Deer Valley is the ultimate in any skier’s dream- in fact, its skiers only – and it's posh. Deer Valley is everything you have heard about; rated the #1 resort by Ski Magazine readers for years, four and five diamond lodging, award-winning on-mountain cuisine, ski valets that carry your skis from your car. Its poshness aside, Deer Valley serves up incredible skiing terrain over five separate peaks. The resort even hosted the World Cup aerial and mogul events including the 2002 Olympic Winter Games along with celeb ski events regularly – like the Deer Valley Celebrity Skifest each December. You will feel like a ski star too, because of the 5-star ski services. Deer Valley continues to improve upon its top notch service and perfect snow conditions.
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Salt Lake City International Airport
Deer Valley Resort (45 minutes - 1 hour)
With green trails across 4 of its 5 mountains, beginners will have no trouble finding suitable trails here! Never-evers can start off in beginner area near Snow Park Lodge while Success off the Carpenter Express and Ontario off Quincy Express great long runs for practicing twists and turns. For those looking to take it to the next level, Bandana off Ruby Express is a bit steeper, making it a nice progression trail.
Deer Valley spoils intermediates with ideal steepness and grooming on every mountain peak and chairlift! The best variety of groomed blue runs can be found off the Northside Express. The Sterling Express offers access to tons of challenging runs but beware they get a little icy and moguly later in the day. Of all these runs, nothing is like our favorite, the Jordanelle, a double-blue that's long and fast!
Deer Valley is an expert's dream! The scary steepness of the Daly Chutes will keep experts on their toes while the runs off Empire Express are plenty of fun serving up tons of vertical and fresh powder thanks to its high altitude! If you're a fan of bowls, Empire Bowl and Lady Morning Bowl are not to be missed.
No snowboarders mean snow stays fresher for longer! While Deer Valley isn't the largest resort, freshies don't actually get tracked out easily but you should still consult the daily grooming map before heading out for the ungroomed runs. If you love a bit of tree skiing, our pick for the best spot to find freshies is in the trees at Empire!
The Northside Express is the busiest lift in the resort; avoid it during 10:30am to 2:00pm. Instead, opt for the less crowded areas around Jordanelle Express Gondola, Sultan Express, Mayflower and Lady Morgan Express. For beginners, the Ontario green run gets packed in the afternoon with slow tired skiers so head over to Bandana run instead!
There is not a lot to offer for non-skiers other than snowmobile and snowshoe tours at the resort but off-mountain, there is tubing at Gorgoza Park! Nearby Park City also has a ton of activities and sights, as does Salt Lake City though it's much further away.
Deer Valley is great for families with plenty of easier trails around Flagstaff Mountain. There are also a range of varying difficulty runs that lead back to the Empire Canyon Lodge, making it a perfect spot for families with different abilities to meet up at the end.
| Deer Valley Resort | Alta | |
|---|---|---|
| beginner | 27 % | 25 % |
| intermediate | 41 % | 40 % |
| advanced | 27 % | 35 % |
| expert | 5 % | - |
| total runs | 101 | 116 |
| ski area | 2,026ac | 2,200ac |
| summit elevation | 9,570ft | 10,550ft |
| total lifts | 21 | 11 |
| child lift ticket | $32 | $54 |
| adult lift ticket | $145 | $104 |
