Utah Valley sits within about an hour and a quarter of more good skiing than almost anywhere, but the resorts are not interchangeable from here. Sundance is 20 minutes up Provo Canyon; Deer Valley's new east side is now the next closest; Little Cottonwood's Snowbird and Alta, Park City and Big Cottonwood's Solitude and Brighton each come with their own drive, their own pass and their own parking rules. This hub gathers the resort-by-resort guides, the pass math and the practical rules in one place.
It sits beside the Winter hub, which keeps sledding, skating, snow days and everything indoors. Here the questions are the resorts': which mountain, which pass, and how to get there.
Start here
Skiing Near Provo is the overview of every resort, with terrain and pass for each. Ski Passes for Utah Valley Families does the Ikon, Epic and local-pass math, and Learning to Ski or Snowboard Near Provo covers first days and lessons.
The resorts, nearest first
Each drive time is OpenStreetMap routing from downtown Provo without traffic, as measured on the resort's own guide. Storm mornings in the canyons can add a great deal more.
- Sundance Mountain Resort: about 20 to 25 minutes up Provo Canyon. Utah County's own mountain, on neither the Ikon nor the Epic Pass.
- Deer Valley: about 51 minutes to the new East Village base, up Provo Canyon and US-40. Skiers only; Ikon days need a reservation.
- Park City Mountain: about 60 minutes to Mountain Village. The Epic Pass mountain, with the family pass math.
- Snowbird: about 64 minutes up Little Cottonwood Canyon. The tram, the big mountain and an honest word for beginners.
- Alta: about 65 minutes up Little Cottonwood Canyon. Skiers only, with weekend parking reservations.
- Solitude: about 76 minutes up Big Cottonwood Canyon. Unlimited on both the Ikon and Ikon Base passes.
- Brighton: about 79 minutes, at the top of Big Cottonwood Canyon. Salt Lake's only night skiing; children 6 and under ski free.
- Snowbasin: about an hour and 45 minutes, above Ogden. The Olympic downhill mountain, with free parking and no reservations.
- Nordic Valley, Powder Mountain, Cherry Peak and Beaver Mountain: about two to three hours north. Northern Utah's small, locally owned hills; the Cache Valley pair make a weekend.
- Eagle Point and Brian Head: about three and a half hours south. Southern Utah's ski weekend, with free skiing for young children.
The canyon rules
Parking reservations. Alta, Brighton and Solitude require them on weekend and holiday mornings, Snowbird mixes free, paid and reservation-only lots, and Park City Mountain's Mountain Village requires them before noon every day. The rules change most seasons, so each resort guide carries the current version.
Traction rules. When the canyon restrictions are on, vehicles need four-wheel or all-wheel drive with proper winter tires, or chains. Little Cottonwood also closes for avalanche control, and there is no gas in the canyon.
No toll yet. UDOT's first phase for the Cottonwood canyons, with winter tolls on the upper canyons and buses every 10 to 20 minutes, is targeted for the fall of 2028.
The buses. UTA's Route 994 runs up Little Cottonwood to Snowbird and Alta, and Route 972 up Big Cottonwood to Solitude and Brighton, free with those resorts' season passes or an Ikon Pass. For reaching the snow without a car, see Sundance and the Ski Resorts Without a Car.
Beyond the resorts
For touring off the lifts, Backcountry Skiing 101 and Cross-Country Skiing Near Provo cover the basics, and the Winter hub has sledding hills, ice rinks and snow-day plans.
Every guide
15 guides sit under this hub, from the resort pages to the pass math.
New this season
The most recently written or updated guides under this hub, by their last edit.
- Alta From Utah Valley: Skiers Only, the Parking Reservations and the Little Cottonwood Rules updated September 30, 2026
- Brighton From Utah Valley: The Night Skiing, the Family Mountain and the 2026-27 Parking Rules updated September 30, 2026
- Deer Valley From Utah Valley: The Expansion, the Price, and When It Is Worth It updated September 30, 2026
- Eagle Point and Brian Head From Provo: Southern Utah's Ski Weekend updated September 30, 2026
- Powder Mountain, Nordic Valley, Cherry Peak and Beaver Mountain: Northern Utah's Small Hills From Utah Valley updated September 30, 2026
- Park City Mountain From Utah Valley: The Epic Pass Math for a Utah County Family updated September 30, 2026
Frequently asked
What is the closest ski resort to Provo?
Sundance Mountain Resort, about 20 to 25 minutes up Provo Canyon. The next closest is Deer Valley's new East Village base, about 51 minutes up Provo Canyon and US-40. Park City Mountain, Snowbird and Alta each run about an hour, and Solitude and Brighton, high in Big Cottonwood Canyon, about an hour and a quarter, all by OpenStreetMap routing without traffic.
Which ski pass should a Utah County family buy?
It depends on which mountains you want. The Ikon Pass covers Solitude, Brighton, Snowbird, Alta, Deer Valley and Snowbasin, with Solitude unlimited even on the cheaper Ikon Base Pass. The Epic Pass covers Park City Mountain. Sundance sells its own passes and is on neither. The full comparison is in Ski Passes for Utah Valley Families.
Do I need a parking reservation to ski?
At most Cottonwood canyon resorts on weekends and holidays, yes: Alta, Brighton and Solitude require reservations on those mornings, Snowbird has reservation-only and paid lots alongside free ones, and Park City Mountain's Mountain Village requires reservations before noon every day. Each resort guide has the details.
Can I take a bus to the ski resorts?
Yes. UTA's Ski Bus Route 994 runs up Little Cottonwood Canyon to Snowbird and Alta, and Route 972 up Big Cottonwood Canyon to Solitude and Brighton. They are free with a season pass to any of those four resorts or an Ikon Pass, and $5 otherwise.
Is there a toll to drive up the Cottonwood canyons?
Not yet. UDOT's first phase for Big and Little Cottonwood canyons, with winter tolls on the upper canyons, buses every 10 to 20 minutes, a transit center and a parking structure, is targeted to begin operating in the fall of 2028.