Park City Skiing Vacations ~ Little Cottonwood Canyon Skiing
If you’re looking to experience Utah powder beyond the Park City area, we recommend taking a day to ski Snowbird and/or Alta (side by side in Little Cottonwood Canyon).
Rated #1 in the US by SKIING magazine for the past five years, Snowbird is a Utah favorite when it comes to big-mountain skiing and boarding, great groomers, phenomenal expert terrain, and backcountry skiing! Averaging over 500” of fresh snow every season, it makes sense why locals and vacationers alike flock to Snowbird whenever they get a chance.
The mountain offers up 89 runs over around 2,500 acres of terrain. The terrain features extensive faces and bowls of “double black” expert runs, but there are also plenty of beginner, intermediate, and “single-black diamond” runs. – feel free to bring the whole family! For those in your group who are new to downhill skiing and snowboarding, Snowbird has excellent Ski School programs. When you’re ready to go wild, there is a terrain park complete with Super Pipe.
Snowbird’s season is dependent upon conditions, but usually runs from mid-November through mid or late May, (often into June), making it typically the longest season available to Utah snow sport enthusiasts. The Snowbird tram in some years has been open for skiing on July 4!
Don’t want to ski or snowboard? There are restaurants and shops around the main plaza, or you may unwind at the luxurious Cliff Spa while your party hits the slopes. You’ll finish your day with a beautiful scenic ride through two mountain canyons to arrive back at your Park City vacation rental relaxed, happy, and ready for whatever the rest of your visit to paradise may offer!
Driving from Park City: there are paid shuttle vans if you want to leave the mountain driving to experienced locals. If you wish to drive it is an hour or less (depending upon road conditions) to both Alta and Snowbird, which are both in Little Cottonwood Canyon. The ski resorts Brighton and Solitude are in the neighboring Big Cottonwood Canyon; the walls and ski slopes of both canyons are huge and spectacular (if anything the longer runs and higher verticals are in “Little” Cottonwood Canyon, but it is narrower and steeper which may account for the difference in names). If you drive from Park City, take Utah State Rte. 224 back to Kimball Junction and I-80. Then follow I-80 WEST back toward Salt Lake City. Near the bottom of Parley’s Canyon, before you see the city, watch on the right for a sudden exit which access I-215. You will follow I-215 to the south until exit 6 (ramp is off to the right side). When you get off at exit 6, stay on the left and be prepared to cross underneath I-215. At this point simply follow the road you are on and you will see signs for Solitude/Brighton as well as Snowbird/Alta. The turn-off for Big Cottonwood Canyon (Solitude and Brighton ski resorts) comes up first on the left at a traffic light. For Snowbird and Alta continue a few miles straight ahead and the road you are on will curve left up into Little Cottonwood Canyon. To return to Park City simply reverse your route.