Pajarito Mountain is a small, locally owned ski area on the western edge of the Jemez Mountains, about 12 miles from downtown Los Alamos. It operates primarily on weekends and holidays when snowpack allows, and it has the relaxed atmosphere of a community hill rather than a resort — no slopeside hotels, no apres-ski scene, just good terrain and a manageable crowd.
The skiing covers about 300 acres with a mix of beginner and intermediate trails and some steeper tree runs. The snowpack is variable at this elevation (the base is around 3,000 metres), but in good years the skiing is excellent and uncrowded. For summer visitors, the trails around the ski area offer good hiking into the Jemez Mountains.