11 of the Best Utah Ski Resorts Within the US
One of my favorite hobbies to do in the winter is to go skiing. Specifically, Alpine/Downhill skiing. I love exploring new mountains and getting to know a whole new area. One of the best states for skiing/snowboarding is, Utah. Utah ski resorts are AWESOME!
This state is FILLED with ENDLESS mountains that make for AMAZING ski resorts. The only problem is, because of how many great mountains and resorts are in the state, it can making finding the right one difficult. However, you don’t need to worry, because in this post, I will be talking about 11 different Utah ski resorts, that are potentially right for you and your family/friends.
In this post, you will learn about 11 of the best Utah ski resorts. The eleven resorts are, Park City Mountain, Deer Valley Resort, Brighton Resort, Snowbasin Resort, Sundance Resort, Powder Mountain, Alta Ski Area, Snowbird, Solitude Mountain Resort, Beaver Mountain Ski Area, and Brian Head Resort.
This post is all about Utah ski resorts.
Utah Ski Resorts:
1. Park City Mountain
Park City Mountain is probably the most well-known Utah ski resort. It is actually made up of two different resorts, Park City and the Canyons. When I skied there, I preferred the Canyons. It might have been because they weren’t having a decent snowfall that year, but because of this, I preferred the Canyons. In my opinion, the Canyons kept their snow MUCH better than Park City. Also, I got a lot of vertigo feelings when I was at Park City.
That being said, Park City is about 40 minutes from Salt Lake City Airport. Many hotels and transportation companies, do offer shuttles from the Salt Lake City Airport to Park City. Park City is a MASSIVE mountain (mostly because it combines Park City + the Canyons). It offers more than 330 trails, has over 7,300 acres of skiable terrain, a 3,226ft vertical drop, and mostly intermediate and expert terrain. Park City is also one of the only Utah ski resorts apart of the Epic Pass.
Park City also has a HUGE village, making it one of the best ski towns out West. There is SO much to do within the Park City village. They have sleigh riding, shopping, plenty of places to eat, tubbing, ice skating, and much more!
2. Deer Valley Resort
Deer Valley Resort is one of the few Utah ski resorts and in the US, that does NOT allow snowboarders. Now, if you are a snowboarder reading this, unfortunately, that means you cannot go here. When I was a kid, I would have LOVED this rule, but since I’m older, and I have a much WIDER variety of friends now, a LOT of them are snowboarders, so I feel bad. Especially, because there are two other ski resorts that also, do not allow snowboarders, Alta (Utah) and Mad River Glen (Vermont).
Deer Valley is about 40 minutes from the Salt Lake City Airport and about 5 minutes from Park City. I’m pretty sure they have shuttles or buses going from both Utah ski resorts as well as the airport. Thus, if you don’t want to bring or rent a car, you wouldn’t have to. I would suggest staying in Park City or somewhere close by, because Deer Valley does not have its own village, like Park City does. However, in comparison to Park City, Deer Valley is one of the many Utah ski resorts apart of the Ikon Pass.
Deer Valley Resort has a total of 6 different peaks on its resort, with a total of 103 different trails, and a total of 2,026 skiable acres. If you want a downtown area, I would go to Park City, or stay in Park City, then take a bus or shuttle to Deer Valley on one of your skiing days.
{Related Post: What West Coast Ski Resort are You?}
3. Brighton Resort
Brighton Resort is another great Utah ski resort to hit up if you are staying in Park City. It is about half an hour/30 minutes (driving) from Deer Valley and about 45 minutes (driving) from the Salt Lake City Airport. Brighton is only about 5 minutes from Solitude Mountain Resort and is apart of the Ikon Pass.
Brighton has a total of 66 trails, 1,050 of skiable acres, an average of 500 inches of snow, and a 1,875ft vertical drop. Also, it serves mostly intermediate runs, thus, making it a great ski resort for families. Brighton Resort also offers night skiing/snowboarding and is apart of the Ikon Pass.
I would suggest staying in Park City if you plan on skiing at Brighton, because there is so much to do in Park City compared to Brighton. Also, if you’re up for a little backcountry tour, there is a way to ski from the Canyons (apart of Park City) to Brighton. Or you could stay in the Salt Lake City area, because of the UTA bus. The UTA bus goes to Brighton, Alta, Snowbird, and Solitude.
4. Snowbasin Resort
Snowbasin Resort is almost 50 minutes from Salt Lake City Airport, and a little over an hour from Park City, Utah. It is about 30 minutes south of Powder Mountain as well. You would need to drive or rent a car to get to Snowbasin, as Salt Lake City is the closest airport to Snowbasin Resort.
Snowbasin Resort has three main areas on its mountain, the Needles Gondola, the Strawberry Gondola, and the John Paul Express. The Needles Gondola is great for beginners/families, as it offers mainly groomed runs. Whereas, both, the Strawberry Gondola and the John Paul Express, are GREAT for expert skiers, as it offers a lot of bowl skiing (Strawberry Gondola) and steep tree glades (John Paul Express). Also, Snowbasin is apart of the Ikon Pass.
Snowbasin has a couple different lodges on the mountain that you can eat and drink at. The best city to stay at if skiing/snowboarding at Snowbasin is Ogden. If you are skiing/snowboarding at Powder Mountain as well, Ogden, again is a great place for both resorts to stay at. In addition, I would still have/rent a car, because there is no other transportation.
5. Sundance Resort
Sundance Resort is about 50 minutes south of the Salt Lake City Airport, and about 40 minutes south of Park City. Again, I believe there are shuttles that will take you from the airport to Sundance. Sundance is a very unique resort, as it was created by actor, Robert Redford, to be sustainable and embody the art and culture of its native people.
Also, Sundance is one of Utah’s smaller resorts, but it does get an average of 300 inches of snowfall per year and has a 2,150ft vertical drop. They offer Halloween lift rides, night skiing, host tours, and shuttle rides to Sundance from Provo and Orem. Lastly, Sundance is not apart of either Epic of Ikon.
You can stay at the Sundance Resort, or I would suggest Park City. Sundance its self has a great resort and town, but if you want a little more to do, I would suggest staying in Park City and driving to Sundance for one of your days of skiing/snowboarding. However, if you want more of a quiet and smaller (resort/mountain) getaway, Sundance Resort is perfect for you.
6. Powder Mountain
Powder Mountain is about 30 minutes north of Snowbasin, and about an hour and ten minutes from Salt Lake City Airport, and about 35 minutes northeast of Ogden.
This resort has a total of 154 (named) trails, 8,464ft of skiable acres, and a 2,205ft vertical drop. Also, it offers a good mix of beginner (25%), intermediate (40%), and advanced (35%) terrain. Thus, I would say it’s one of the better Utah ski resorts for beginners and families. In addition, this resort offers night skiing/snowboarding and is not apart of the Ikon or Epic Pass.
I would suggest staying in Ogden, if skiing/snowboarding at both Snowbasin and Powder Mountain. Thus, again, I would bring/rent a car, because you will need it to get to the mountains.
{Related Post: Northeast Ski Resorts}
7. Alta Ski Area
Alright, Alta! Now, I have never skied at Alta, but have heard AWESOME reviews about it, and can’t wait to ski there one day! Alta Ski Area is a little over 40 minutes (driving) away from the Salt Lake City Airport, 9 minutes from Snowbird, and about 45 minutes from Brighton and Solitude Mountain Resort. On the map, it looks like you could take a much quicker route to Brighton but there are no roads that way, so you have to traverse all the way around.
Alta is NOT a beginners resort. It is STRICTLY for EXPERTS ONLY. It is KNOWN for its gnarly terrain and INTENSE steeps. Also, they don’t allow snowboarders, as well as, at Mad River Glen (VT) and Deer Valley (Utah). Alta has 119 (named) runs, 55% of them being advanced, 2,614 acres of skiable land, an average of 538 inches of snow per season (most in Utah), a 2,538ft vertical drop, and is apart of the Ikon Pass.
There is a bus (as previously stated above) that transports skiers/snowboarders to Alta, Brighton, Snowbird, and Solitude. It runs within the Salt Lake County, the UTA bus, and stops at different routes to pickup skiers/snowboarders to bring them to the different resorts. Thus, I would suggest staying somewhere within the Salt Lake County (includes Salt Lake City, about 37 minutes from Alta), so you have transportation to get to the different mountains. Or (for a more pricer option) you can stay right on the mountain at Alta.
8. Snowbird
Alright, Snowbird is another KILLER mountain! It has a total of 140 trails (73% being advanced and intermediate), gets about 500 inches of snowfall per season, and has 2,500 acres of skiable terrain. In addition, Snowbird offers Avalanche Education Classes (which I HIGHLY advise taking before ANY heli, snowcat, or backcountry skiing/snowboarding), mountain tours, Helicopter skiing, Snowcat skiing, guided backcountry skiing, and more.
Snowbird is about 35 minutes from the Salt Lake City Airport and about 5 minutes from Alta, and about 45 minutes from Solitude and Brighton. But like I said, the UTA bus does go to all four resorts (Alta, Snowbird, Solitude, and Brighton). Also, all four of these mountains (Alta, Snowbird, Solitude, and Brighton) are apart of the Ikon Pass.
Like Alta, I would suggest staying somewhere in the Salt Lake County (includes Salt Lake City), so you can catch the UTA bus to the different mountains, if you don’t want to drive and deal with parking at the resorts. You can stay (again for a pricer option) at Snowbird.
9. Solitude Mountain Resort
Alright, to end this list of INSANE mountains, Solitude is last on our list of three. Solitude, Alta, and Snowbird are all EPIC mountains for EXPERTS and height lovers (Plus Jackson Hole, Wyoming). These three mountains should truly be on any adrenaline junkies bucket lists.
That being said, Solitude has a total of 82 (named) runs, 90% of the being advanced and intermediate. Like I said this is NOT a beginners mountain, DO NOT go here if you are a beginner. In addition, Solitude, has a 2,494ft vertical drop, 500 inches of average snowfall, 1,200 acres of skiable land, and is apart of the the Ikon Pass.
Alright, Solitude is 42 minutes from Salt Lake City Airport, and about half an hour or 30 minutes from Park City, and 50 minutes from Alta. However, it is a stop on the UTA bus, which is why I would again, suggest staying in the Salt Lake City region. You could again, always lodge at the mountain (they have a little village) too for a more expensive option.
{Related Post: Best Ski Resorts in the US}
10. Beaver Mountain Ski Area
Located on the border of Utah and Wyoming, Beaver Mountain Ski Area is about 2 hours from Salt Lake City International Airport and about 2 hours from Powder Mountain. The closest city to Beaver Mountain is Logan, Utah, being about 40 minutes away.
Beaver Mountain Ski Area has a total of 48 trails, 75% of them being beginner or intermediate runs, a 1,700ft vertical drop, an average of 828 acres of skiable area, and is not apart of Ikon or Epic Passes. With a majority of their runs being beginner to intermediate, I would HIGHLY recommend coming here if you are a beginner. This is probably the best Utah ski resort for beginners and families with young children. Also, they do offer night skiing.
Beaver Mountain Ski Area is also a great local mountain, so if you want to avoid the crowds, this place is great for you. I would recommend staying at either Bear Lake or Logan, if you plan on skiing/snowboarding here.
11. Brian Head Resort
Alright, last but not least, on our list is, Brian Head Resort. Brian Head is the farthest south Utah ski resort on this list, being about 3 & 1/2 hours from Salt Lake City Airport and about 4 hours from Park City. The closest cities are Cedar City, about 40 minutes away and Parowan, about 20 minutes away. Brian Head Resort is about an hour and a half away from Zion National Park, thus if you want to visit that too, while you’re here, you can.
Brian Head Resort has a total of, 71 trails, 30% of their runs being beginner, and 35% being intermediate trails. I would say this is one of the better Utah ski resorts for beginners. In addition, they receive on average, 360 inches of snow per year, over 65 acres of skiable area, and is not apart of the Ikon or Epic Pass.
If skiing/snowboarding here, I would stay at either Brian Head Town or Cedar City. Again, I would bring/rent a car for transportation.
{Related Post: Vail}
And that wraps up 11 of the best Utah ski resorts within the US. There are also great Montana ski resorts, Wyoming, Idaho, and Colorado ski resorts, if none of these struck your fancy. However, I hope you did find at least one new place to plan your next ski holiday at because the ski season is coming up. Most Utah ski resorts opening dates are sometime in November, lasting all the way to (most of the time) May.
2 Comments
Pingback:
Pingback: