Ski townsNew York2026
New York Ski Towns
Hunter, Lake Placid and Shandaken were the most booked of the 9 ski towns in New York on Airbnb in the 12 months to October 2026, with an estimated 9,741, 9,687 and 8,013 stays. July is the busiest month across them, and the typical stay is 3.9 nights.
Figures are AirROI estimates. How they are made
Among the 7 towns with 200+ homes
- Most booked of these 7
- Hunter 9,741 stays
- Highest revenue per home of these 7
- Lake Placid $50,701 a year
- Highest rated of these 7
- Ellicottville 4.90 out of 5
- Lowest nightly rate of these 7
- Shandaken $341 a night
- Longest typical stay of these 7
- Lake Placid 4.7 nights
Ranking
New York Ski Towns Ranked by Airbnb Stays
Every one of the ski towns and resort villages in New York with 100 or more Airbnb homes and recent stays, most booked first.
| 1 | Hunter. Includes Tannersville. | 9,741 | $445 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Lake Placid | 9,687 | $464 |
| 3 | Shandaken. Includes Phoenicia and Pine Hill. | 8,013 | $341 |
| 4 | Windham | 7,905 | $523 |
| 5 | Ellicottville | 7,153 | $376 |
| 6 | North Elba. Includes Ray Brook. | 5,856 | $477 |
| 7 | Wilmington | 4,332 | $376 |
| 8 | Johnsburg | 4,192 | $359 |
| 9 | Roxbury | 2,854 | $357 |
Figures are AirROI estimates for the 12 months to October 2026, and stays count Airbnb bookings only. Typical stay is a booking's length, occupancy the share of available nights booked, and revenue the yearly average per home, before costs. Guest rating is out of 5. Airbnb data files some places as one district or township, so Hunter and rows like it cover several towns.
Town by town
Where the Top Towns Stand Out
3 of 8 are busiest in August. Lake Placid, North Elba and Wilmington peak in July, and Ellicottville and Johnsburg in February. Among guests who left a review, New York is the top home city in 7 of the 8. Houses are the largest home type in 7 of the 8. The lines below add what the table can't show, where one of the 8 most booked towns leads its peers or differs from the rest.
- Hunter
Of the 7 ski towns in New York with 200 or more homes, Hunter had the most Airbnb homes, at 408, in the 12 months to October 2026.
- Lake Placid
Of the 7 ski towns in New York with 200 or more homes, Lake Placid had the longest typical stay, at 4.7 nights, and was booked furthest ahead, about 77 days before arrival, in the 12 months to October 2026. Apartments and condos were the largest home type in Lake Placid, at 48% of homes.
- Shandaken
Of the 7 ski towns in New York with 200 or more homes, Shandaken had the lowest nightly rate, at $341, in the 12 months to October 2026.
- 4Windham
Of the 7 ski towns in New York with 200 or more homes, Windham had the biggest share of homes that sleep 8 or more, at 61%, and had the highest nightly rate, at $523, in the 12 months to October 2026.
- 5Ellicottville
Of the 7 ski towns in New York with 200 or more homes, Ellicottville had the highest guest rating, at 4.90, in the 12 months to October 2026. Among guests who left a review, Buffalo was the top home city for Ellicottville, at 13%.
- 6North Elba
Of the 7 ski towns in New York with 200 or more homes, North Elba had the highest occupancy, at 39%, in the 12 months to October 2026.
When to go
Busiest and Quietest Months
July, August and February rank as the busiest months for Airbnb nights across the ski towns in New York, and March and April as the quietest. July is the busiest month in 3 of the 9, while Hunter, Shandaken and Windham peak in August. Across the 9 towns, nightly rates run lowest in April, at about $404, and highest in July, at about $456.
July ranks first, April last
Airbnb months in calendar order. The number is the month's rank, and 1 is the busiest. The bar shows its part of Airbnb nights.
- Three busiest months
- Other months
Month by month: rank, typical stay and nightly rate
| Rank | Month | Typical stay | Nightly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | July | 4.2 nights | $456 |
| 2 | August | 4.0 nights | $438 |
| 3 | February | 3.2 nights | $442 |
| 4 | January | 3.5 nights | $444 |
| 5 | October | 3.0 nights | $422 |
| 6 | September | 3.1 nights | $408 |
| 7 | December | 4.2 nights | $442 |
| 8 | June | 4.1 nights | $421 |
| 9 | November | 3.6 nights | $412 |
| 10 | May | 3.5 nights | $412 |
| 11 | March | 3.1 nights | $417 |
| 12 | April | 4.2 nights | $404 |
Who comes
Where Guests Come From
Among guests who left a review, 94.7% come from within the United States. Among those guests, the largest group from abroad comes from Canada. The top home cities among those guests are New York, Buffalo and Philadelphia. Ellicottville draws the most from abroad, at 6.5%, among towns with 200 or more homes.
Top home cities
Among guests who left a review
94.7% from within the United States
The money view
Revenue, Occupancy and Nightly Rate
Among the 7 towns with 200 or more Airbnb homes, Lake Placid has the highest estimated revenue per home, at $50,701 a year. Of those 7, North Elba has the highest occupancy, at 39%, and Shandaken has the lowest nightly rate on Airbnb, at $341. The most booked of the 9, Hunter, earns about $42,815 per home.
Highest revenue per home of these 7
A year, AirROI estimate
- Lake Placid $50,701
- North Elba $47,939
- Windham $43,650
- Hunter $42,815
- Shandaken $37,270
Highest occupancy of these 7
Nights booked, AirROI estimate
- North Elba 39%
- Lake Placid 38%
- Shandaken 34%
- Johnsburg 32%
- Hunter 31%
Lowest nightly rate of these 7
On Airbnb, AirROI estimate
- Shandaken $341
- Johnsburg $359
- Ellicottville $376
- Hunter $445
- Lake Placid $464
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most popular ski town in New York?
By AirROI's estimates, Hunter is the most booked of the 9 ski towns in New York, with 9,741 Airbnb stays in the 12 months to October 2026. Lake Placid is second, with 9,687. This counts Airbnb bookings only.
What is the most affordable ski town in New York?
By AirROI's estimated nightly rate on Airbnb in the 12 months to October 2026, among ski towns in New York with 200 or more homes, the lowest are Shandaken ($341), Johnsburg ($359) and Ellicottville ($376). That is the average asking price on booked nights, not what it costs to live or buy there.
What are some small ski towns in New York?
By AirROI's count of active Airbnb homes as of October 2026, the smallest of the 9 ski towns it lists in New York are Roxbury (126), Wilmington (139) and Johnsburg (205). AirROI's list starts at 100 homes, so smaller places are not on it.
What ski towns in New York offer the strongest Airbnb returns?
Returns depend on what a home costs to buy and run, which AirROI's figures do not cover. On AirROI's estimated revenue per home in the 12 months to October 2026, among ski towns in New York with 200 or more homes, the highest are Lake Placid ($50,701), North Elba ($47,939) and Windham ($43,650). Among the same towns, North Elba has the highest occupancy, at 39%.
Method
How These Lists and Numbers Are Made
How a town gets on this list. A town needs 100 or more Airbnb homes with recent stays. A language model then judges the place from its name, state, country and coordinates, not from words in its name: a lift-served ski area has to be in the town or within about 30 minutes' drive, and skiing has to be a main reason to come in winter. The town's own listings can back that up, with 10% of its homes listing ski-in or ski-out, or 10% of its titles naming skiing. A town whose listings do not gets a second, stricter check, which asks whether people go there for that or mainly for something else. Big cities stay off. Corrections come last: places the checks got wrong are added or taken off, and rows that name one place are joined.
How the figures are made. Stays, occupancy, nightly rate and revenue are AirROI estimates built from Airbnb listing data, and cover Airbnb only. A town's stays are its bookings in the period, and the typical stay and busiest month come from the same data. Guest ratings, home sizes and how far ahead guests book are the latest figures in each town's AirROI data. Month ranks compare each month's part of Airbnb nights. Origin rests on 218,464 reviews and describes guests who left a review, not everyone who stayed. A town needs 1,000 reviews before this page gives its share from abroad.