The eastern Maine ski area has one of the shorter ski seasons in New England.
Sunday, January 18, 2026, NewEnglandSkiIndustry.com
In a Facebook post yesterday, Mt. Jefferson Ski Area in Lee, Maine announced this would be "most likely our last season ever!" In a follow up post, the ski area noted, "we will keep going if we have a huge season and it snows lots early next year."
Located northeast of Bangor in Lee, Maine, Mt. Jefferson features two T-Bars and a vertical drop of 432 feet. The area was purchased by Kevin Zimmerman's Mt. Jefferson Ski Resort, LLC in early 2016, following nearly 30 years of ownership by the Delano family. Mt. Jefferson does not have snowmaking, which has in part resulted in a long history of delayed January and February opening days.
In another Facebook post yesterday, the ski area noted, "With aging lifts and lack of natural snow it was inevitable there is absolutely no budget for snow making and never will be without a chairlift installed..."
In 2022, Zimmerman told WABI that he had plans to sell lumber and firewood to generate capital for snowmaking, a chairlift, and lodging. Though logging took place and firewood was sold, no major on-mountain investments were made. In 2025, a subdivision of housing lots was approved on the back side of the mountain, with two properties being sold later in the year. The remaining main ski area tract is 142 acres. Mt. Jefferson Ski Resort, LLC faced two town tax liens in 2025, which were later released.
The only other remaining ski areas operating along the I-95 corridor near Bangor are Hermon Mountain and Pinnacle Ski Club.
