Alta and Snowbird
Ski Resort · Alta, Utah
Two adjoining ski areas at the head of Little Cottonwood Canyon, half an hour from Salt Lake City, sharing a joint pass since 2002 and between them some of the most reliable snow in North America — Alta averages 545 inches a year and is regularly ranked as having the continent's best. Alta runs from 8,530 to 11,068 feet. The thing to know before booking anything: Alta is one of only three ski areas left in the United States that prohibit snowboarding, and it won a lawsuit over it in 2014.
Little Cottonwood Canyon Road, Alta, Utah, United States
⚠ ALTA PROHIBITS SNOWBOARDING — one of only three ski areas left in the United States to do so, upheld when a 2014 lawsuit challenging the ban failed. SNOWBIRD, WHICH ADJOINS IT, PERMITS SNOWBOARDS. The joint Alta-Snowbird pass, offered since 2002, is skiers-only because half of it is Alta, so snowboarders should buy Snowbird's own ticket. Ski season runs roughly late November into spring, with Alta averaging 545 inches of snow a year. ⚠ LITTLE COTTONWOOD CANYON HAS ONE ROAD IN AND OUT and it is subject to winter closures for avalanche control and storms, with traction-device requirements enforced when in effect — CHECK UDOT ROAD CONDITIONS BEFORE DRIVING UP, and take the ski bus from the valley on big snow days. Canyon lodging is very limited and expensive; most visitors stay in Salt Lake City, about 30 minutes away. The Snowbird tram runs in summer for hikers.
Alta and Snowbird on Spottos · Explore more places on Spottos