6 Best Hotels in Side Trips from Salt Lake City, Utah

Alta Lodge

$$$$ | 10230 E. Hwy. 210, UT, 84092, USA

Many families have been booking the same week each year for several generations at this low-key but stylish 1939 lodge that's home to the famed Sitzmark Club bar as well as saunas and hot pools, which are set against a 30-foot wall of windows, to help you work out the kinks after a day on the slopes. The dining room is open daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner in winter and with limited weekend hours in summer, and a number of dining packages are available. Budget travelers can opt for a bed in one of the shared dorm rooms.

Pros

  • Steps from lift to Alta's steep slopes
  • Magnificent Wasatch Mountain views
  • Breakfast and dinner included during ski season

Cons

  • Not many amenities for the price
  • No TVs in guest rooms
  • Four-night minimum stay in high ski season
10230 E. Hwy. 210, UT, 84092, USA
801-742–3500
hotel Details
57 rooms
Rate Includes: Closed mid-Apr.–May and early Oct.–mid-Nov., All-Inclusive

Quick Facts

Alta's Rustler Lodge

$$$$ | 10380 E. Hwy. 210, UT, 84092, USA

Alta's sleekest lodge is a contemporary, full-service hotel with warmly decorated guestrooms and seating areas and exceptional views of the slopes. Rates include breakfast and dinner, and amenities include an outdoor pool and indoor and outdoor Jacuzzis.

Pros

  • Plush full-service spa
  • Adjacent to Alta's ski lifts
  • Superb, unpretentious service

Cons

  • Avalanches are rare, but you could get snowed in
  • Pricey, especially for a family
  • Four-night minimum stay during ski season
10380 E. Hwy. 210, UT, 84092, USA
801-742–4200
hotel Details
85 rooms
Rate Includes: Closed late Apr.–mid-Nov., All-Inclusive

Quick Facts

Silver Fork Lodge

$$ | 11332 E. Big Cottonwood Canyon Rd., UT, 84121, USA

Log furniture and wood paneling give the rooms in the cozy and rustic 1940s ski lodge just down the road from Solitude and Brighton a warm and inviting feel; the views are unbeatable and the food in the excellent restaurant is a major attraction year-round (you can dine on the patio in summer). Service is attentive, but not overbearing.

Pros

  • Popular on-site restaurant
  • Full breakfast included
  • Free shuttle to ski lifts

Cons

  • Not ski-in, ski-out
  • No in-room phones or TVs
  • Three-night minimum during ski season
11332 E. Big Cottonwood Canyon Rd., UT, 84121, USA
801-533–9977
hotel Details
6 rooms, 1 suite
Rate Includes: Free Breakfast

Quick Facts

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Snowpine Lodge

$$$$ | 10420 E. Hwy. 210, UT, 84092, USA Fodor's Choice

The level of luxury that's commonplace in Park City (along with the lofty prices to go with it), arrived in Alta in 2019 with the opening of this ultraposh slopeside retreat built using timber and stone from the original lodge on the site, and featuring a glamorous full-service spa with a heated outdoor pool, a swanky restaurant and hip gastropub, and stylishly kitted rooms and suites, many with mountain-view balconies.

In honor of Alta's ski-bum heritage, Snowpine has 19 economical dorm-style bunk rooms with shared bath facilities—but they book up fast.

Pros

  • Steps from ski lifts
  • Excellent on-site restaurants
  • Gorgeous full-service spa

Cons

  • Multinight minimum stay during busy times
  • Some might find it a bit glitzy for laid-back Alta
  • Steep rates (with no meals included)
10420 E. Hwy. 210, UT, 84092, USA
801-742–2000
hotel Details
63 rooms
Rate Includes: No Meals

Quick Facts

The Cliff Lodge

$$$$ | 9320 Cliff Lodge Dr., UT, 84092, USA

The stark concrete walls of this 10-story structure, designed to complement the surrounding granite cliffs, enclose a self-contained ski-in, ski-out village with restaurants, bars, shops, and a high-end, two-story spa. Every window has a great view, and rooms are decorated in hues matching the mountain landscape. In addition to a heated pool and three hot tubs, the luxurious Cliff Spa has a rooftop lap pool and numerous treatment rooms. There's a day care facility here as well.

Pros

  • Central Snowbird ski village location
  • Nice rooftop spa
  • Several eateries and bars on site

Cons

  • Stark, monolithic design isn't to every taste
  • Furnishings are a bit dated
  • Huge property that can feel impersonal
9320 Cliff Lodge Dr., UT, 84092, USA
801-933–2222
hotel Details
511 rooms
Rate Includes: No Meals

Quick Facts

The Inn at Solitude

$$$ | 12000 Big Cottonwood Canyon Rd., UT, 84121, USA Fodor's Choice

Enjoy ski-in, ski-out convenience and VIP treatment at this well-appointed hotel with comfortable and spacious rooms and a slew of creature comforts, including an atmospheric bar, a lovely spa with a range of treatments, and an outdoor heated pool and hot tub. Self-parking is complimentary.

Pros

  • Steps from lifts and ski village dining
  • Outdoor heated pool and full-service spa
  • Dazzling mountain views

Cons

  • Social butterflies may find it a bit quiet
  • Breakfast not included
  • No pets
12000 Big Cottonwood Canyon Rd., UT, 84121, USA
385-282–7155
hotel Details
46 rooms
Rate Includes: Closed May–mid-June and mid-Oct.–Nov., No Meals

Quick Facts