Featured on Outside: 5 Perfect Winter Road Trips

Maybe you’re a skier hunting powder at the resorts on your megapass or want to escape the snow altogether in the high desert. Either way, all you need to do is grab your keys, scope a map, and start driving.

Highway 395

Squaw Valley to Mammoth Lakes, California

Got an Ikon Pass? Then you have unrestricted access to some of California’s best ski resorts. Start at Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows for steep skiing off legendary lifts like Squaw’s KT-22 and Granite Chief. Book a night or two at Base Camp Tahoe City (from $129), and don’t miss pizzas at the newly opened Pioneer Cocktail Club just down the street. Then swing southeast to Highway 395, which runs along the east side of the Sierra Nevada. You’ll pass endless hot springs, the gold-mining ghost town of Bodie, and killer gas-station fish tacos at the Whoa Nellie Deli in Lee Vining. Finish the trip at Mammoth Mountainand neighboring June Mountain, the latter of which is small but offers world-class backcountry access with guided out-the-gate skiing. The Double Eagle Resort near the base of June Mountain has a great indoor hot tub and heated pool (from $199).