Deer Valley Resort: the Best Family Skiing in Utah
Deer Valley Resort: the Best Family Skiing in Utah
If you’ve loved skiing since dinosaurs roamed the earth, chances are you’re keen to pass on that passion to your little’uns.
And while many of Utah’s ski resorts offer family-friendly packages, it’s Deer Valley Resort that consistently delivers fun for the whole crew.
Despite Deer Valley Resort’s reputation for five-star service both on- and off-slope, it’s far from stuffy. Children of all ages are warmly welcomed and well catered to, making for the best family skiing in Utah.
Plus, Deer Valley’s just a stone’s throw from Park City Mountain Resort.
When Is the Best Time to Ski Deer Valley?
The first North American ski resort to offer top-shelf service, Utah’s Deer Valley is also home to seemingly endless powder, an award-winning ski school, not to mention an average of 300 inches annual snowfall.
The best time to ski Deer Valley Resort is between Christmas and March; January, February and March deliver both excellent snowfall totals and attractive lodging deals.
Christmas is a magical time at Deer valley with plenty on offer including sleigh rides and festive feasts. As Utah welcomes in the New Year, you’ll typically find cooler temperatures, good snow falls and the holiday crowds beginning to thin out. February provides a well-developed snow base and consistent snow totals and Deer Valley in March spells clear skies, spring in the air and lots of slope-side fun.
Is Deer Valley Resort Right for my Kids?
In addition to offering the best family skiing in Utah, skiers-only Deer Valley Resort marries five-star treatment with runs to suit multiple generations.
Are your children new to skiing? Deer Valley provides three magic carpets to ferry them up the beginner slope. There they’ll find small cones, hoops, and obstacles to help build confidence in basic navigation and turning on skis.
Deer Valley’s award-winning kids ski instruction caters for 3 to 18 year old’s and comes by way of small classes and good teacher-student ratios.
Many of Deer Valley’s runs offer various ways down. This allows you to ride the lifts as a family unit, split according to your skiing ability, then meet at the bottom to experience it all over again. To keep the kids amused the resort also offers a Children’s Adventure Area Map featuring kid-friendly zones with plenty of hideouts, bumps, and courses.
Of course, if your kids have been skiing since before they could walk, more challenging terrain can be found both on and off-piste. The resort also boasts NASTAR ski racing for pint-sized daredevils, the largest recreational programme of its kind in the world.
Deer Valley Resort for Different Levels of Ski-ability
From newbies to seasoned powder hounds, Utah’s Deer Valley Resort always delivers.
Deer Valley for Beginners: Thanks to Deer Valley’s beginner-friendly layout, novice skiers can access five of the resort’s six mountains, with a green run from virtually every lift.
When you’re a dab hand at all the green runs Deer Valley has to offer, the resort’s transition to blue is very gentle, with room to practice your turns on the wide, well-groomed terrain.
Deer Valley for Intermediates: A whopping 41% of Deer Valley runs are designated intermediate. With pristine trails groomed daily, ski terrain doesn’t come more perfect.
If you’re new to the intermediate game, start at Little Baldy – it’s shorter, wider runs lead to easier greens. Bald Mountain is intermediate heaven, with pristine blues like Nabob, Keno and Tycoon.
Deer Valley for Experts: Super-star skiers head on over to the left side of Bald Mountain, which is filled with black and double-black terrain. For steeps and expert glades, Ruins of Pompeii into Triangle Trees is your best bet.
Mayflower Bowl, down the ridge from Perseverance, delivers wide, open skiing, plus double-black chutes. Off the Empire Express Lift you’ll also be spoiled for black and double black terrain including moguls, open bowls, chutes and glades.
Other Snow Adventures for Families at Deer Valley Resort
When your family’s had its fill of carving down the slopes, it’s time for some off-piste winter adventuring.
Snowmobiling delivers both an adrenaline rush and stunning views of the Wasatch. Plus, some companies let kids ride for free when accompanied by a paying adult.
Get rugged up with the whole crew and hop on a horse-drawn sleigh. The family-friendly evening offers beautiful horses and impressive vistas and can be combined to include a fire-cooked meal,.
Park City Ice Arena is mere minutes away from Deer Valley. Enjoy a low-fuss activity for the whole family – simply rug up, strap on some hire skates, and hit the ice. (Not literally, we hope.)
Vacation Deals for Deer Valley Resort
Deer Valley Resort, for families and couples, has three lodging areas, each with a small village featuring restaurants, cafes, shops, and ski hire.
If it’s ski-in, ski-out you’re after, check out Stein Eriksen. Located at Silver Lake Village, the five-star hotel offers fine dining, a full concierge service, valet parking, free shuttle, and 24-hour room service.
Montage Deer Valley is located atop Empire Pass, amongst the forested slopes. Like Stein Eriksen, Montage also enjoys ski-in, ski-out access, plus an indoor bowling alley, the largest spa in Utah and five different dining options.
Just a short shuttle to Deer Valley Resort, both The Chateaux and The Lodges at Deer valley are super family-friendly accommodations.