What to Expect at Powder Mountain Ski Resort

Want to avoid the crowds on your next Utah ski trip? With 8,464 skiable acres, Powder Mountain is the biggest ski resort in the United States.

It's bigger than Park City and a lot less crowded. Powder Mountain is located a little farther from the action – but still only about 30 minutes from Ogden, Utah.

Most importantly, Powder Mountain only sells 1,500 tickets per day, which means that you'll never deal with long lift lines or congested trails.

I grew up skiing at Powder Mountain and it's still one of my favorite resorts. I've gone back with my kids a few times and this unpretentious resort was just like I remembered it. 

Here's what you can expect at Powder Mountain Resort in Utah.

Home Base

Powder Mountain has a few lodges and parking areas where you can set up a home base for the day.

Timberline Lodge is the highest and largest lodge with the largest parking lot and most two restaurants. It's the only lodge that serves breakfast. You'll have the best access to Powder Mountain's 9 lifts and dozens of trails from Hidden Lake. The Powder Keg is Powder Mountain's signature restaurant with the largest menu and live music. 

Sundown Lodge is a lot smaller, with a restaurant upstairs and rentals downstairs. You'll pass the Sundown parking lot on your way to Hidden Lake. Sundown just has one lift and about 10 trails. Sundown is the only lift open for night skiing.

Hidden Lake Lodge is another small lodge with a lift. It's easy enough to ski down from Hidden Lake to Timberline and pick up other lifts and trails.

If you like lots of lifts and trails, I recommend Timberline Lodge or Hidden Lake Lodge. My son and skied for about 2-3 hours on beginner trails, and never skied the same one twice. We took a big loop from Timberline to Hidden Lake and back to Timberline for lunch. The scenery was spectacular.

If you're skiing with younger children, new skiers or just want to keep things simple, make Sundown your base. It has a good variety of trails. All the trails end at the lodge, so you can give your kids a little space and still see each other regularly. New skiers can gain confidence by sticking with the same trails and lift all day. You'll also find the Tiger Tow for very new skiers. 

Night Skiing

Have you ever tried night skiing at Powder Mountain? Night skiing is available from 3-9 PM every day at the Sundown Lift. Sundown accesses ten lighted trails, nicely balanced between beginner, intermediate and advanced.

The current price of an adult night ticket at Powder Mountain is $30, while the cost of a day ticket is $80. It's even less expensive on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, when additional discounts are available for families and women. Read the “Ways to Save” section below for details. 

I grew up near Ogden, and I basically learned to ski at night because it was so affordable. Powder Mountain and Nordic Valley were our go-to resorts and they are still my favorites because of all the memories I made as a kid. It's fun to make new memories with my own children.

Where to Stay

Powder Mountain and the neighboring town of Eden have a number of vacation rentals to choose from, but not a lot of hotels. Visit Powder Mountain's Lodging page or VRBO.com to see vacation rental options nearby. Click the button to see options at VRBO now. 

If you want more options and amenities, look for hotels in Ogden, Utah. It's one of Utah's biggest cities with easy access to Interstate 15 and other Utah attractions. Ogden is just 30 minutes from Powder Mountain, Snowbasin and Nordic Valley. Click the button below to check rates and availability at TripAdvisor.com.

Getting There

We always drive our own car to Powder Mountain. However, you can get there on UTA's Ski Bus too. It runs 7 days a week and currently costs $4.50 per person each way. 

When you ride the Ski Bus, you don't have to deal with snowy roads, traffic or parking. You can pick up the bus in 7 locations between Ogden and Eden. Service is available from mid-December through the end of March. 

Ways to Save

Powder Mountain offers several discount opportunities for families.

• Kids ages 6 and under and seniors over age 75 ski FREE every day.
• Family Pack – 6 tickets for $72 every Tuesday night. Blackout dates apply.
• Women pay $15 per ticket on Ladies Night every Wednesday. Blackout dates apply.
• Save 35% on day tickets when you show military ID,
• College students save 50% on day and night tickets. Pre-purchase not available. Blackout dates apply.

Blackout dates are the week of Christmas through the New Year, and holiday weekends in January and February. See details at https://www.powdermountain.com/resort/tickets-passes/discounts-and-specials.

Conclusion

Powder Mountain is a fantastic resort for families who want great skiing without the crowds. It's an old-school skiing experience and locals are doing their best to keep it that way for years to come. 

Allison

Hi there! I am the founder of Tips for Family Trips. I am a married mom of two children, ages 14 and 17, living near Salt Lake City, Utah. We took our first child on a two-week road trip when she was four weeks old and we have been traveling as a family ever since. We love to get out of the house to see and do fun things, both far away and in our own neighborhood.