12 Rad Reasons To Visit Snowbasin Ski Resort

Snowbasin Resort is one of ten world class ski resorts in Utah that are within an hour of Salt Lake City airport. In this blog we are highlighting the 12 best things about Snowbasin Ski Resort.

If you are thinking of visiting Utah to ski or snowboard and are having trouble deciding if Snowbasin Ski Resort is the right resort for you, this blog covers all you need to know about Snowbasin Ski Resort and help you plan an epic ski trip.

Snowbasin Resort Is Easily Accessible

Located just 45 minutes north of Salt Lake International Airport, 20 minutes from Ogden, and less than one hour from Park City, choosing to visit Snowbasin Resort means you’ll spend less time traveling and more time on the slopes. 

Nearby Ogden has everything you need for stocking up for your Snowbasin Resort ski trip including Costco, Gear 30, and Alpine Sports. There’s also an REI just 20 minutes south in Farmington and a Trader Joes close to the airport.

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Affordable Places To Stay Near Snowbasin Resort

Airbnb’s near Snowbasin Resort

We chose to stay at an Airbnb while we were here skiing Snowbasin Resort. Airbnbs in Salt Lake are very affordable and many have fun game rooms. We chose this one with a pool table and pinball machines and had a blast!

RV Campground near Snowbasin Resort

If you are traveling through in an RV, I recommend staying at Riverside RV resort. It is right off the freeway, has large sites that are easy to get into with a big rig, close to shopping, and only a 26 minute drive to Snowbasin Resort.

Note for RVers: We had our RVs with us but couldn’t park them by the Airbnb so we left them for 48 hours at this Park and Ride. It’s free but you will get ticketed if you leave it parked longer than 48 hours.

Hotels near Snowbasin Resort

If you want to be able to walk out your hotel and get a beer and pizza at Slackwater, breakfast at Roosters Brewing, or just a delicious cup of coffee at Wasatch Roasting, then stay at Tru by Hilton, Home2Suites by Hilton, or Courtyard by Marriott Ogden.

Best Western Plus Canyon Pines is affordable and is in Weber which is only a 25 minute drive to Snowbasin Resort.

For more of a lodge feel, Alaska Inn and Spa is more in the mountains and only 21 minutes from Snowbasin Resort.

Last, near Ogden Valley, which is only 14 minutes from Snowbasin Resort you can choose between Valley House Inn which has great reviews, or maybe this luxurious 4 bedroom home.

UTA Ski Bus Keeps Life Simple

It’s a pretty easy drive to Snowbasin Resort if you come up from the south on I-84. There’s a ton of parking at Snowbasin Resort and it is free to park there.

If you’d rather not deal with driving mountain roads or want to save money on gas, there are many park and ride locations that are on the UTA Ski Bus Route to Snowbasin Resort. The fare is $5 each way.

In fact, one day, I dropped my 14 year old son off at the bus stop and he went up and skied Snowbasin Resort all by himself. It was so easy and safe.

Dozens of Runs For All Skill Levels

With 111 Runs (one of which, Elk Ridge, is 3 miles long!!) you definitely won’t be bored repeating the same runs all day.

And with 3000 acres of terrain, it will be too easy to find untouched snow if you aren’t a fan of the groomers.

Number of runs at Snowbasin Resort by level:

Beginner: 11
Intermediate: 39
Advanced: 61
Expert: 7

Some of our family prefers riding the powder and others prefer the predictability & speed of the groomers. We loved that you get both at Snowbasin Resort.

There are a lot of big freeway-like runs with some hits on the side so we could ride down as a group and keep everyone stoked.

Beginner Runs at Snowbasin Resort

While we didn’t really get a chance to try out the beginner runs, it looked like there was a huge learning area down at the base.

Intermediate Runs at Snowbasin Resort

I am not an advanced skier, but I do love options. Snowbasin Resort has 39 intermediate runs that criss-cross so it literally feels like a “choose your own adventure book” that I loved reading as a kid.

Advanced Runs at Snowbasin Resort

The double blacks and blacks at Snowbasin Resort are amazing. Advanced skier and riders will love Wildflower Start to Wildflower Downhill, Hollywood, or GrizzlyDownhill. Plus, there is plenty of backcountry powder and trees to weave between off the John Paul Express.

The Gondola Keeps You Warm

Snowbasin has the most advanced lift system in Utah and it was the thing that I actually liked most about skiing Snowbasin.

I get cold easily and being able to ride up in the gondolas made the entire day so much more enjoyable.

The gondolas can be a little annoying because you have to take off your skis, but it is worth it to be warm and get to take your gloves off and relax for the ride.

Fast Lifts

Speedy lifts and pretty much no lift lines (at least mid week), means more time actually on the slopes.

If you are skiing by yourself on a weekend, stay on the upper lifts. Jiraiya skied on the weekend and never had to wait more than a minute to get on the John Paul lift while the line for the Needles Gondola on a weekend was long and slow.

It’s A Great Workout

As an enneagram 8, I love challenge and intensity so the long runs at Snowbasin Resort were a great way to challenge my thighs.

After spending the past month enjoying the Indy Ski Pass, I was shocked & stoked about how long of a ride you can get from the tip top all the way to the base.

Snowbasin Is Huge

I really had no idea how big this resort is until I got there. For the most part that is what you want in a resort, especially if you plan on skiing it multiple days. You really can figure 8 this resort from open to close and have one epic day!

For the first day though, it can be a little overwhelming and I kept worrying that our group was going to get separated since so many runs overlap with one another but take you to different lifts.

Tips for your first day at Snowbasin Ski Resort

Snowbasin Ski Resort has 3 huge areas with the main area being accessed from the Needles Gondola. From the Needles Lodge, the Strawberry Gondola is to the skiers right, and John Paul to the skiers left.

Be sure to check out the Needles Lodge with all its gold trimmings. Side note: Restrooms in the Needles Lodge are downstairs.

Start with the runs under the Needles Gondola. They area great for intermediates and give you a feel for the mountain. Hop on the Porcupine lift though so that you don’t end up back at the base.

After a few laps there you might be getting tired of the crowds. With such a big resort it doesn’t really feel crowded but the snow ends up getting textured & rough quite quickly.

Head over to the Strawberry Gondola by heading left off the Needles Gondola and taking Strawberry Traverse (snowboarders will want to gain some speed here) over to Lower Main Street or any of the runs there will get you to the gondola really.

There is a lot to ski and ride over here if you are intermediate or advanced and the vastness of this area is quite beautiful.

If you are advanced, you’ll want to get over to the John Paul Express next for some great runs as well as great backcountry skiing.

Snowbasin Ski Resort Is Incredibly Beautiful

The views from Snowbasin Resort look out over the Wasatch Range and isn’t nestled so tightly that you can’t get panoramic views. We loved looking out at the surrounding sharp mountain peaks and valley below from the top of the Strawberry Gondola.

For epic 360 degree views, take the Allen Peak Tram over on the John Paul side of Snowbasin Resort.

Great For Speed

With a 3000 foot vertical drop, advanced skiers and riders will love how much speed you can gain. Jiraiya says, “It’s a fun grade if you are comfortable with carving, but if you are still pizza-ing, it will be very annoying. But those good enough to bomb the hill and confident in jumping or spinning, then it will be great.”

As an intermediate rider, I didn’t find it too fast. It’s also a rolling mountain, meaning that though there will be catwalks, there will also be places to slow down and rest your legs, and give you nice flow on your runs.

Friendly Mid-Week Vibe

We skied mid-week as a family and then Jiraiya skied on a Saturday by himself. While he still had a blast, he recommends trying to get out there mid-week when the vibe is a little less intense and competitive.

To me, it was neutral. I like the small resort feel that we get when using the Indy Ski Pass but there was nothing negative about the energy at Snowbasin, it is just a little less personal because it is busy.

Jiraiya’s Pro Tip. Remember to cheer others on and give them confidence in the moves they are trying. That way they will give you the same great vibes and then everyone is happy.

Terrain Parks

Jiraiya also loved the terrain park at Snowbasin Resort and thought they had great fetures.

Between you and me, he really loved them because he was able to get people to cheer him on when he was attempting his jumps and tricks and ofr an enneagram 7, more eyes on you means more fun!

If you head straight down the center of Snowbasin Resort you can hit 2 terrain parks in one long, epic run.

With 3000 acres of terrain, there are infinite possibilities of run combinations you can make.

Whether you are an intermediate skier who loves the piste, an advanced skier or rider who can’t get enough of the moguls or is looking to try new tricks at the terrain parks, or maybe you are a total powder snob (don’t worry Gabi is too), Snowbasin Resort has all of that.

I will definitely want to go back to Snowbasin for the diversity of runs and the warm gondolas.

I hope this inspires you to go ski Snowbasin! Let us know in the comments what you love about Snowbasin resort.