Advertisement
Ski Report

Buck Hill Ski Area Snow Report

Iowa, United States Apple Valley
New snow
0.0in
Past 24 hours
Base depth
0in
 
Wind
--
 
Temperature
--
 
Loading current conditions…
Next 24 hours
Loading next 24 hours…
Right now · nearest snotel
0 in snowpack
As of 2026-11-02
SWE
--
Air temp
--
Past 24h
0in
Past 72h
0in
Next 24h
--in
Next 5d
--in
Loading snowpack history…
Loading 7-day outlook…

Community Reviews

Loading reviews…

Been here? Share the conditions.

Reviews, ratings & photos are added in the free Snoflo iOS app — rate a spot, tag the conditions, and your visit is verified by location. Add or manage your reviews from the app.

Get the app
Buck Hill Ski Area -- Iowa ski resort
Buck Hill Ski Area Iowa · Apple Valley
About this resort

Buck Hill Ski Area

Buck Hill Ski Area is a popular ski resort in Minnesota with 16 slopes and 10 lifts. Best trails include Jack Frost, a black diamond run, and Dynamite, a challenging run with moguls. An interesting historical fact is that Buck Hill was the training ground for Olympic gold medalist Lindsey Vonn. For beginner skiers, the Learning Hill is a great place to start with gentle slopes and dedicated instructors. The best après ski bar is the Fireside Lounge, with a cozy fireplace and a wide selection of drinks and snacks. Buck Hill Ski Area offers a great skiing experience for all levels of skiers with interesting history and great amenities for post-ski relaxation.

Terrain mix: Buck Hill Ski Area in Minnesota is located in the Mississippi River Valley and does not have any significant mountain ranges or large mountain aspects. The ski resort features mostly gentle hills and slopes for skiing and snowboarding. It is known for being a popular destination for winter sports enthusiasts in the region.

StateIowa
LocationApple Valley
Lifts11
Runs16
Opened1954
Terrain parkYes
Night skiingYes
Detailed forecast

Plan your day down to the hour

Same weather feed Snoflo's iOS app uses -- updated continuously from NOAA / yr.no. Watch the snow column the morning of a storm to know when to call in sick.

Hourly detail

Next 5 days, hour by hour

Temperature line with weather symbols on top, snow + rain accumulation as columns, humidity as a dotted line.

Loading hourly forecast…
Deep dive

5-day forecast table

Every 3 hours, broken out across temperature, snow, rain, humidity, and wind. Each cell is colour-coded relative to the column min/max.

TimeConditionTemp (°F)Snow (in)Rain (in)Humidity (%)Wind (mps)Wind dir
Loading detailed forecast…
Long-term outlook

15-day temperature & snow

Daily temperatures, snow, and rain projected over the next two weeks -- start of next storm cycle, end of last one.

Loading 15-day outlook…
Forecast discussion

What forecasters are seeing

Plain-English forecast narrative from the local NWS office. Issued by NWS DMX.

401 FXUS63 KDMX 040736 AFDDMX Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Des Moines IA 136 AM CST Wed Nov 4 2026 .KEY MESSAGES... - Cool, gray, blustery weather today into tonight with spotty light showers. - Cooler, more seasonal temperatures will set in later this week. && .SHORT TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... Issued at 135 AM CST Wed Nov 4 2026 A large, stacked cyclone is spinning over the region early this morning, centered near the Iowa/Minnesota border. During the day today it will meander slightly northeastward, where it will eventually be caught up by a trough moving into Hudson Bay, scooping the low into the Great Lakes tonight but with a trailing trough lingering over Iowa. At the surface, a large cloud shield is wrapped around the low and blanketing Iowa and neighboring states. Wraparound rain has affected northern and western portions of our service area overnight, where it will persist on and off today into tonight but remain light and of no real impact. The result of this scenario will be a much cooler, gray, blustery day as gusty northwest winds and overcast skies give us a shot of real fall weather. Any spotty rain will be of very little accumulation and temperatures will struggle to climb more than a few degrees today, with forecast highs near present levels in the upper 40s to lower 50s. && .LONG TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... Issued at 100 PM CST Tue Nov 3 2026 A few showers may linger in the north as lingering moisture feeds into the area. Once the low clears Iowa, flow aloft will begin to come from the north and west. The abundant moisture transport into the area that has helped drive the showers will be choked off, and cooler, drier air will set in. The Extreme Forecast Index (EFI), which has been consistently highlighting the area as having above normal highs and lows is starting to back off on this signal. By the weekend, overnight lows look to dip into the 30s with the potential for northern Iowa to see lows in the upper 20s. && .AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z THURSDAY/... Issued at 1139 PM CST Tue Nov 3 2026 Rain is gradually eroding from south to north and that trend will continue the remainder of the night. IFR cigs will be widespread into Wednesday though there may be some periods when cigs rise to MVFR. Rain is expected to move back into northern Iowa by Wednesday afternoon and into the evening. A boundary will continue to move across the area overnight with a switch to west/southwest wind and breezy the become predominant westerly for the daytime Wednesday. && .DMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...None. && $$ SHORT TERM...Lee LONG TERM...67 AVIATION...Donavon

Mountain & avalanche safety

Know before you go
Check today's avalanche bulletin from the regional avalanche center before any off-piste / side-country / backcountry travel. Conditions can shift dramatically between morning and afternoon on storm days.
Carry the gear, know how to use it
Beacon, shovel, probe. Practice companion rescue on a calm day, not during a real burial.
Mind the weather window
Heavy snow + wind builds wind slabs at ridgelines. The day after a storm is often the riskiest in the backcountry, even if the resort itself is open.
Respect closed terrain
Ropes are there for a reason. Even in-bounds, ducking a closure can trigger a slide that catches you and others below.

Track Buck Hill Ski Area in the Snoflo app

Save this resort as a favorite, set push alerts when snowfall crosses a threshold (e.g. "alert me when Buck Hill Ski Area reports 6″ new"), and Snoflo's iOS app will push the moment the SNOTEL station crosses.

FAQ

About Buck Hill Ski Area

Where does the snow data for Buck Hill Ski Area come from?

Snowpack, SWE, 24-hour snowfall, and air temperature come from the nearest USDA NRCS SNOTEL station. Forecast comes from the National Weather Service / yr.no feed that Snoflo's iOS app uses.

How often is the snow report updated?

Snowpack and SNOTEL data are updated continuously by NRCS (typically hourly). The 15-day weather forecast is refreshed throughout the day. Snoflo caches and renders the most recent observation -- look for the "as of" timestamp on the snowpack hero.

What's the elevation at Buck Hill Ski Area?

See the Resort Metrics panel above for base / summit / vertical drop. The summit elevation drives snowpack accumulation -- higher summits hold snow longer through spring.

How is "% of normal" calculated?

Today's snowpack is compared to the average snowpack on this calendar day across every recorded year at the nearest SNOTEL. 100% means right on average; 130% is a big year; 60% is thin.

What ski resorts are near Buck Hill Ski Area?

See the Other Ski Areas pill grid at the bottom of the page for resorts within driving distance. The sister Other Ski Areas card in the Plan-a-longer-trip grid above shows the closest few.

Can I get alerts when fresh snow hits?

Yes -- snow alerts are managed in the Snoflo iOS app. Favorite this resort, set a snowfall threshold (e.g. "alert me when 6+ inches"), and you'll get a push the moment the SNOTEL crosses.

More ski areas

Other resorts near here

Snoflo-tracked ski areas within driving distance of Buck Hill Ski Area.