Instead of avoiding the wintry white stuff, flock to it and ski Utah while using your RV as a cozy home base — a less expensive option than staying at a ski resort.
By Bianca Dumas
February 2024
The author and her son prepare to hit the slopes at Alta.
In the RV world, a “snowbird” is someone who travels south for the winter. But if we change that to a capital “S,” we come up with a whole new definition: Snowbird is one of four ski resorts east of Salt Lake City, Utah, where RV owners can hit the slopes after setting up their home on wheels in a nearby campground. This year, consider heading north for the winter to ski or snowboard at one of Utah’s premier resorts — without paying resort prices.
“I’ve lived for ski season, and we’re always in an RV,” said Robyn Robledo, adventure mom and blogger at Nomads with a Purpose. Robyn and her husband, Victor, have made a point of taking their five kids on uncommon RV adventures, and skiing is one of their favorites. “It’s an amazing way to have fun with your family,” she said.
Here are four steps to planning a great Utah RV ski trip: Start with the ski pass, find an RV park, choose your transportation, and know the resorts before you go.
START WITH THE SKI PASS
Big Cottonwood Canyon and Little Cottonwood Canyon on the east side of Salt Lake City are home to four ski resorts — Alta, Brighton Resort, Snowbird, and Solitude Mountain. This year, they all can be accessed with one pass. The Salt Lake Ski Super Pass is the newest option for anyone who wants to obey the license plate command and Ski Utah! This pass lets you ski all four resorts at a discounted price, at your leisure. In addition to ski tickets, the pass includes free public transportation on the Utah Transit Authority (UTA) ski bus and TRAX light rail, plus gear rental discounts of 10 to 20 percent.
Solitude Mountain is a smaller resort, with runs for skiers ranging from beginner to expert.
A Junior Super Pass for kids ages 7 to 12 is also available. Look for resort deals for kids under 7 and for seniors. Alta is home to some of the most iconic skiers in the state’s history, and it’s very common to see them on the slopes into their 80s and beyond, getting respectful nods from the kids.
The Super Pass has several perks that distinguish it from other multi-resort ski passes. For example, no blackout dates are imposed, so you can ski during Christmas or New Year’s holidays if you choose. Also, while some discount passes must be purchased months in advance, the Salt Lake Ski Super Pass can be purchased any time.
It also allows maximum flexibility, so you don’t have to plan your itinerary. You can spend all your après-ski hours sipping drinks while hemming and hawing over which resort you want to ski the next day. In the morning, you just show up, activate your pass, and go. Passes offer from three to 10 days of skiing, and you can spend all your days at one resort if you want. But ski days don’t roll over, so you’ll need to use them within the 14-day window, which activates on your first day of skiing. The Super Pass can be used to ski at Brighton Resort and Solitude Mountain on the same day, but otherwise pass holders are limited to one resort per day. To access both Alta and Snowbird on a single day, you’ll need to pay for an upgrade at one of those two resorts.
THE RV PARKS
The RV-to-ski ethos is much more affordable than staying at the resort, and it allows you to pool all your resources into the adventure itself. Mountain Shadows RV Park (mountainshadowsutah.com) in Draper is closest to Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons, so it should be your first consideration. It has an indoor hot tub (available after Labor Day, when the outdoor pool and hot tub close). Make sure you bring a heated hose and skirting to keep your RV pipes toasty while you’re on the slopes. Restrooms and showers are available, and propane can be purchased on-site.
Because there are so many transportation options, you also can opt to stay farther afield. Information about RVing in the area is available here: visitsaltlake.com/places-to-stay/campgrounds-rv-parks/.
TRANSPORTATION
The UTA ski bus runs routes up Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons every 30 minutes from 6:15 a.m. until the lifts close; shuttles are available once you arrive at the resorts. Police escort the buses on heavy traffic days, giving buses priority and keeping them safe.
To use your Salt Lake Ski Super Pass for free transportation, just tap your pass on the electronic reader near the door of the ski bus or at the TRAX platform upon entry and exit.
Alta Ski Area, one of the first in the U.S., currently is in its 86th season.
Ski shuttles are also a very convenient way to get up the canyons. Alta Shuttle, Canyons Express, and Cottonwood Connect are inexpensive options for round-trip transportation in a sturdy 4×4 vehicle with a gear rack.
During a recent trip, the Robledos stayed in an RV park about 20 miles north of Salt Lake City and used a shuttle service to get to the resorts. “Alta Shuttle was so great,” Robyn Said. “They picked me up at my campsite and took me directly to the ski resorts.”
THE RESORTS
Alta Ski Area (alta.com) is at the heart of Utah skiing. This is where the famed Alf Engen Ski School is headquartered, with some legacy ski instructors whose families go back four generations to Alf himself. If you want to learn to ski, this is the place to go. That doesn’t mean the terrain is just for beginners. Alta gets the most snow of any resort in the Rocky Mountains and is known for its expert-level runs, among them Alf’s High Rustler. Visitors should be aware of the resort’s motto: “Alta is for Skiers” — which means no snowboards allowed. Alta is also for families: The new Sunnyside six-pack lift boosts the Albion base area, which is the resort hub for families, beginning skiers, and the ski school.
Dining options at Snowbird include The Summit, at 11,000 feet, with views of the Wasatch-Cache National Forest.
Snowbird (snowbird.com) is a something-for-everyone kind of resort. Snowbird has a lot of “steep and deep” runs, but one-third of the resort caters to beginners, and about another third offers intermediate blue runs. Those interested in catching big air can head to the Big Emma terrain park. For the person who really enjoys the après-ski scene (or just wants a break in the middle of the day), Snowbird offers two restaurants accessible only by ski lift. Try The Summit at 11,000 feet or Mid Gad Restaurant mid-mountain.
Snowbird has the longest ski season of Utah’s resorts — ski bunnies occasionally slide downhill as late as July 4. Snowbird can be accessed from Alta with a special upgrade to the Ski Super Pass and allows snowboarders.
Solitude Mountain (solitudemountain.com) is a smaller resort, at 1,200 acres. If you are a beginner or intermediate skier, you’ll find enough runs to fill a day of skiing, but this is where experts might burn up an entire pass. Some say there are blue-square trails at Solitude that are equal to black runs at other resorts. Solitude offers a lot of ungroomed black-diamond routes with mandatory cliffs and tight couloirs. Hike Fantasy Ridge for extreme terrain and straight-line chutes. Solitude has direct lift access from Brighton.
If Alta is for skiers, Brighton Resort (brightronresort.com) is for snowboarders (but skiers are also welcomed). This resort offers four terrain parks, leveled from beginner to advanced. Like the routes at a climbing gym, the features are changed frequently to keep it interesting. Visit Brighton’s website to learn terrain park etiquette before you go.
Brighton, at the top of Big Cottonwood Canyon, caters to snowboarders but also welcomes skiers.
All the terrain at Brighton is accessible by high-speed quad chairlift, which makes trips uphill quick. Brighton is also convenient — boarders and skiers of all levels can ride the lift together, head out into different areas, and then meet up again at the bottom. Your all-day pass is good from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. when night skiing is available.
Once you get used to the idea of snowbirding up north, a whole new array of winter RV options will unfold. Never afraid of a little cold, the Robledos are in the midst of another RV ski season this year. “To me,” Robyn said, “it’s the ultimate lifestyle.”