels Near Me - Rangeley, Maine

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Hard to believe this place actually closed for 5 years. Lodge is better that 1/2 of New England bar is bigger that 95%, food is cheap and great staff is very friendly and feel free invested in the new success. Katie was great behind the bar. Skiing- 14inches MLK weekend. Conditions were awesome. Lines were not. I've been here before and they have a high elevation and a very very good all Black-Double D mountain. Sadly not open yet. Best amall town mtn in the East read more

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Just spent the last two days skiing Saddleback and it's the best ski experience we've had since moving back east. We lived in and skied Colorado for the last five years and were spoiled by the mountain conditions, trails that go on forever, and the ability to spread out with short lift lines. We found all of that in Saddleback and more. It really has a big mountain feel, even on a busy powder day. Every run offered something new, and at most times felt like I had the trail to myself. And when we did run into other riders everyone was so friendly, just happy to be there, doing their thing. We saw riders of all ages and experience levels, and a variety of trails catering to all. The staff was so friendly and welcoming from tickets, to ski patrol and food service workers. The base lodge was super clean, with a fire going the whole time. We have been to six different mountains on our Indy Pass, and Saddleback has been the best experience by far. If we lived closer, this would be our go-to mountain for sure, but definitely worth the trip. Every part of our experience was great. If I could give it more than 5 stars I would! The best part, my boyfriend (now fiancé) proposed to me at the top of the mountain! A moment I'll never forget on top of an amazing weekend. Thank you Saddleback!!! read more

I would've given 5 but due to some of the trail conditions which needed Mother Nature's attention it's only a 4. Love the local vibe of the whole mountain from the facilities to the friendly easy going staff. Trail variety was great! Great mountain from beginner to expert. Highly recommended! read more

The best kept secret in Maine by far! Half the price of the other resorts with amazing terrain and discounts from Monday through Friday. The new owners recently upgraded everything, from the lodge to widening the trails and opening up more glades. If you can drive to Sunday River/Sugarloaf, you can drive to Saddleback, it's 4.5 hours from Boston, yes a little bit of a hike, but if you're looking for an unspoiled experience, this is definitely THE place. New to winter sports? Take a lesson from Bouf at the ski/ride school. Yes, his name is really Bouf and he has an amazing gravity defying 'fro. He'll tell you all about it while he takes you through some deadly fun chutes and double black diamond runs to the most amazing powder. Did I mention the tasty inexpensive food/drinks and onion rings...oh god, the onion rings *drool*. read more

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Went to their pub had their homemade chips and truffle fries. Those were good. Then we got the beet salad with grilled chicken. Horrible! The chicken was so cold and dry. When I get grilled chicken on a salad it is always and always should be hot right off the grill. And my seat was next to the kitchen and saw the bucket of cooked chicken breast sitting out. Who knows when they cooked it. And it was 17 bucks. Not impressed. read more

Okay, I visited this resort last year. After visiting a somewhat less impressive resort this year, I decided I really need to say what Saddleback does right. We stayed in one of the ski in/out condos. 1) You choose the number of days you want to ski in your ski and stay package. If you know you won't get there early enough to ski on your first day, or will be leaving early, you can purchase fewer days of lift tickets. 2) Ski in/out really does mean ski in and out. The landscaping was designed for this. No hiking up a ditch or through the woods. Just step out your door, put on your skis and go. 3) Price. This was a very reasonable stay last year. 4) Snow. Yes, soft snow. Snow that is snow and not white stuff that used to be snow and is now ice. 5) Trash bins. Yup, you want to take out your trash, there is an actual place to put it. 6) Furnishings in the condo. Everything was in repair. Nothing broken. Nothing dirty. 7) Gear locker. It's heated. It has benches. The ice melts out of your bindings and you can leave your boots there if you want. 8) Hot water. They have plenty of it. Saddleback may be missing a few amenities that other resorts have. They don't have a spa. They don't have hot tubs or other apres luxuries. However, they have what you need and the skiing is great. I wrote a more detailed review for another resort because it was a recent visit. It's been a year since I visited Saddleback, so it's a little less fresh. I had a great time and no real complaints. However, going to another resort this year, made me appreciate Saddleback even more. read more

Fantastic. Great people, family friendly, tons of ski options. Came here for spring break in mid-March. My 5 & 7 yr old girls had never even seen snow before and the people here went out of their way to make sure the girls had a great experience. The girls loved their teachers and were upset each day to find out they were having a new one (only to decide at the end of the day that they loved that particular teacher as well - Murphy, Chad, Lauren and Megan). They even have a little sledding hill, which we spent 1/2 day using. The mountains were great - lots of options for lots of levels. Unfortunately, the winds kicked up and the mountain was closed one of the days. The next day, the only way up was a T-bar because the chairs were too unstable.... I found out I hate T-bars. But props to them for having the Plan B. I have been telling all of my acquaintances back in Texas about the mountain (in Texas, everyone skis out west... turns out we had the powder and they had the slush!). Not sure I truly want my secret out, though. We will be back. read more

Wow! I have been living in California for the past 17 years or so, the last 9 in LA. I hadn't skiied New England snow for over 25 years, although I grew up skiing and probably skiied Saddleback at one point in my early life. We just had a family reunion (all of my family is in the New England area), and I flew out with my son, who turned 7 on his first ski lesson day. Despite all the buildup to our trip and to learning how to ski, my Lego Star Wars Video Game-addicted son declared, on our first day of skiing, that he did not want, under any circumstances, to learn how to ski. All of my fleece-wearing brethren were already used to being in the snow, and I panicked: would we have to stay in the lodge all day? Would I not get to ski after 25 years? Also, I had paid $100 for a full day of skiing, rentals and lessons for him (pizza lunch included). Did I just have to suck it up and lose that $100, plus my chance to ski? The answer was, NO! Kris at the ski school, after doing everything in her power and beyond to convince my surly kid that he would really love it, be safe, and be well-taken-care-of, finally had to throw in the towel, as the morning class had started, and it was too late for us. She kindly refunded my money for the morning, let us rent the skis and practice on the bunny hill, and - angels singing - gave us the afternoon class at the group rate, but gave us a one-on-one instructor. I don't want to bore you Yelpers, but stay with me. We got Richie Johnson, about the nicest, coolest, most patient guy I have ever met in my life. My kid, who usually only relates to female teachers/coaches, fell in love with Richie and decided he wanted to ski with Richie the rest of our trip. I can't go into too much detail, but suffice it to say, Saddleback bent over backwards - even broke its own back - to accommodate us. We got to have Richie for three days, and my kid now LOVES skiing. I love Saddleback. The rental guys are awesome, the ski school is outstanding, the food is actually not bad (try the fish chowder), everyone is friendly and kind. I never had to dodge snowboarders bombing down the hils. For my first time skiing in 25 years - and my son's first time ever - this was the Mac Daddy of all ski vacations. Thank you, Saddleback! You're the best ever! Richie, Wylie drew a picture for you and we will send it to you as soon as we can. read more

I always have suck a blast at this mountain. It is a great place for the family, but also challenging enough for the advanced skiier. I am excited to hear about the expansion ideas. The only downfall is the main lift from the base of the mountain - it is slow and only a double. It creates a bottleneck. This forces most skiiers to not ski to the bottom of the mountain each run to avoid this lift. Other than this, this is my favorite Maine mountain read more

What's not to like about this place? It's family oriented. Bahha! the only problem, it's not your family! It's theirs. -1 stars. Here's why: The mountain closes at 4 so people can get home, like all other mountains. Exceeeept, to get closed at 4, that means the black runs close at 330 and some at 320. That means that last chair is really at 310 or 305..... because the chairs are slow. So, to compare apples to apples, they close at 300, nearly an hour before MRG, Wach., Sugerloaf, etc. etc. where last chair is 4pm means really, the last chair is at 4pm, maybe on the dot, but you can get up at 359pm. Did I feel ripped off, no. I had to make the most of it. Do I feel ripped off now, you be the judge. You can ski on the green runs until last chair at 355, so technically they are correct, but technically, they are not writing this review. They offer the best ratio of runs to lift capacity (chairs/runs) both by having a large number of runs (we'll come to that) AND by having only low speed pair and a quad. so, slow chairs, but the views are good. They have a huge number of runs, including Dazzler (top of Mule Skinner, a blue cat walk, probably), Mule skinner and lower mule skinner (called Nymph, which is not a black, but a green). Beawea pass and lower beawee pass (lower hudson highway), and a mess (literally, a mess) of little, short, 40 yard greens. There are about 8 less runs than the raw numbers would indicate. -1 star. There are numbered gates at the top of the Casablanca glades, which is cool, +1 star, along with waiting toboggans, which are reassuring. Having a closed t-bar, -0 stars. we wanted to show how horrible they are to the kid, but could not. probably a win. The yurt is good, on moutain place to stop. Pricy but how. Quality is very good, but price is very high. The glades were very nice indeed. don't know which ones, not well sign posted, so no bonus star, but it was close to a bonus star. Oh, and the double black on the top of the steeps is because the lip is very steep, but otherwise, those runs are single blacks. this is an odd iconography, but the locals understand it. the path at the top is a standard, basically flat, cat walk. we could go back, but we would go early. And we will note that time is different for them than for others. read more

I will be singing the praises of this ski resort to everyone I know. We had been wanting to share the joy of skiing with our daughters who are five and eight. We had tried at a different mountain two years ago, and although we had managed to salvage the experience, it was not ideal. Our experience at Saddleback was positive every step of the way, and our daughters are well on their way to learning to ski. When I called to make our reservation, I was greeted by a very helpful agent in the ski school who helped us tailor a lesson structure to what our daughters would need, taking into account their ages, their experience, and their desire to ski with family. We ended up setting up two Parent And Me lessons and two semi-private lessons for the next two days. All of the instructors that our daughters had were fabulous; they took care of them, taught them lots about skiing, and made sure they had fun in the process. We stayed in a ski-in, ski-out condo for a very reasonable price--we took advantage of a deal for $69/day for weekdays, Mon-Thurs! The condo was clean and had a gas fireplace we loved and enjoyed, a kitchen we used to cook most of our meals in, and an amazing view of the mountain we enjoyed over hot chocolate in the middle of a snowstorm. Unfortunately since we visited two years ago, this ski resort has closed. My daughters have asked to return and were very dismayed to hear that it had closed. We hope it opens again soon. read more

Just spent two night and two days here. Top notch operation. Friendly staff and excellent skiing!!