Camelback Claims #1, Blue Mountain Takes #2 in National Rankings—A First for Pennsylvania

The votes are in. And for the second straight year, when Americans were asked to name the best places in the country to fly down a snow-covered hill on an inflatable tube, they pointed to the Pocono Mountains.

Camelback Resort in Tannersville claimed the top spot in USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards for Best Place for Snow Tubing, with Blue Mountain Resort in Palmerton finishing right behind at #2. It marks the first time two Pennsylvania resorts have swept the top of a national winter sports poll—and cements the Poconos as the undisputed capital of snow tubing in America.

The results, announced November 19 after four weeks of daily voting from over 1.1 million monthly visitors to the 10Best website, cap a dominant stretch for both resorts. For Monroe County’s Camelback, it’s a repeat championship. For Carbon County’s Blue Mountain, it’s validation that their massive expansion has put them in elite company.

Two Mountains, Two Experiences

What makes these Pocono neighbors stand apart is how differently they’ve approached the same sport.

Blue Mountain operates the largest snow tubing park in the United States—56 lanes stretching over 1,000 feet each down the face of the Kittatinny Ridge. The sheer scale is staggering. Visitors can race side-by-side or link tubes for tandem runs. After 5 p.m., the operation transforms into Sonic Snow Tubing, a sensory overload of lasers, colored lights, and pulsing music that turns a family activity into something closer to a nightclub on snow.

Camelback takes a different approach. With more than 40 lanes across its 560-acre Pocono Township property, the focus is on variety and atmosphere. Daytime sessions give way to Galactic Snow Tubing after dark—neon-lit runs with music echoing across the slopes. Two-hour sessions and magic carpet lifts keep lines moving. And when the tubes stop spinning, there’s an entire resort waiting: Aquatopia Indoor Waterpark, ski-in dining, and the eight-story Camelback Lodge with 453 guest suites.

Both parks benefit from aggressive snowmaking. Blue Mountain runs one of the largest snowmaking systems on the East Coast, compensating for the region’s modest 33-inch average annual snowfall with 100% coverage across its terrain. Camelback recently invested in low-energy snowmaking equipment that reduced energy use by 25% while returning melted snow to Pocono Creek—sustainability measures that keep the operation running even when nature doesn’t cooperate.

Sixty Years of Building This Moment

Camelback’s dominance didn’t happen overnight. The resort opened in December 1963 with 14 trails and three lifts—a modest ski operation carved into the side of a mountain that rises 2,133 feet above sea level in the heart of Monroe County. Over six decades, it evolved into the largest ski resort in the Poconos, with 39 trails spanning 166 acres, 16 lifts including the high-speed Black Bear 6, and the distinction of offering 100% night skiing.

Blue Mountain’s story started later but climbed faster. Ray Tuthill opened Little Gap Ski Area in 1977 on the north face of the Kittatinny Ridge near Palmerton. He renamed it Blue Mountain in 1989 and began building what would become Pennsylvania’s most vertical resort—1,087 feet of drop, the highest in the state. His daughter Barbara Green took over as CEO in 2007 and pushed the expansion that added those 56 tubing lanes, 40 ski trails, and the Slopeside Pub & Grill with its panoramic views of Carbon County.

Both resorts are now managed by KSL Resorts, and both participate in the Peak to Peak Poconos Pass—a joint season pass offering unlimited skiing, riding, and tubing at both mountains with no blackout dates.

Pennsylvania’s Winter Wins Keep Stacking Up

The Poconos weren’t the only Pennsylvania winners in USA Today’s winter rankings. Liberty Mountain Resort in Carroll Valley placed #7 for snow tubing. Hidden Valley Resort earned the #2 spot nationally for Best Ski School. And Seven Springs’ Foggy Goggle bar took #2 for Best Après-Ski Bar.

But the one-two punch from Camelback and Blue Mountain is the headline. Two resorts, both within two hours of Philadelphia and 90 minutes of New York City, now sit atop the national conversation for an activity that requires zero skill and delivers pure adrenaline.

Blue Mountain’s tubing park opened November 28. Camelback’s anticipated opening is December 12.

The Poconos are ready. The question is whether you are.

If You Go

Camelback Resort
193 Resort Drive, Tannersville, PA 18372 (Pocono Township, Monroe County)
Tubing sessions: 2 hours, reservations recommended
camelbackresort.com

Blue Mountain Resort
1660 Blue Mountain Drive, Palmerton, PA 18071 (Lower Towamensing Township, Carbon County)
Tubing sessions: Day and Sonic Snow Tubing (after 5 p.m.)
skibluemt.com