Alta is the powder mecca of North America: a skier-only mountain founded by the US Forest Service in 1938, hidden at the top of Little Cottonwood Canyon, buried under 14 meters of snow a year. The lodges are deliberately old-school, the locals divide themselves between Wildcat and Sunnyside, and snowboards have never been welcome.
Run counts and piste kilometres are indicative. Green runs only exist in France, Spain, Andorra, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Japan, the United States, Morocco, Algeria, Lesotho, South Africa, Egypt, Canada, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand; Italy, Austria, Switzerland and Germany start at blue. Indicative average snow depth near the top of the resort, in cm.
A handful of well-rated hotels in and around the resort. Pick one, then compare live prices across Booking, Expedia and Hotels.com.
Very good · 423 reviews
Strong value for Alta, with a high guest rating that punches above its nightly price.
Guests rate this hotel as very good (4.4/5 from 423 reviews). It sits about 600 m from the slopes. A mid-range option for Alta, with live nightly rates shown for your exact dates so you always see the best price.
Excellent · 159 reviews
One of the highest-rated places to stay in Alta, with guests singling out the service and comfort.
Ratings from Google, prices indicative per night. Live availability and rates via our booking partners.
Almost every lodge at Alta is ski-in/ski-out by default, since the resort is essentially a string of small hotels along the road at the canyon head. Rustler Lodge, Alta Lodge, Snowpine Lodge and the Goldminer's Daughter all sit on snow, with no need for a car once you arrive.
Alta is the closest thing to a religion the American ski industry has produced. Founded in 1938 by the US Forest Service after the silver-mining boom collapsed, it became one of the first resorts in the country and has stayed faithful to its original idea: skis only, no flash, deep snow, deep loyalty. The mountain divides naturally into two sides, Wildcat and Sunnyside, and the local rivalry between regulars who orbit one or the other has its own folklore. Honeycomb Canyon delivers some of the most committing inbounds terrain in the United States, with steep wind-loaded entries above tight tree runs. Annual snowfall sits in the same league as Snowbird next door, north of 14 meters, and an interconnect lift now links the two domains for skiers who buy the AltaSnowbird pass. The base is a string of low-frills lodges, including the Rustler Lodge, the Alta Lodge and the rebuilt Snowpine Lodge, which all feel more like ski bunkhouses than five-star hotels. Service is friendly, beds are basic, the bar is loud, and the price you pay for all that is leaving the snowboard at home. Alta suits powder hounds, ski purists and anyone who comes for the snow rather than the scene.
Hotels and apartments around the lifts. Compare prices on Booking, Expedia and Hotels.com.
Alta offers 175 km of pistes across 9 lifts, from 2,613 m to 3,358 m. Whether it suits beginners depends on the dedicated learner zones at the base of the slopes, so check the local ski-school options for green and blue run access.
The season runs from Nov 23 to Apr 27, with a snow score of 97/100. The best conditions are usually from late January through February, while spring skiing in March and April brings longer days and softer afternoons.
Almost every lodge at Alta is ski-in/ski-out by default, since the resort is essentially a string of small hotels along the road at the canyon head. Rustler Lodge, Alta Lodge, Snowpine Lodge and the Goldminer's Daughter all sit on snow, with no need for a car once you arrive.
Alta has 175 km of marked pistes served by 9 lifts, between 2,613 m and 3,358 m of altitude.
Alta counts about 116 marked runs in total. The colour breakdown above shows how they split by difficulty, a good guide to whether the resort fits your level.
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