- Lodging right at Elk Mountain is limited, so most ski groups stay in a nearby rental or a chain hotel in Carbondale, Clarks Summit, or Scranton.
- For groups of four to six, a cabin usually wins: one booking, a kitchen, a living room, and no splitting up across hotel rooms.
- Shehawken Lake Cabin is about 30 minutes from the lifts, sleeps 6 across 3 bedrooms, and has a fireplace and a plowed driveway.
- Book lodging first, then buy lift tickets the week of. Online tickets are non-refundable.
Elk Mountain is the easy part of the trip. It’s a real mountain, about three hours from New York and Philly, and it’s been around since 1959. The hard part is where to sleep, because lodging right at the mountain is thin, and that’s the question I get most every winter.
I host a lake cabin 30 minutes from Elk, so take this with that in mind. But I’ll lay out the real options honestly, including when a hotel is the better call.
Your three options.
1. Stay at or right by the mountain.
The appeal is obvious: no driving in the morning. The catch is supply. There’s very little lodging near the base, and what exists fills early for weekends and holiday weeks. If you find something close and it fits your group, grab it. Most people don’t, which is why the next two options exist.
2. A hotel in Carbondale, Clarks Summit, or Scranton.
Elk sits about 30 miles north of Scranton. The chain hotels along I-81 and in the Scranton area are the default for a lot of skiers, and they make sense in a few cases: a couple on a quick overnight, a solo skier, or a group that wants restaurants within walking distance. The trade-off is space. Six people means two or three rooms, nowhere to hang out together, and eating every meal out.
3. A cabin or house rental nearby.
This is how most groups end up doing it. You get one place for the whole crew, a kitchen so you’re not eating out every meal, and a living room where the day actually ends. The farther you get from the hotel corridor, the more it feels like a ski trip and less like a business trip with skis.
Cabin vs. hotel, side by side.
What the cabin looks like for a ski group.
- Sleeps 6 in 3 bedrooms (two queens and a double), plus a sofa bed.
- About 30 minutes to the Elk base lodge, on scenic two-lane roads.
- Winterized, with heat, a stone fireplace in the great room, and a fire pit outside.
- The driveway gets plowed when it snows.
- Full kitchen with cookware and pantry basics, so you can do big breakfasts and a real dinner.
- Self check-in with a smartlock, so arriving after Friday traffic is fine.
- Solid wifi, if someone needs to work Friday before the mountain.
Theodore, who used the cabin for a ski weekend in February 2025, summed up the drive: “it was about a 30-minute scenic drive to Elk Mountain.” He also flagged the honest part: “there are not many restaurants nearby so you may want to bring food.” That’s true, and it’s why the kitchen matters.
The group math.
Lift tickets are the same no matter where you sleep, so they’re a good way to size the trip. Six adults on Elk’s Saturday-Sunday 2-day ticket is $182 each, or $1,092 for the group, at Elk’s currently posted prices. Adding a $44 night session for whoever still has legs on Saturday is a cheap bonus.
Where lodging changes the math is everything else. With a kitchen, breakfast and dinner for six for a weekend is one grocery run instead of six restaurant checks. My full breakdown of ticket prices, night skiing, and hours is in the Elk Mountain lift ticket and night skiing guide.
How a cabin ski weekend runs.
Friday
Leave the city after rush hour, stop for groceries on the way, and get to the cabin by late evening. Check-in is self-serve, so there’s no front desk to beat. Light the fireplace and go to bed early.
Saturday
Lifts load at 8:30, so leave the cabin by 7:45. Ski the day, then decide: drive back for dinner at the cabin, or stay for night skiing until 9 on scheduled nights.
Sunday
Ski the morning on the second day of your 2-day ticket, and get on the road home by early afternoon to beat the worst of the traffic.
Winter logistics.
- Check the forecast for up here, not the city. It can be raining in New York and snowing in Susquehanna County. 511PA has road conditions.
- All-wheel drive or good snow tires help on the back roads. Most winter weekends are fine either way. If there’s snow on the entrance road, I’ll give you a heads-up before you come, like I did for Theodore’s group.
- Bring boots with grip. There are stone steps from the driveway to the cabin.
- Pack groceries. Restaurants are spread out up here, and the cabin kitchen is the easiest dinner you’ll have all weekend.
For everything else about winter at the lake, there’s the frozen-lake winter getaway post and when it actually snows up here.
Frequently asked questions.
Is there lodging at Elk Mountain?
Lodging right at the mountain is limited and fills early on weekends and holidays. Most skiers stay in a nearby cabin or house rental, or a chain hotel in Carbondale, Clarks Summit, or the Scranton area.
How far is Shehawken Lake Cabin from Elk Mountain?
About 30 minutes by car to the base lodge, on two-lane country roads. The cabin is in Starrucca, PA, on Shehawken Lake.
How many people does the cabin sleep for a ski trip?
Six, across three bedrooms with two queen beds and a double, plus a sofa bed in the living room.
Do I need four-wheel drive to stay at the cabin in winter?
Usually not. The driveway gets plowed and most winter weekends are fine in a regular car, but all-wheel drive or snow tires help on the back roads. The host gives a heads-up if there’s snow on the entrance road.
Should I book lodging or lift tickets first?
Lodging first. Elk’s online lift tickets go on sale up to 7 days ahead and are non-refundable, so lock in the place to stay, then buy tickets once you can see the forecast.
