My 3 Favorite Ski Resorts in Salt Lake City, UT

#1. Brighton Ski Resort

Brighton Ski Resort is a charming old school ski and snowboard mountain area that has a lot of history and character to it. Brighton is located at the very top of Big Cottonwood Canyon, which is about a 40 minute drive from downtown Salt Lake City. Brighton is known for it's large and all including terrain park. Many professional skiers and Snowboarders come from all over the world to ski at Brighton. Disney's movie Cloud Nine was filmed on the slopes of Brighton, drawing a lot of fans in from across the states. Brighton Resort is also famous for the night skiing that takes place every night during the season. A lot of families and teenagers ski and board this mountain, so it's always busy with people and the parking lots are constantly full. Brighton is a great place to take the family.

#2. Alta Ski Resort

Alta Ski Resort, sitting at the top of Little Cottonwood Canyon, is a very prestigious and well loved and known location to ski. It is well loved because of the generations of skiers that have been able to pass on their love for the mountain to family and friends. Unlike all the resorts in Utah, Alta is strictly a Ski only resort. There is no snowboarding allowed. With a skiing crowd only, it draws a large number of people and provides a great family area that is safe for every level of skiing. Alta has deep powder, with over 500" of snowfall annually. Alta also has steep chutes and crisp corduroy. it has 2,200 acres of terrain to challenge every level of skier. Alta is a place that many local and destination skiers choose to call home. The drive up Little Cottonwood Canyon in the winter may require 4 wheel drive or chains during bad snowstorms, but besides winter driving, the canyon is beautiful and many stop for photos along the way. Would definitely recommend this resort for an all skiing family.

#3. Solitude Mountain Resort

Just 30 minutes from Salt Lake, a humble resort called Solitude sits on the side of a mountain up Big Cottonwood Canyon. It is just before Brighton Resort. Solitude has new owners, Deer Valley Resort, which has brought the opportunity for some major upgrades to the resort and its lodging. The moonbeam lodge provides a cozy place to sit and eat and enjoy time with your group. There is a great vibe at solitude. Visitors love the mix of terrain, from wide and mellow runs to the real scare-your-socks-off trails down the mountain. Solitude's most popular run is Honeycomb Canyon. Honeycomb canyon is Solitude's crown jewel, a long, beautiful canyon with an intermediate run cut down the middle so it is accessible to everyone.

Deer Valley has done a wonderful job of using their many sources to enhance and improve the feel good vibe at Solitude. It's a highly recommended location for all levels of skiing and is a family friendly and safe resort. Personally, Solitude is my favorite, simply because of the fact that not a lot of people know about the resort or ski at Solitude… there usually aren't crazy large crowds, and there aren't obnoxious skiers and snowboarders that weave around the resort. Its a quiet resort that has a lot to offer. "Solitude" is the perfect word to describe the happy and good feeling that expresses the environment of the resort. Throughout the resort, they have several lodges on the mountain that visitors can stop and eat at while they take a break on the slopes. People of all ages and ski range have expressed that they love the character and the charm that this resort has. This resort provides lodging that has a unique European style to it, with surrounding bakery and pizza places across the solitude village.