5 Utah Ski Resorts That Give You The Most Bang For Your Buck
By Catherine Armstrong|Published February 14, 2020
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Catherine Armstrong
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Writer, editor and researcher with a passion for exploring new places. Catherine loves local bookstores, independent films, and spending time with her family, including Gus the golden retriever, who is a very good boy.
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Utah’s snow is legendary, and our resorts offer some of the best skiing terrain in the country, but lift prices can be expensive. We have nothing but love for our Wasatch Front resorts, but you’ll want to plan on shelling out around $100 for a day pass, and prices can be as high as $180+.
If you’re willing to travel a bit farther and ski at a resort with fewer amenities, you can enjoy a day on the slopes without taking out second mortgage. Check out these five ski resorts that will give you the most bang for your buck.
Head to Logan to visit Beaver Mountain. You won't find any high-speed quads here, but four double and triple lifts will take you up the mountain so you can tackle the 48 runs.
The resort includes 828 acres and has a vertical drop of 1,700 feet. For the best views, head up the Harry's Dream lift, which takes you to an elevation of 8,860 feet.
You'll find Brian Head Resort just a few miles north of Cedar City, and it's a hidden gem worth exploring. The resort covers 650 acres and has 71 runs serviced by 8 chair lifts (including 2 high-speed quads) and 2 surface lifts.
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The terrain at Brian Head is perfect for skiers of all abilities: 30% of the runs are rated easy; 35% are more difficult, and 35% are difficult.
The resort is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Night skiing is offered from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. All-day adult passes are just $45 on weekdays and $62 on weekends. Save even more money when you ski at night for just $25.
Cherry Peak is located north of Logan, near the Utah/Idaho border. It's a bit of a drive, but worth it if you enjoy night skiing. Cherry Peak claims to have the most vertical feet of night skiing in the state, with a total 1,221-foot drop.
Adult night skiing passes cost $22 for three lifts, or $29 for all four lifts; day passes on weekends cost $40. This small resort has four lifts and a magic carpet.
Take a drive to the town of Beaver to find Eagle Point Resort. With 650 acres and 40 runs, it's a small resort, but it packs in a lot of cool stuff on its mountain.
Eagle Point has five lifts and a terrain park, and it's at a pretty high elevation. The base of the resort sits at 9,100 feet, and the summit is 10,600 feet. The resort has a vertical drop of 1,500 feet.
The resort is only open Friday through Monday, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Adult all-day passes cost $49 on Friday, $65 on Saturday and Sunday, and $39 on Monday.
Nordic Valley is the smallest resort on our list, covering just 140 acres. It offers three chair lifts and one surface lift that take you to the top of 23 runs.
Nordic Valley is small, but don't be too quick to dismiss it. The resort is a great place for kids to learn, but it also offers nine black diamond runs for expert skiers. The entire resort is open for night skiing from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Visit Nordic Valley seven days a week, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. Kids ages 10 and younger ski free here! Adults pay $50 for a full-day pass, and $37 for night skiing.
Pro tip for skiers all over the state: The window rate for lift tickets is typically a lot higher than if you purchase your ticket in advance online, and that’s true for the Wasatch Front resorts, too. We’ve seen discount rates as high as $67% at some resorts, depending on the day of the week and how far in advance you purchase. Serious skiers purchase season passes (buy during spring/summer months for the best deal), which can bring your daily skiing price down a lot, depending on how many days you ski.
Have you skied any of the resorts on this list? Which is your favorite, and what do you love about it? Tell our readers in the comments!
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