[Western Road Trips]

Hello,

As the others have said, Utah is blessed when it comes to skiing and natural wonder. Ski Utah is the official organization that markets skiing and ski related services in the state. Their name is their website.

Ask your lodging provider if they offer the SALT LAKE SUPER PASS. It is a flexible discounted ticket valid at the resorts closest to Salt Lake City namely Alta, Snowbird, Solitude, and Brighton. . . the ones that get the most powder! The SILVER PASS is a similar program that is valid at the Park City resorts namely, Park City, Deer Valley, and The Canyons.

Western Road Trips has some good first hand info about the skiing here in Utah. The info below is copied from the "trip planning" section of our website.

Distances below are measured in drive time.

"Ski Resorts
Alta, Utah - - “Alta is for skiers” rings true on many levels. The snow is amazing and the terrain is evenly split among green blue and black. Snowboarding is not allowed at Alta. Summer hiking and camping are great. XC trails and rentals available. Superpass accepted.
nearest lodging: Alta, Snowbird, Salt Lake City


Snowbird, Utah - - Snowbird is to big mountain skiers what the North Shore is to big wave surfers. Don’t worry, Snowbird has some great intermediate terrain too. Snowbird has the longest season in Utah so plan a day of skiing on your May vacation! Summer is great at Snowbird. Take a scenic tram ride to 11,000 feet, and come down via mountain bike, diggler scooter, or paraglider! Superpass accepted.
nearest lodging: Snowbird, Alta, Salt Lake City


Brighton, Utah - - Brighton is probably the most popular resort for snowboarding and teaching kids to ski. It has long mellow runs, a good ski and snowboard school, and plenty of good terrain for mom and dad to explore while junior is "making pizzas" with the ski instructor. XC skiing trails and rentals nearby. Summer is great for a few hours of hiking or fishing at Silver Lake. The Brighton General Store makes a mean breakfast. Superpass accepted.
nearest lodging: Brighton, Solitude, Salt Lake City


Solitude, Utah - - “Solitude” is a fitting name for this powder haven. It has twisty groomers, gladed forests, bowls, and great backcountry access (guided tours available with ski patrol). Honeycomb canyon is practically inbounds backcountry. The only thing missing is other people. XC skiing trails and rentals nearby. Summer is great for lift accessed mountain biking, hiking, and a game of disc golf on their mountainside course. Superpass accepted.
nearest lodging: Solitude, Brighton, Salt Lake City


Sundance, Utah - - Sundance Resort is a 450 acre resort on the flanks of Mt. Timpanogos and is accessed from Provo. They have low ticket prices and terrain for everyone. XC skiing trails and rentals nearby. Summer is great for lift accessed mountain biking and hiking or catching a play. They host a story telling festival every summer and the Sundance Treehouse Author Series brings fascinating authors in all year long.
Nearest lodging: Sundance, Provo, Heber.


Park City Mountain Resort, Utah - - Park City is another one of those iconic Utah resorts. It was chosen as the host resort for the Giant Slalom and snowboard half pipe events in the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games because it has world class facilities. The terrain park here alone is worth a trip if that’s your thing. Its close proximity to Deer Valley, The Canyons, Park City, and Salt Lake City make it one of the most popular destination resorts in Utah. XC skiing trails and rentals nearby. Summer is just as fun at Park City. You can take a scenic chair ride up the mountain and get down via trail, bike, alpine slide, zip line, mountain scooter, or lay-on-your-stomach-thank-heaven-for the-hand-brake-skeleton-on-wheels type thing. We like Park City for their “Ride Share” program. Silver Pass participant.
Nearby Lodging: Park City, Deer Valley, Salt Lake City


The Canyons, Utah - - The Canyons is actually comprised of multiple different mountains and the fall lines that grace them. The 9990 offers steep shots and quick access to backcountry gems. Great for intermediates, the canyons has lots of groomers that wind and turn through forests and neighborhoods. Summer at the canyons is good for hiking, biking, or taking in a great meal among the aspen and pines at their mid-mountain lodge. They host a farmers market on Wednesdays and a free concert series on Saturdays. We like the canyons because they use biodiesel in some of their snowcats. Silver Pass participant.
Nearby lodging: The Canyons, Park City, Salt Lake City


Deer Valley, Utah - - Deer Valley consistently ranks high for their customer service and overall grooming of the resort and personnel. Host of the slalom, moguls and freestyle aerials in the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Olympic Games, Deer Valley is another of Utah’s world class resorts. The terrain is not extreme by any means but the grooming is impeccable. This suits the vast majority of visitors, so powder is rumored to last longer in the nicely gladed forests at Deer Valley. Summer at Deer Valley can be spent eating outrageously good food hiking or horseback riding a little, and seeing famous musicians perform under the stars. Or, as we prefer, it can be spent rocketing down single track, whipping around switch backs, or flailing down “Fireswamp” one of their world-cup downhill mountain bike courses on a mass of handlebars, disc-brakes, and suspension that only resembles a bicycle because it has two wheels and pedals. Their lift-accessed mountain biking is awesome and there is stuff for all levels. Silver Pass participant.
Nearby lodging: Deer Valley, Park City, Salt Lake City

Powder Mountain, Utah -- “PowMow” as the locals very-affectionately refer to Powder Mountain, is another one of those well-named Utah resorts. You actually park at the top of the resort and ski off in many directions. If you can’t seem to get enough powder on the shots you can see from the chair, go off the backside and catch the big blue powder bus back to the resort or pay a few bucks for a ride up lightning ridge on a snowmobile. This family-owned and operated resort is big but the lodges still have a quaint, local resort feel.
Nearby lodging; Powder Mountain, Huntsville/Eden, Ogden


Snowbasin, Utah - - Snowbasin has a long history among Ogden area skiers as the local resort with lots of double chairs, great scenery, and a good snow. When they installed two gondolas, a high-speed quad chair, a mini-tram and multiple opulent new lodges in anticipation of hosting the downhill events in the 2002 Winter Olympic Games, the resort took on a whole new world-class persona. The runs are long and there are lots of good powder stashes. Ski the downhill course and you will be even more awed by Olympians! XC skiing trails and rentals nearby. Summer at Snowbasin is a great time to hear some live music and eat a fantastic meal. Lift accessed mountain biking and a disc golf course are also available.
Nearby lodging: Huntsville/Eden, Ogden, Salt Lake City


Wolf Mountain, Utah - - Wolf Mountain, formerly Nordic Valley, is a small resort near Powder Mountain and Snowbasin that is great for taking a lesson or doing some night skiing. It is actually fairly steep so on a snowy night you can get alot of bang for your night skiing buck. They have recently built a sweet lift accessed mountain bike park with "whistler-style" jumps, burms, and stunts for many abilities.
Nearby lodging: Huntsville/Eden, Ogden, Salt Lake City

Beaver Mountain, Utah - 2+ hours from SLC - - “The Beav” is the local ski resort for residents of Logan, Utah. Beaver Mountain is roughly 2 hours north of Salt Lake City on Hwy 89 near the Idaho Border.
Nearby lodging: Logan, Garden City, Bear Lake


Brianhead, Utah - 4.5 hours south of SLC - - This southern Utah resort is a great family area that is perfect for intermediates. The Western Road Trips crew spent many wonderful days working and playing at Brianhead while attending nearby Southern Utah University in Cedar City. XC skiing trails and rentals nearby. Snowmobiling tours available. Summer is arguably better than winter at Brianhead. It is a mecca for mountain bikers who come for the cool summer temps, endless single track, and the dark hollow trail which drops over 5,000 vertical feet. There is good fishing at Panguitch Lake and rock climbing nearby at “the overlook”.
Nearby lodging: Brianhead, Panguitch, Cedar City

Grand Targhee, Wyoming - 4 hours north of SLC - Grand Targhee is situated just right on the right side of the teton mountains so it gets massive amounts (utah amounts!) of powder. This resort features one of the best views of the Grand Teton anywhere! XC skiing trails and rentals onsite.
Nearby lodging: Grand Targhee, Driggs/Victor, Id, Jackson, Wy.

Jackson Hole, Wyoming - 5 hours north of SLC - - Jackson is one of the tallest mountains in the nation and with lots of cliffs and steeps it has a big reputation among big mountain skiers. In the summer tram rides, paragliding, rock climbing, hiking, and mountain biking are available.
Nearby lodging: Teton Village, Wilson, Jackson, Wyoming "