How to get there

Where is Alta Ski Resort?Alta ski area is located in the Wasatch Mountain Range in the Little Cottonwood Canyon, Utah (State Highway 210). Alta is only a 45 minute drive from Salt Lake City and its international airport.

Other Ski Resorts Nearby Snowbird ski resort is “next door” just a couple of kilometres away in the same canyon. Many other Utah ski resorts are less than an hour away. These include those in Big Cottonwood Canyon (Solitude Ski Resort and Brighton Ski ResortTra), and those around Park City (Park City Mountain Resort, The Canyons, Deer Valley). Powder Mountain and Snowbasin are about 2 hours away.

Trvael To Alta By air: Salt Lake City is a major airline hub, so there are numerous flights into Utah. Many companies provide ground transportation from the airport to Alta, which is a great option if Alta is your only destination. If you want to sample various Utah ski resorts, hiring a car would be very handy but not essential.

By car: From downtown and the airport go east on I-80, south on I-215, take 6200 South exit (turns into Wasatch Blvd) and then follow the signs to Alta and Snowbird. Little Cottonwood Canyon is very avalanche prone, so sometimes it is closed for avalanche control. Up to date road information is provided on the radio station AM 530.

By bus: If staying in Salt Lake City hotels you can take the Utah Transit Authority light rail (UTA TRAX) from downtown and transfer to a UTA ski bus. They have frequent pick-ups from multiple stops around the city including 10 different hotels, and it is incredibly cheap - $6 round-trip. The only downside depending upon where you’re staying is that on Sundays, TRAX doesn't run from downtown until after 10 am, so on a powder day you can call a cab to take you to a ski bus stop. There are also park-and-ride stops at the entrance to the canyon where you catch the UTA buses.

Another alternative to get to Alta is to use a private transportation service such as Canyon Hop. A return trip costs $45 per person with an 8am pick-up.  Canyon Hop will also get you over to Solitude Ski Resort and Brighton Ski Resort in Big Cottonwood Canyon, or to Park City, or Snowbasin which is a little north.

The lodges provide overnight parking, and there are two day-parking lots. The Wildcat base parking is better for intermediate and advanced skiers, whilst the 2nd parking lot at the Albion base is most suited to beginners.

Getting Around Alta Alta has a free white shuttle bus that makes continuous loops between the bases and along the road to the condos. To get to Snowbird you can either ski over, or catch the UTA bus. Some of the lodges also provide their own shuttle services.