Braving the crowds for the 4th of July? We've mapped where to watch the best fireworks shows in ski towns from Stowe to Tahoe. But beware patriots: while you are celebrating 'Merica, make sure to do so responsibly. Fire danger in the mountains is no joke, and it's good to check with the local visitor's bureau to make sure the shows are still going off as planned. As any ski town local will tell you, high winds or hot temperatures can cancel a show faster than you can take down that PBR. Many high-country locales, like drought-plagued Tahoe, have also prohibited any and all firework or other pyrotechnic devices. The professional shows listed here are still on schedule, but make sure you check local restrictions before you bust out those sparklers.
Put on by the Big Sky Arts Council, the show opens at 6 pm in Town Center Park with a bouncy castle and climbing wall for kids, and Motown, Bozeman-based Tiny Band starting music at 7. Fireworks go off at 10:15 pm. The event is free.
There are two places to watch fireworks in Jackson Hole, the first at the base of Snow King Mountain in the town of Jackson. The Jackson Hole Rodeo will get going at the Teton County Fairgrounds at 8 pm and fireworks start at 10 pm.
The second option for Jackson Hole fireworks is at the Teton Village. Latin favorite Calle Mambo will be playing in the Teton Village Commons from 8:00 pm to 10:00, and the fireworks will start around 10 pm.
If you're in the Tahoe area, Kings Beach will be throwing down the fireworks on July 3, Independence Day Eve. The party gets going at 4:00 pm with lots of booze, food, and games, but the fireworks start at 9:30 pm, with plenty of space on Kings Beach State Park to view the show. You can also pay $15 to watch from a deck party at the North Tahoe Events Center.
The fireworks off of Incline Village kick off at 9:30 on the 4th, but keep in mind that all Incline's beaches are accesible only by town residents or in-town hotel guests.
Truckee will be hosting its 4th of July show on West End Park on the shores of Donner Lake. Expect good ol' fashion potato bag races and pie eating contests during the day, along with concerts before the 9:30 pm fireworks show. Tickets cost $6 each. If the beach is packed, take to the hills around Donner Lake to view the show from above.
South Lake's fireworks show starts at 9:45 pm on the 4th, and there are a ton of viewing options. The best view may be out on a boat on the lake, and spots on the Tahoe Queen and M.S. Dixie are available, along with a variety of beachfront viewing locations.
Fourth of July will be hopping in Mammoth. Don't miss the 11:00 am parade on Main Street on July 4. Fireworks will be going down in the Village on July 5 at 9:00 pm, along with concerts and fire dancing beforehand.
Mammoth Lakes' annual fireworks show kicks off at 9:15 on the 4th on Crowley Lake. Live music will be going down on Crowley Lake Fish Camp starting at 4:30. Admission is $25 for cars and $5 for walkers & bikers.
While 4th of July celebrations will be held during the day in Warren Village proper, the fireworks show will be going off around 9:30 pm at the base of Sugarbush's Lincoln Peak.
Don't miss Stowe's Fourth of July parade at 1:00 pm along Main Street. Setting up for fireworks begins at 6 pm at Mayo Field and the fireworks should run at dusk.
Sugarloaf & the town of Carrabassett Valley will be celebrating the 4th in Town Park with live music starting at 5:30 and fireworks starting around sunset.
If you're around Snowbasin or Powder Mountain for the holiday, don't miss the fireworks at 10 pm at Loring Farr Park. Promoters claim it's Utah's biggest fireworks show, but it might not hold a candle to the demolition derby that goes down beforehand.
The parade starts at 11:00 am on Main Street, there is food and music in City Park from 12-4:00 pm, and music kicks off at Park City Mountain Resort at 5:30 pm. Park City's best fireworks will start at dusk at the base of Park City Mountain Resort.
If you're going to be near Schweitzer Mountain for the holiday, head to Sandpoint City Beach Park. Fireworks start at dusk at Sandpoint's City Beach Park on the 4th.
From noon to 5:00 pm, kids will love Stars, Stripes, and Slides, a festival of slides and bounce houses. There will be plenty of music in the evening, and fireworks will kick off at the Beaver Creek base area around 9:30 pm.
The annual Vail Fireworks Show takes place at Golden Peak at dusk, which is around 9:30 pm. There's also a huge parade from Golden Peak to Lionshead earlier in the day, at 10:00 am.
Steamboat celebrates the 4th with a parade downtown at 10:00 am, and the Pro Rodeo Series that kicks off at 6:30 pm at the Romick Arena. The fireworks show starts at 9 pm at the base of the town ski hill, Howelsen Hill.
Aspen has a packed schedule for the 4th. The parade goes down at 11:00 am and there's a picnic in Koch Park from 12:00-3:00 pm. Fireworks will light up the sky around 9:15 pm over Aspen Mountain. The show will be visible from almost any spot in town.
The holiday kicks off in Telluride the Rundola, a foot race from the base of the gondola in the town of Telluride to the top of the ridge adjacent to the San Sophia gondola mid-station. The parade happens at 11:00 am on Main Street, and at dusk, Telluride firefighters shoot off fireworks above Town Park making for a display that you can see from almost anywhere in town. We prefer watching them on a blanket in the park.
With a 10K trail run earlier in the day, the Firecracker 50 Mountain Bike Race, and a Main Street parade at 10:00 am, Breck knows how to party for the 4th. Breckenridge's fireworks will start at 9:45 pm and shot off from the Gondola parking lot. They are visible from throughout town.
After a parade at 12:30, the town of Frisco lights up the skies over Dillon Reservoir with one of the best shows in Colorado. Start time is 9:30 pm at Frisco Bay Marina, but you can see the fireworks from most places around the lake. Beware of traffic (especially on the dam road) when the show concludes.
Whitefish's fireworks will be going off over the lake starting a little after dusk, which may be close to 10:30 on the 4th. Best seen from the water or City Beach.
Sun Valley area folks will want to head down to Hailey, where the explosions in the sky will start around dusk at Wood River High School, but will be easily viewable from anywhere in town.
While the parade goes down at 11:00 am in town, the Crested Butte fireworks shoot off around 9:30 pm at Crested Butte Mountain Resort. Head up early (around 7:00 am) for live music.
With parades at 12:00 pm in Arroyo Seco and 2:00 pm in Eagle Nest, there's plenty to do in the Taos region. But we love heading to Taos Ski Valley for a rubber duck race at 2:00 pm and music to follow. Then head down the hill for a professional fireworks show in Taos at the Salazar Road Extension, usually around 9:15 pm.
Put on by the Big Sky Arts Council, the show opens at 6 pm in Town Center Park with a bouncy castle and climbing wall for kids, and Motown, Bozeman-based Tiny Band starting music at 7. Fireworks go off at 10:15 pm. The event is free.
There are two places to watch fireworks in Jackson Hole, the first at the base of Snow King Mountain in the town of Jackson. The Jackson Hole Rodeo will get going at the Teton County Fairgrounds at 8 pm and fireworks start at 10 pm.
The second option for Jackson Hole fireworks is at the Teton Village. Latin favorite Calle Mambo will be playing in the Teton Village Commons from 8:00 pm to 10:00, and the fireworks will start around 10 pm.
If you're in the Tahoe area, Kings Beach will be throwing down the fireworks on July 3, Independence Day Eve. The party gets going at 4:00 pm with lots of booze, food, and games, but the fireworks start at 9:30 pm, with plenty of space on Kings Beach State Park to view the show. You can also pay $15 to watch from a deck party at the North Tahoe Events Center.
The fireworks off of Incline Village kick off at 9:30 on the 4th, but keep in mind that all Incline's beaches are accesible only by town residents or in-town hotel guests.
Truckee will be hosting its 4th of July show on West End Park on the shores of Donner Lake. Expect good ol' fashion potato bag races and pie eating contests during the day, along with concerts before the 9:30 pm fireworks show. Tickets cost $6 each. If the beach is packed, take to the hills around Donner Lake to view the show from above.
South Lake's fireworks show starts at 9:45 pm on the 4th, and there are a ton of viewing options. The best view may be out on a boat on the lake, and spots on the Tahoe Queen and M.S. Dixie are available, along with a variety of beachfront viewing locations.
Fourth of July will be hopping in Mammoth. Don't miss the 11:00 am parade on Main Street on July 4. Fireworks will be going down in the Village on July 5 at 9:00 pm, along with concerts and fire dancing beforehand.
Mammoth Lakes' annual fireworks show kicks off at 9:15 on the 4th on Crowley Lake. Live music will be going down on Crowley Lake Fish Camp starting at 4:30. Admission is $25 for cars and $5 for walkers & bikers.
While 4th of July celebrations will be held during the day in Warren Village proper, the fireworks show will be going off around 9:30 pm at the base of Sugarbush's Lincoln Peak.
Don't miss Stowe's Fourth of July parade at 1:00 pm along Main Street. Setting up for fireworks begins at 6 pm at Mayo Field and the fireworks should run at dusk.
Sugarloaf & the town of Carrabassett Valley will be celebrating the 4th in Town Park with live music starting at 5:30 and fireworks starting around sunset.
:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47902385/maziarz_fireworks2.0.jpg)
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62488189/big_20sky_20fireworks.0.0.jpg)
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62488190/jacksonhole_20fireworks.0.0.jpg)
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62488191/jhmr_mountain_fest_fireworks__medium.0.0.jpg)
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62488192/kings_20beach_20fireworks.0.0.jpeg)
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62488193/tahoe_20city_20fireworks.0.0.jpg)
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62488194/incline_20village_20fireworks.0.0.jpg)
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62488195/Donner-Lake-Fireworks.0.0.jpg)
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62488196/Fireworks-over-Tahoe-South405.0.0.jpg)
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62488197/mammoth_20village_20fireworks.0.0.jpg)
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62488198/crowley_20lake_20mammoth_20fireworks.0.0.jpg)
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62488199/Fireworks_tall_woodstock_20vt.0.0.jpeg)
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62488200/sugarbush_20fireworks.0.0.jpg)
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62488201/stowe_20fireworks.0.0.jpg)
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62488202/stratton_20fireworks.0.0.jpg)
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62488203/Grand-Finale_20sugarloaf_20fireworks.0.0.jpg)
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62488204/548107_10151116836849880_2137860944_n.0.0.jpg)
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62488205/park_20city_fireworks2.0.0.jpg)
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62488206/sandpoint_20fireworks.0.0.jpg)
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62488207/fireworks2.0.0.jpg)
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62488208/vail_20fireworks.0.0.jpg)
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62488209/steamboat_20fireworks.0.0.jpg)
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62488210/Aspen_20Fireworks_204th_20of_20July.0.0.jpg)
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62488211/TTD_20Slider_20-_20July_204-8.0.0.jpg)
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62488212/breck_20Fireworks.0.0.jpg)
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62488213/frisco_20fireworks.0.0.jpg)
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62488214/grand_20lake_20fireworks.0.0.jpg)
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62488215/EventPhotoFull_City_20Beach_20Fireworks_20Pete_20Siudara_20Photographic_20SMALL.0.0.jpg)
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62488216/fireworks-flickr-bayasaa1.0.0.jpg)
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62488217/289_182_july_204_20small.0.0.jpg)
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62488218/Fireworks.0.0.jpg)