Mountain Creek facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mountain Creek
A view of Mountain Creek from across the valley
Location	Vernon Township, New Jersey
Nearest city	New York City Newark, New Jersey
Coordinates	41°10′52″N 74°30′47″W / 41.181°N 74.513°W / 41.181; -74.513
Top elevation	454 m (1,490 ft)
Base elevation	137 m (449 ft)
Skiable area	167 acres (68 ha)
Runs	46
Longest run	Southern Sojourn (1,881 m (6,171 ft))
Lift system	9 total (1 gondola, 6 chairlifts, 2 magic carpets)
Terrain parks	17 Terrain Park trails on South Peak, 1 Terrain Park at Vernon Peak
Snowfall	165 cm (65 in)/year
Night skiing	Yes
Website	mountaincreek.com

Mountain Creek is a fun ski resort located in Vernon Township, New Jersey. It's a popular spot for people from the New York Metropolitan Area. The resort is about 47 miles (76 km) from the George Washington Bridge.

This awesome resort has 167 acres of land for activities like skiing, snowboarding, and even night skiing! There are 46 trails to explore, and 45 of them are lit up for skiing after dark. All the trails are covered by a special snow-making system. Mountain Creek also has a snow tubing park, zip-lines, an alpine coaster, a bike park, and a cool water park that's open in the summer. To get around, there are 7 lifts and 2 magic carpets.

Mountain Creek used to be owned by a company called Intrawest. In 2010, it was sold to the nearby Crystal Springs Resort. Later, a New Jersey family bought it. After facing some financial challenges, the resort was taken over by Snow Partners in November 2018.

Mountain Creek's History

How it All Started: Great Gorge and Vernon Valley

A view of Vernon from the top of the Red Tail Run at Mountain Creek

The story of Mountain Creek began in 1965 with the Great Gorge Resort. It was founded by Jack Kurlander and John Fitzgerald in McAfee, New Jersey. They built it on what used to be the Fredericks farm.

The original Great Gorge Resort included what are now Mountain Creek's Bear and South Peaks. The first lodge was designed by Alexander McIlvaine. After the 1964 New York World's Fair, parts of the Swiss Pavilion were even brought to be used in the new lodge! In 1970, Great Gorge was the first ski area in the U.S. to use a jet engine for making snow.

Famous skiers like Donna Weinbrecht and Jamie Kurlander skied at Great Gorge. Donna Weinbrecht even won an Olympic gold medal in freestyle moguls in 1992!

In the 1970s, a special train would take skiers right to the slopes and then bring them home.

In 1968, another resort called Vernon Valley Ski Resort opened nearby. Eventually, Vernon Valley bought Great Gorge, combining them into the Vernon Valley/Great Gorge Resort (VVGG).

In 1971, Great Gorge North was built on what is now Mountain Creek's Granite Peak. A connecting trail and a chair lift were added to link it with the original resort.

In 1974, a company called Great American Recreation (GAR) bought VVGG. They invested in snowmaking equipment, which helped the resort survive winters with little natural snow. In 1978, VVGG opened Action Park, a seasonal amusement park with many rides and water slides.

During the 1980s, a small shopping area called Cobblestone Village was built. Also, Great Gorge Village, with many condos, and a luxury spa with a golf course were developed. VVGG kept improving its skiing, adding new lifts.

In 1995, GAR faced financial difficulties. By 1997, Vernon Valley/Great Gorge and Action Park closed down.

In 1998, the resort was split up and sold. Eugene Mulvihill Sr. kept the golf and hotel area, which became Crystal Springs Resort. A Canadian company called Intrawest bought the three ski areas and Action Park.

Mountain Creek's New Era with Intrawest

The Appalachian as seen from The Cabriolet Gondola February 23, 2008

Intrawest renamed its new properties Mountain Creek and started making big improvements. They replaced most of the old ski lifts with a new gondola called the Cabriolet, along with new chairlifts. The Great Gorge Lodge was updated and became the Mountain Creek South Lodge. Intrawest also installed over 1,600 new snow guns. The new resort opened in December 1998. Action Park was also updated and reopened as Mountain Creek Waterpark in the summer of 1998.

In 2002, Mountain Creek opened Black Creek Sanctuary, a community of luxury condos. In 2003, construction began on The Appalachian, a luxury condo and hotel. This new building opened for the 2006–07 ski season.

Later in 2003, Intrawest opened the Diablo Mountain Bike Park on Vernon Peak. It had many downhill trails that the Cabriolet gondola serviced. This park was also where the 'US Open of Mountain Biking' started in 2003.

The Chevy U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix was held at Mountain Creek in 2004 and 2005. A highlight of this event was Mountain Creek's Superpipe, one of the few on the East Coast. The 2006 Olympic Snowboard Team, including Andy Finch, Danny Kass, and Shaun White, was chosen after the 2005 event.

For the 2007–08 winter season, Mountain Creek made some changes. The eastern side of Vernon Peak became intermediate slopes. The entire Mountain Creek South area (South Peak and Bear Peak) was turned into a freestyle terrain park.

In 2008, Intrawest faced financial challenges and sold many of its resorts. Mountain Creek Resort was sold and became part of the Crystal Springs Resort.

Mountain Creek Joins Crystal Springs Resort

In May 2010, Intrawest sold Mountain Creek to the nearby Crystal Springs Resort. This meant the entire resort was back under its previous ownership. The new owners immediately started improving the mountain. They replaced the old tent complex at Vernon with a new lodge, which opened for the 2011-12 ski season. This three-story building has new offices, restaurants, and rental facilities.

In summer 2012, Mountain Creek continued its improvements. They opened a new zip line course and an Alpine coaster. For that winter, the resort moved and expanded its tubing park, renaming it the Dropzone. The Diablo Mountain Bike Park also became the Mountain Creek Bike Park.

In 2010, the Sojourn Double chairlift, which connected South to Granite Peak, was retired after 40 years. A new double chairlift was installed and opened for the 2012–13 season.

In 2015, the Koffman family, who were partners in the group that bought Mountain Creek in 2010, became the sole owners. Jeff Koffman took over as CEO.

In spring 2017, after some tough weather years and old debts, the owners of Mountain Creek faced financial difficulties.

In November 2018, Joe Hession, a local entrepreneur, stepped in to help the resort. His company, SNOW Operating, took control of Mountain Creek Resort. SNOW Operating later became Snow Partners in October 2021.

Mountain Creek with SNOW Partners (2020s)

During the COVID shutdown in early 2020, Mountain Creek helped its local community and small businesses. They even offered their accounting department to help locals apply for government assistance.

In 2024, the mountain invested over $5 million in a new automated snowmaking system. This system helps manage changing weather and saves energy. It included new pipes, pumps, and 40 new fan machines, adding to the over 1,000 machines already in use. This new system helped the mountain open 16 days early for the 2024-2025 season.

Mountain Statistics

Ski Trails at Mountain Creek

• There are 46 trails in total.
  • 7 trails are for beginners.
  • 24 trails are for intermediate skiers (14 of these are terrain park trails).
  • 8 trails are for advanced skiers (4 of these are terrain park trails).
• All 100% of the trails can be covered with snow from snowmaking machines.

Mountain Creek's Lifts

• Mountain Creek has 7 chairlifts and 2 magic carpets.

See Also

• Mountain Creek Waterpark