My husband, 5 year old daughter and I are planning a ski trip to Utah during the last week of March possibly going into the beginning of April. We went skiing in Utah for the first time in Feb. 2012 and skied at both Alta and Park City. This year we were hoping to stay in Park City because the children's ski program seems better and because there is more going on in terms of restaurants, etc. My concern is that there won't be enough snow in Park City. How have conditions been thus far, and should we be worried? If we stay in Park City and there isn't enough snow is it possible to drive to Alta and Snowbird? Any recommendations on places to stay in the Alta area, or anywhere else that is at a higher altitude and likely to have more snow.
Need Advice Skiing in Utah last week of March
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It is definitely possible to stay in Park City and drive to Alta. But The Canyons and Deer Valley ski areas are within 10 minutes of PPC, so you wouldn't need to drive all the way to Alta.
The first time we skied Utah was spring break, the first week of April. We stayed in Park City but never skied there. There was so little snow it wasn't worth it. We drove to Snowbird, Alta, or Solitude each day. It is not a bad drive when the weather is god, but we wished we had chosen to stay at Snowbird instead. (Nightlife is not important to us and most nights we cook in our condo instead of going out.)
Alta is our favorite place to ski. We were there the last week of March last year and it was fantastic. It is now connected with Snowbird so you can ski both. I believe Snowbird has an excellent children's ski program.
You might also look into Solitude, which is high in altitude. They have built a small village at the base so there are more shops, etc. than at Snowbird and Alta.
I generally spend a week in Park City during the first or second week of March. Many times the second week is marginal. The higher slopes are OK but the base is a problem. I would say that it would be very Iffy for snow conditions in late March/early April. Good luck
Park City will have snow - but the quality - especially at lower elevation near the base, could be sloppy depending on temperatures while you're there. Stick to higher parts of the resorts, and north facing slopes, and you should be fine. While all three have at least some north facing terrain, most of deer valley's slopes face north. Of course you won't know until the time comes, but there are plenty of years when conditions remain outstanding late into the season.
Alta, Snowbird, Solitude and Brighton are all (relatively) easy day trips - all less than an hour's drive from Park City. The only time the drive becomes treacherous or takes longer is during a storm, in which case there hopefully is no need to leave the Park City area anyway.
One other thing to keep in mind - Deer Valley's Silver Lake and Empire Villages are located mid mountain at 8k feet, the same base elevation as both Solitude and Snowbird. The lodging can be pricey, but it's also only ten minutes from downtown Park City for dining and nightlife.
The snow is almost always better in the Cottonwood Canyons. But PC is better for restaurant availability, shopping etc. As for kids ski programs, Brighton is AWESOME!!! That's where my kids have learned to ski.
So you could stay at Solitude and ski Brighton and Solitude. There are a few restaurants--better option if you want to eat in your condo.
You could stay at Snowbird which has a good kids ski program, several restaurants and you can still go to Alta.
Or you could stay in Park City with more to do and drive different places. But if you are going to drive around, then save yourself a TON of money and stay in Salt Lake and then you are only 30-45 minutes from any place you want to ski. And there are lots of restaurants. We had to evacuate our house when we put in new wood floors and we stayed at the Mariott Residence Inn on 300 South and 300 West--lots of great places to eat within walking distance. Plus if the 5 yo needs a break--the Childrens Museum is just down the street.