In this guide
Snowbird is the first resort you reach in Little Cottonwood Canyon and the biggest vertical drop near Salt Lake: 3,240 feet from Hidden Peak to the base. Two thirds of the terrain is rated advanced. It allows snowboarding, it has the tram, and it wears people out by lunch if they ski it the way they would ski a smaller mountain.
By the numbers
| Average snowfall | 500″ |
| Vertical | 3,240 ft |
| Base and peak | 7,760 ft and 11,000 ft |
| Skiable acres | 2,500 |
| Runs | 149 |
| Terrain | 8% beginner, 26% intermediate, 66% advanced |
| Lifts | 14, including the Aerial Tram |
Figures are Snowbird’s, as reported through Ski Utah and its own lift report.
Who it suits
Advanced skiers and riders, and strong intermediates who are ready for long runs. It is not a good place to learn: 8 percent of the terrain is beginner. If your group includes someone new to skiing, Brighton is the better day.
How the mountain is laid out
Snowbird divides its trail report into three areas, and it helps to think of the mountain the same way.
- Peruvian Gulch is the side above the Snowbird Center. The Aerial Tram climbs it to Hidden Peak at 11,000 feet, and the Peruvian lift runs up the gulch beside it. Chip’s Run is the intermediate way down from the top.
- Gad Valley is the larger side to the west, with the most lifts: Gadzoom, Gad 2, Mid-Gad, Wilbere and Little Cloud. Most of the groomed intermediate skiing is here, along with the wide green run Big Emma. The beginner lifts, Baby Thunder and Chickadee, are at the bottom.
- Mineral Basin is the back side, over the ridge, served by the Mineral Basin and Baldy lifts. You reach it from Hidden Peak or through the Peruvian Tunnel, a conveyor through the mountain from the top of the Peruvian lift.
Some terrain sits behind gates that patrol opens after avalanche work: the Cirque Traverse, High Baldy, Road to Provo, the Gad 2 boundary and Mineral Basin itself. Snowbird’s lift and trail report shows each one, and has a line that answers the morning’s most common question: is Mineral open.
A first three days
Day one: Gad Valley. Start on Gadzoom and stay on the groomed runs. The runs are long, so count them rather than the hours. Move up to Little Cloud once your legs are warm and the light is good.
Day two: Peruvian and the tram. Ride the Peruvian lift first, then take the tram once and ski Chip’s Run top to bottom without rushing. It tells you honestly how you are skiing. If Mineral Basin is open and the wind is light, go through the tunnel and ski a lap there, and know how you are getting back before you drop in.
Day three: the gated terrain. If you are comfortable on everything so far, this is the day for the Cirque Traverse or Road to Provo when they open. Look at what is below a gate before you go through it.
Mistakes to avoid
- Lapping the tram all morning. Each lap is a long line and 3,000 feet of skiing. Two or three is a lot for a first day.
- Going to Mineral Basin in wind. It is open and exposed, and getting back out depends on lifts that can go on wind hold.
- Waiting out a tram wind hold. The chairlifts in Gad Valley and Peruvian Gulch often keep running when the tram stops. Go and ski.
- Treating a traverse as a shortcut. The Cirque Traverse is narrow and leads only to steep terrain.
Parking this season
Most parking at Snowbird is free and first come, first served, which makes it the only Cottonwood resort you can drive to on a weekend morning without a reservation. The free lots fill, so arrive early. There are carpool-only spaces for cars with three or more, and you can pay to reserve a space in a few lots. New this season, the Upper Gad Valley Lot is reservation only, and season passholders get one free rolling reservation there.
Lot names and details are in the parking, traction law and ski bus guide. Snowbird’s own page is here.
Getting there
Snowbird is partway up the Little Cottonwood road, below Alta. The road closes for avalanche control during and after storms, so check UDOT before you leave. The UTA ski bus stops at Snowbird and is included with resort season passes and the Ikon Pass.
Alta is next door and connects by gate on a combined Alta-Bird ticket; see the Alta guide. For the choice between canyons, see LCC vs BCC.
Checked October 2026 against Snowbird’s lift, trail and parking pages and Ski Utah’s resort statistics.