Mountain Facts - History

In February of 1936, the Salt Lake Junior Chamber of Commerce held "Park City's first winter carnival" on a north-facing hillside at the head of Deer Valley. The Denver and Rio Grande sent a "snow train" up to Park City with more than 500 visitors to join in the festivities of the day.

In 1946, two residents of Park City resolved to build an authentic skiing facility in the area complete with a mechanized ski lift. Bob Burns and Otto Carpenter used homemade wooden towers, surplus mine equipment, and a great deal of ingenuity, they assembled Utah's first lift. Although originally designed as a T-bar lift, they soon converted it to carry chairs and eventually added a second lift for beginners powered by a Ford Model-A engine. Mel Fletcher, who directed the ski school, started a local ski club called Snow Park while Burns and Carpenter operated and kept the lifts of Snow Park running. Their lifts only ran on weekends bringing around 100 skiers a day.

During the 1970s the Royal Street Land Company acquired the rights to develop Deer Valley in 1975 and within a year unveiled a proposal for a six-phase project to accommodate 12,000 skiers. The development not only included the original Snow Park, but also Bald Mountain, Flagstaff Mountain, and Empire Canyon.

Deer Valley resort opened in December 1981 with five chairlifts and thirty trails. It included the Snow Park and Silver Lake lodge along with the "Burns" and "Carpenter" lifts. Today, Deer Valley has 3 lodges – Empire Pass, Snow Park and Silver Lake and the most lifts of any resort in Utah with 21. In 2009, Deer Valley was ranked as the #1 ski resort in North America for customer service for the third year in a row.

Lifts, Trails & Lodges

Download the Deer Valley trails map (PDF) »

Empire Pass Lodge

Located in Empire Pass, the Empire Lodge is the newest facility in Deer Valley. It was completed in 2001 and provides guests with a place to have lunch and take a break from skiing either on the back deck or around one of several fireplaces.

Ski Conditions

Get up-to-date ski conditions Deer Valley is a north facing mountain. This means that when the snow falls it collects on the face and the sun doesn't hit it directly so it lasts much longer than some other resorts. Deer Valley also has snow making machines all the way up the mountain. As a result, Deer Valley consistently has some of the best groomed and covered trails of any resort in Utah.

Groomers

It is called Deer Valley "corduroy" because of the extensive grooming that is done across the majority of Deer Valley's trails. Deer Valley has some of the best groomed conditions is North America and whether you access the mountain from Snow Park or Empire Pass there is always a way to get to the lift on a groomed trail. The groomers at Deer Valley are designed to meet the needs of someone who has never skied before all the way up to the most aggressive skier. The local's choice for best groomer is Legal Tender off the Sterling Express and Wasatch chairs.

Powder and Trees

Though Deer Valley is known for its groomed trails, it also has some of the best tree and powder skiing in the Wasatch Mountains. When the snow comes you can head up into the trees off Empire Express chair and Orion you can find some of the best tree and powder skiing on the Wasatch back. The local's choice for best tree and powder skiing at Deer Valley is on Bald Mountain where you can carve up the Aspen groves under the Mayflower chair and on a blue bird day the views of Jordanelle Reservoir are pretty spectacular.

Beginner Terrain

At the Snow Park Lodge there are 2 or 3 chairs that give beginners access to some great started slopes. All the trails are groomed and designed with an aspiring skier in mind so there is nothing too challenging off of the Burns and Snowflake chairs and Carpenter Express has nice green runs as well.

Other Amenities

Transportation

The Park City bus system is free and runs regularly during resort hours. The bus will drop you off right at the base of Snow Park Lodge and you can walk right up to the lift. If you are staying at a lodging property in town you should inquire about free shuttle services either offered by the lodge or other service providers.

Ski Rentals

You can have your equipment delivered to you in the comfort of your lodging and leave it at Deer Valley in the complimentary overnight ski check. Just call Skis on the Run and you can have equipment from – Volkl, Nordica, K2, Salomon, Rossignol, Blizzard, Atomic or Dynastar. They also provide rental clothing, helmets, radios and other accessories in case your luggage was lost or you forgot anything. Prices are comparable to a traditional rental shop and everything is brought to you. If you have any problems Skis on the Run will meet at the base of the mountain or where ever is most convenient for you, usually within 30 minutes. When you are done skiing simply call us and we will come pick up the equipment either at your lodging or where ever is most convenient for you.

Prices – Lift Tickets & Ski School

*There are no more than 4 adults in the class. Morning session is for first timers through advanced beginner and the afternoon is for all levels.

Deer Valley also offers day care options for parents. Children from the age of 2 months up to 12 years old can have access to Deer Valley's licensed day care facility. The facility is located at Snow Park Lodge is open from 8:30am until 4:30pm. The cost per child is $104 per day.