Snowbird and Alta Ski Area are located in Little Cottonwood Canyon.
Brighton Resort and Solitude Mountain Resort are located in Big Cottonwood Canyon.
Snowbird Ski Resort
Snowbird, Utah is in the heart of the Wasatch-Cache National Forest in Little Cottonwood Canyon, one mile down canyon from Alta Ski Area. Located six miles up the canyon, Snowbird is just a scenic 45 min. drive from Salt Lake City International Airport, making same-day skiing and and flying a reality.
There are 10 chairlifts including 6 high-speed detachable quads, 4 doubles, 3 conveyor lifts and 1 Aerial Tram. Snowbird has 140 runs: 27% beginner, 38% intermediate, 35% advanced/expert. The resort sees about 17,400 skiers and snowboarders per hour. The top of the resort is 11,000-foot Hidden Peak, the lowest point on the mountain is at the bottom of Baby Thunder chairlift at 7,760 feet.
*Pro tip: make a reservation to visit the Cliff Lodge & Spa after a day on the slopes and soak in the rooftop hot tub or pool.
Alta Ski Resort
Alta Ski Area was one of the first ski areas to open in the United States, the 2nd in the Western Ski Region. The mountain is world-renowned for its steep and deep powder skiing—averaging 540'' of snow each winter. But did you know that 45% of the terrain is suitable for beginner and intermediate skiers? Alta has 119 runs: 15% beginner, 30% intermediate, 55% advanced/expert, with 2,614 skiable acres.
It is important to mention that Alta is a ski-only resort, one of two in the Salt Lake area (sorry snowboarders).
*Note that reservations are required to park on weekends & holidays.
Brighton Resort
Brighton, Utah is located directly in the path of winter storms and it is also at the very top of Big Cottonwood Canyon so it gets the very best of the “greatest snow on earth,” and lots of it.
Brighton has 66 defined runs and tons of off-piste runs: 21% beginner, 40% intermediate, 39% advanced/expert, with 1,050+ skiable acres.
And there's Night Riding! Brighton have the most night skiing terrain in Utah, with 22 runs on over 200 lighted acres.
Solitude Mountain Resort
Located in one of the snowiest canyons in North America and only 30 minutes from downtown Salt Lake City, Solitude Mountain Resort is one of the smaller ski resorts near Salt Lake City, along with its neighbor Brighton.
Solitude has 82 named runs: 10% beginner, 40% intermediate, 50% expert/advanced, with over 1,200 skiable acres.
*Pro tip: grab a waffle and hot chocolate from Little Dollies at sit in the mountainside adirondack chairs!
**Note that parking does require a fee for the lots, price dependant on number of passangers (encouring ride sharing) - 4+ occupants: $5/3 occupants: $10/2 occupants: $15/1 occupant: $25
Images:
Snowbird
Alta
Brighton
Solitude
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