Skiers will find Utah to be a winter wonderland, with some of the top ski resorts in the world. Utah ski resorts are a must-visit location for every serious skier or snowboarder, with breathtaking mountain views, top-notch amenities, and a limitless variety of terrain alternatives. From the recognizable slopes of Park City to the undiscovered treasures of Alta and Snowbird, each resort has its own distinct charm and attractions. Get ready to hit the slopes by gathering your equipment. In this post, we’ll examine the best ski resorts in Utah and what sets them apart from the competition. Prepare to enjoy some of the world’s best skiing right here in Utah.
#1. Snowbird
This is one of the best Utah ski resorts with amazing activities. Despite having terrain for skiers of all abilities, Snowbird is a preferred choice for advanced skiers. Steep runs and open bowls are challenging but not daunting. With its angular mountain peaks, this ski region is among Utah’s most attractive, giving you a genuine sense of being in the mountains.
Skiers can access the adjacent Snowbird and Alta Ski Resorts with a combination ticket. They come together at the top of Sugarloaf Pass, where the combined scenery will keep you interested for a very long time. Storms that are directed up the Cottonwood Valley usually dump a lot of snow on these resorts. The resort actually gets more than 500 inches of soft, fluffy snow each year.
With a 125-passenger tram, six high-speed detachable quad chairlifts, four conventional double chairs, and three conveyer belt surface lifts, Snowbird is a distinctive resort in Utah. Recently, it spent $35 million upgrading and improving its facilities, which included building Cliff Lodge, The Summit restaurant at the summit of Hidden Peak, and two new pedestrian bridges. Additionally, it features a multi-million dollar co-generation energy plant, which virtually guarantees its energy independence. There are a few lodging alternatives at the very basic base, but there isn’t much in the way of a town or hamlet.
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#2. Park City Resort
The largest ski resort in the United States is Park City, which also has a lot of other activities available. The resort combines the varied but largely intermediate terrain of Park City Mountain and Park City Canyons. Its Old West mining town offers a ton of winter attractions as well as nonstop entertainment and dining options. Sleigh rides, the Alpine Coaster, and bobsledding are just a short drive from Utah Olympic Park, while tubing is also available there. As a favorite vacation spot for families and large groups, the resort occasionally draws sizable crowds.
You can choose to stay in any of the two communities at the mountain’s foot, Mountain Village or Canyons Village, or in the thriving Historic Park City neighborhood. Out of the three locations, the town’s Main Street offers the best options for dining, entertainment, and shopping. The bustling town is situated at the bottom of the mountain, and a short 10-minute trip on the Town Lift will take you to the slopes.
#3. Deer Valley
Deer Valley offers a unique skiing experience in Utah because of its top-notch facilities, varied terrain for skiers of all skill levels, effective snowmaking, and employees who go above and beyond to ensure that you have a wonderful time. Just two miles from Park City’s downtown and around 45 minutes from Salt Lake City separate this resort for skiers alone.
A 16 million dollar investment in major improvements aims to increase skiing accessibility and make it easier for more people to participate. The main undertaking is the new Burns Express Chairlift, which costs $10 million and connects Little Baldy Mountain and Snow Park base areas for quick access to kinder slopes.
Deer Valley is a six-mountain, 2,000-acre ski resort that welcomes families. It has more than 100 runs. Deer Valley caps the number of skiers per day at 7,500 to maintain the finest skiing conditions and short lift lines. Deer Valley places a high value on customer service, including free ski storage, gear and accessory storage for a small cost, and perfectly kept facilities.
Additionally, Deer Valley is one of the few mountain resorts with a state-licensed facility for non-skiing children, making it one of the rare mountain resorts. Deer Valley offers hotels and condominiums with ski-in/ski-out access, which leans toward the more opulent end of the scale. Skiers can be left at the base area for daytrippers to park, walk, or ride the complimentary shuttle back to the lodge.
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#4. Alta Resort
At Alta, which is a skiers-only resort, you can take advantage of all the notoriously challenging steeps, chutes, and tree runs without being a snowboarder. Despite this, the mountain has terrain for skiers of all abilities and a friendly atmosphere for families. Because Alta refers to itself as a “ski area” as opposed to a resort, there aren’t many options for dining, shopping, or après.
The base’s tiny size is made up of just two base pieces that are connected by a transfer tube. Beginner-friendly terrain is located nearer the Albion base than the Wildcat base. You can upgrade to the AltaBird pass if you desire more skiing opportunities and ski over to the nearby Snowbird resort. The five lodges at the mountain’s foot offer easy access to the slopes and complimentary meals. Additionally, there are condos near the resort that are a short drive from the slopes. Stay in Salt Lake City for additional nightlife, dining, and shopping alternatives if you don’t mind the commute and are searching for less expensive lodging.
Although there are no pedestrian-friendly routes within the resort, skiers can use the transfer shuttle to travel between the base areas. Parking is accessible; however, reservations are necessary and must be paid for, while some of the resorts provide complimentary shuttles to and from the slopes. The UTA runs a free bus route between Alta and Snowbird, and private shuttle services are also offered. There is also the option to take the light rail from downtown Salt Lake City to Midvale before switching to a UTA ski bus to get to Alta. It is without a doubt one of the top Utah ski resorts
#5. Snowbasin Resort
Snowbasin is a short 30-minute drive from Ogden and a little under an hour’s drive from Salt Lake City. With over 3,000 acres of skiable terrain and 3,000 feet of vertical, this resort is an unexpected and frequently underappreciated jewel with world-class amenities, exceptional service, and some fantastic runs for all levels. Three excellent terrain parks, Littlecat, Blue Grouse, and Orson’s, are also nearby. They are all geared toward different levels of borders and freestylers.
One of the country’s oldest still-operating ski areas is Snowbasin, which is also well known for having hosted portions of the 2002 Olympic skiing competitions and serving as the backdrop for the 2010 American horror thriller Frozen. There are nine lifts, green runs, blue and black runs, and so on. Buildings in the log style that house the restaurants and day lodges include high ceilings, wooden beams, stone fireplaces, windows, and chandeliers. The sole negative is the lack of lodging at or close to the resort’s base, and in snowy conditions, the journey up to the resort from Ogden can be difficult.
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#6. Powder Mountain
Powder Mountain is unquestionably one of the best ski resorts in Utah. On this list, Powder Mountain is the one that is most remote from Salt Lake City, but the vast terrain there can be worth the trek. With the greatest skiable terrain in North America and a daily ticket maximum of 1,500, you can be sure to have a relaxing time. Although there are paths for everyone, the backcountry terrain accessible by snowcats is for the experienced. Powder Mountain does not offer dining, housing, shopping, or off-slope activities, so if that’s what you’re looking for, this probably isn’t the place for you.
Although there aren’t many lodgings in the resort, there are ski-in/ski-out cottages located near Lefty’s Canyon. Smaller communities like Wolf Creek and Eden, which are a 15 to 20-minute drive away, have more lodging alternatives. Eden has a limited selection of restaurants, but Ogden, which is about 40 minutes away and has many eateries and shops, has a much larger selection.
The resort’s three lodges all have parking provided. For beginners, the Sundown Lodge is a decent choice. Although the chairlifts at Timberline Lodge and Hidden Lake Lodge must be reached by skiing down from those lodges. The UTA Ski Bus runs routes between Ogden and the resort and is also accessible from Eden’s ‘Park & Ride’ lot. Both to and from Salt Lake City, there are private shuttle services available.
#7. Solitude Mountain Resort
The inhabitants are more likely to be familiar with and appreciative of solitude than tourists are. If you want to avoid crowds or find powder and tree skiing, this is a terrific area to visit. With 80 runs and three bowls scattered across 1,200 acres, it is a tranquil location close to the end of Big Cottonwood Valley, as the name would imply. Wide-open intermediate and novice courses predominate, and Honeycomb Canyon offers a greater challenge for those seeking it. Due to the layout of the hill, Solitude is a fantastic area to ski with a family or group.
Getting lost or separated is uncommon because all of the runs typically lead to one or two main lifts. A ski resort with two base areas is called Solitude. The primary base for daytrippers is Entry 1, which has the largest day lodge and plenty of parking. Entry 2 mostly services the village and condos. The Moonbeam Lodge and the Himalayan-inspired Roundhouse are two on-hill eating alternatives. Only the Village offers dining and entertainment alternatives throughout the evening.
There aren’t many places to stay outside of the village, which has a hotel as well as many apartments, townhomes, and single-family homes. Solitude has recently been acquired by the proprietors of Deer Valley and will soon receive all the improvements to make it even better. It is a component of the IKON Pass program and provides a vast network of Nordic (cross-country) skiing and snowshoeing paths.
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#8. Brighton Resort
The first ski area in Utah, Brighton, is a dependable option for less traffic and more varied terrain. There are trails in four different mountain areas, and express chairlifts make it simple to reach groomers, bowls, tree skiing, and terrain parks. Additionally, night skiing is accessible Monday through Saturday. Despite being modest in comparison to other resorts in the vicinity, Solitude Mountain is accessible via the SolBright Pass, which also has additional blue and black tracks. Kids under 10 can ski or ride for free in Brighton, making it another great family-friendly choice! Remember that there aren’t many places to stay or eat at the base.
The Brighton Lodge, the sole housing option at the mountain’s base, provides ski-in/ski-out access to the slopes. There are more housing options in Solitude, which is 5 minutes away. A 45-minute drive away, Salt Lake City has more alternatives for dining, shopping, and entertainment. There are both paid shuttle bus services and a free UTA bus that runs between Brighton and Solitude. A UTA ski bus to Brighton can be boarded after taking the light rail from downtown Salt Lake City to Midvale.
#9. Sundance Mountain Resort
In 1969, actor Robert Redford founded Sundance Ski Resort, which is located an hour south of Salt Lake City and an hour and a half from Provo. The resort’s dining establishments and wooden and log-style cabins give it a modest, rustic character. Beautiful scenery can be seen here, and the ambiance is best characterized as quaint.
A wide selection of black, blue, and green runs are available at the tiny (450 acres, 42 runs) Sundance ski resort in Utah. The new owners have made significant investments in new lift infrastructure, such as two new quad chairs and a new fixed-grip quad chair, which will expand the ski area by 15 acres and add four new routes for novice and intermediate skiers. There have also been improvements made to the snowmaking system.
#10. Brian Head Resort
Brian Head Resort is a budget-friendly, fun-filled ski resort in southern Utah, roughly 2.5 hours north of Las Vegas. It has something for everyone. Even if they don’t want to ski or snowboard, making it the ideal hill for families who just want to get outside and enjoy the snow.
The highest ski hill in Utah is located at a base elevation of 9,600 feet. The ski area at the resort features two mountains totaling more than 650 acres of skiable terrain, with a vertical drop of 1,320 feet. In addition to offering tubing, it offers a fairly balanced selection of novice, intermediate, and advanced runs. There is lodging on the hill or nearby Cedar City, which is located approximately 40 minutes away. Casual dining is available at a handful of the resort’s restaurants. It is truly one of the top ski resorts in Utah.