One Trip, Multiple Ski Resorts in Utah

Our adventure began to find the “greatest snow on earth”which lies in the great state of Utah.   Utah’s self proclaimed greatest snow may just have a case after our trip to Brighton and Solitude.   As owners of the famous Ikon pass, we are entitled to visit several resorts in Utah including Snowbird, Alta, Brighton and Solitude.   Being 10 hrs, 679 miles from Los Angeles is a bit of a daunting drive, but with a stop in Las Vegas or St George, the drive really isn’t that bad.   5-6 hours of day of relatively flat driving is pretty simple, it does get a bit hairy in Utah as the snow can definitely become a problem.    Vegas is Vegas so not much to say about that place.  But with covid ravaging America, it isn’t for the covid scared so it’s best to avoid the strip.   Although the casinos currently have indoor mask mandates, this is a half hearted effort considering those with a drink in hand are more than capable of spreading their germs with their masks dangling around their neck.

In St George, you will find all the comforts of a big city including Costco.  But fear not, Salt Lake City also has Costco and is only about 30-40 minutes from the resorts.  Driving in the winter is a bit of a challenge if you don’t have all-wheel drive.   I strongly recommend you consider renting a car on Turo if you don’t think you car can handle it.   The roads are salted and plowed but visibility and ice is still a problem despite all their efforts. 

We landed in Salt Lake City about 5 hrs after departing St George.    We decided on staying on Salt Lake over Cottonwood (a city just 20 minutes from Snowbird, Brighton and Solitude).   Salt Lake had much more to offer in the way good eats, shopping, groceries and the hotels were significantly cheaper.  We stayed at the Hyatt Place which was less than luxurious but the suite provided a good place to rest and a kitchen to cook.   Their free morning breakfast was nothing to brag about but it did fill the bellies.     The Hyatt downtown Salt Lake was about 20 minutes from the shuttles to the mountains and Cottonwood, really not bad.  Our friends stayed at Cottonwood and although they could get to the shuttle stops quicker, they still had to drive there since the walk was rather strenuous.   There are 2 main shuttle stops to take you up to Brighton and Solitude.  Unless you leave very early at about 7-8am, you are looking at very limited parking at Brighton and the shuttle is your only chance.   The shuttle runs about 30 minutes with no traffic but with congestion was a brutal 90 minute ride packed shoulder to shoulder with strangers.  Once again a covid scare point and if you have any reservations about covid, don’t do it.   The skiing was great at both Solitude and Brighton but the lines and parking was a big negative for Brighton so Solitude was our preference.   There are plenty of runs of all sorts at both resorts and having virtually no lines at Solitude made it a clear winner.     One tip, if you don’t figure to ski an entire day, head up to Solitude at around 11am and there will be plenty of parking, be warned that chains or AWD is required and you will get stuck if you aren’t prepared.   Brighton is hit or miss if you will get parking and they do close off the road and turn you away.  If you really have your heart set on Brighton, there is a blue run that connects you from the summit of Solitude to Brighton. 

For the more advanced skier/boarder Snowbird is also just 20 minutes from Cottonwood and 35 minutes from Salt Lake.   We made it to the parking lot then made our way back to Solitude because the parking was terrible, the lines were aong and there were very limited green and blue runs.  The vast majority of the mountain is black single and double diamond runs so it’s only for the advanced.   We never made it to Atla since it was was a skier only resort.

So in a nutshell:
– Utah does not require masks and people are really not masking anywhere except the resort shuttle.   Indoor dining is fully open  and no masks are required. 
– Brighton has great conditions but getting there can be a pain
– Consider the shuttles if you are fully vaccinated and not afraid of covid.  Parking is a challenge unless you are there before opening or a few hours after.   Don’t even think about ignoring the “lot closed” at Brighton because they will turn you away.
– If you don’t have your Ikon pass you can have it printed at both Solitude and Brighton
– Check the conditions at Brian Head (a resort significantly closer to LA) in Utah.   We went there numerous times and kids ski/board for free and when they have snow, the runs and conditions are comparable to the others.   The city is dead so you will need to stock up at Costco in St George before heading there.