The Utah ski resorts closest to Salt Lake City are Snowbird, Alta, Solitude and Brighton, listed by Ikon at 32 to 37 miles from the airport. Alta, Solitude and Park City plan to open on 20 November 2026, and Snowbird on 27 November. We read Ikon, resort and UTA pages on 14 October 2026.
The eight resorts in one table
Note: Opening dates are from Ikon's tentative opening dates page (last updated 8 October 2026, "subject to change without notice"), Vail Resorts' 18 August 2026 release for Park City, Alta's home page, and a Deseret News report of 7 October 2026. Airport distances are the miles printed on each resort's Ikon page. All read 14 October 2026
| Resort | Pass | 2026-27 opening | Distance from the airport |
|---|---|---|---|
| Park City Mountain | Epic Pass offered on its site | 20 November target (Vail Resorts) | Not confirmed |
| Deer Valley | Ikon. Ski-only per its site | 5 December, tentative | 39 miles (Ikon page) |
| Snowbird | Ikon | 27 November, tentative | 32 miles (Ikon page) |
| Alta | Ikon. Ski-only | 20 November, also on Alta's site "conditions permitting" | 37 miles, 45 minutes (Ikon page) |
| Brighton | Ikon | "TBA" on Ikon's list | 36 miles (Ikon page) |
| Solitude | Ikon | 20 November, tentative | 34 miles (Ikon page) |
| Snowbasin | Ikon, per its site and Ikon's dates list | 27 November, tentative | Not confirmed |
| Powder Mountain | Not confirmed | 11 December, per Deseret News, not the resort | Not confirmed |
Opening dates depend on snow and can change. Brighton's own page gave no date, and Powder Mountain's site did not load for us, so the Powder date comes from the news report only.
Alta or Snowbird
Note: Ikon's Snowbird page (read 14 October 2026): "Ikon Pass holders can access both Snowbird and Alta with their 7 days in Little Cottonwood Canyon." Alta's mountain policy page (read 14 October 2026): "Alta is a skier's mountain. Snowboarding is not allowed"
If you ski, you can use both on one Ikon day. If you snowboard, you cannot use Alta. Alta plans to open first, on 20 November, and Snowbird a week later, on 27 November. We did not compare terrain, difficulty or snowfall, since we read no official numbers for them.
Deer Valley's site says "Deer Valley is a ski-only resort", so it is also closed to snowboarders.
Which one to pick
-
You hold an Ikon Pass: Alta, Snowbird, Solitude, Brighton, Deer Valley or Snowbasin all appear on Ikon's pages. Ikon's page for Snowbird gives the 7-day figure for Little Cottonwood Canyon. We did not read day counts for the other resorts.
-
You hold an Epic Pass: Park City Mountain.
-
You snowboard: Skip Alta and Deer Valley.
-
You want the earliest open date: Alta, Solitude and Park City plan for 20 November.
-
You want the shortest listed airport distance: Snowbird at 32 miles, then Solitude at 34, Brighton at 36, and Alta at 37 miles.
The UTA ski bus
Note: UTA's Ski Service page (read 14 October 2026): resorts served are Solitude and Brighton, Snowbird and Alta, Snowbasin, Powder Mountain and Sundance. "Service typically begins in late November or early December" and runs into late March or April, "depending on each resort's schedule". One way is $5. Pay with the Transit app, a tapped pass or cash, with exact change. Ski Bus service is included with resort season passes, Ikon Passes and Super Passes bought through Visit Salt Lake
The UTA page lists no route numbers or times for 2026-27. Alta's ski bus page still showed last season's plan, which ran from 5 December 2025 to 12 April 2026. We treat these as last year's pattern only:
-
Route 994 ran from Historic Sandy Station to Alta every 30 minutes, 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
-
CS1 ran from the Midvale Fort Union TRAX station to Alta, in the morning and evening.
-
CS2 ran from the 6200 South Wasatch park-and-ride to Alta.
The route numbers, hours and start dates for 2026-27 are not confirmed. Check rideuta.com before you plan around a bus. For Park City, its page mentions "Park City's robust free transit system". We did not check the link from Salt Lake City to Park City.
Little Cottonwood Canyon tire rules
Note: UDOT's traction law page for the Cottonwood Canyons (read 14 October 2026; the page shows no date, and UDOT announced the rules on 13 November 2025): when the beacons outside the canyons are flashing, "vehicles visiting Big or Little Cottonwood Canyon must have at least 5/32 inch tread depth on their tires." At those times AWD or 4WD needs M+S or M/S tires on all wheels. 2WD needs 3PMSF tires on all wheels, or traction devices on at least two drive wheels. "The new restrictions allow UDOT to put requirements in place 24 hours before a storm begins"
UDOT says officers work the morning uphill and evening downhill traffic when the traction lights are on. For a rental car, UDOT says to look for a sticker inside the front windshield. It also says Enterprise, Alamo and National offer "Guaranteed AWD" classes. If you ride the bus, the tire rules do not apply to you. We did not check the 2026-27 sticker program.
What we checked and what can change
Checked on 14 October 2026: Ikon's opening dates page (updated 8 October 2026) and its Snowbird, Alta, Solitude, Brighton and Deer Valley pages. The home pages of Alta, Snowbird, Brighton, Solitude, Deer Valley, Snowbasin and Park City Mountain. UTA's Ski Service page, Alta's ski bus page, Alta's policy page, UDOT's traction law page, Vail Resorts' 18 August 2026 release and a Deseret News article of 7 October 2026.
Not confirmed: Brighton's opening date, Powder Mountain's date from the resort itself, Powder Mountain's pass, the airport distance for Park City, Snowbasin and Powder Mountain, the 2026-27 ski bus routes and hours, the Salt Lake City to Park City bus link, and the 2026-27 tire sticker program. Dates change with snow, so check each resort's report before you book.
