Alta Lodges
The five traditional Alta ski lodges are an important component of the
Alta ski resort experience and history. Most of them are not super luxurious, but are very comfortable, incredibly sociable and have a culture of class about them. The people that stay in the lodges often return each year, and are unpretentious and very friendly.
Alta lodging is not really expensive but it’s not suited to those on a budget vacation considering that gourmet multi-course feasts are included in the package. One of the advantages of the provided meals is the opportunity to meet new and interesting people, and listen to Alta folklore.
The Alta lodges are scattered across the base area and are ski-in ski-out, or pretty much close to it. All the lodges are within walking distance of other buildings in the quiet village. Room types vary from dorm rooms to suites. The lodges have facilities such as shuttle buses (around the village e.g. to get to ski school or child care), hot tubs, saunas, lounges, bars and internet access.
It’s just as well that all the lodges have an all-inclusive nature because occasionally they are all on lock-down when the avalanche risk is high. Everyone has to stay inside and the usual camaraderie steps up a notch.
Towards the Snowbird end of the Alta village are various condominiums and vacation homes. Most of them don’t have ski-in ski-out access to Alta, but some are SISO to Snowbird Ski Resort.
In addition to the listings below, you can also look at
Alta accommodation options here.
Cottonwood Heights Hotels
An alternative is to stay at the bottom of Big Cottonwood Canyon in a Cottonwood Heights hotel, where you will find some great value. There are dining options in Cottonwood Heights and surrounding suburbs, so you can choose to dine locally or go downtown to Salt Lake City.
Cottonwood Heights is:
You can also look at
Cottonwood Heights lodging options here.
Midvale Hotels & Suites
Midvale is just a little further on from Cottonwood heights and also has some great value accommodations on offer. There is a Park and Ride bus stop at Midvale Fort Union Station to get to the ski resorts.
You can also look at more
Midvale lodging options here.
Alta / Snowbird Hotels & Other Lodging
On-mountain Alta lodging is available in the sleepy village of
Alta Utah where the mainstay of accommodation is a handful of ski lodges, or you can stay in condos or vacation homes. Alternatively there is
Snowbird lodging at the interlinked Snowbird ski resort next door. If budget is a priority or you wish to have flexibility to ski many of the Salt Lake City ski resorts, there is some fabulous off-mountain accommodation options in nearby
Cottonwod Heights,
Midvale &
Salt Lake City itself, all with a 30 to 45 minutes drive.
NB: if you choose to stay off-mountain you take the small risk of road closure up to Alta due to avalanche control work. The roads to other ski resorts in Park City (and possibly Big Cottonwood Canyon) are not likely to be closed, so you can make the most of a powder day at another resort if this occurs.
Salt Lake City Hotels & Lodging
Salt Lake City is located 40 mins drive from Snowbird and 45 mins to Alta. The SLC hotels are inexpensive relative to Alta and Snowbird. Other benefits of staying in Salt Lake City include having access to a range of dining options, nightlife, shopping and non-alpine activities. The obvious disadvantage is the commute to the ski fields, and sometimes after a big storm, the road up the canyon may be closed due to avalanche precautions.
There is SLC lodging to suit every budget; from deluxe to cheap. Accommodations are mainly hotels, motels, and bed and breakfasts, and there also a handful of condos and lodges.
Salt Lake City Hotel Listings
Snowbird Hotels
Snowbird lodging primarily consists of four hotel condo lodges that provide a total of 882 rooms at the base of the
Snowbird Ski Resort. The Snowbird lodges are solidly made of concrete to withstand the risks within the avalanche-prone canyon, so the exteriors have more of an emphasis on functionality rather than attractiveness. All four Snowbird hotels have great amenities and are incredibly conveniently located near the ski lifts, but they won’t suit the budget conscious.
From Snowbird Ski Resort, you can ski to the inter-connected
Alta Ski Resort (skiers only) or catch a shuttle bus.