Colorado vs. Utah: Which State Should You Choose for a Ski Trip?
It might be easy to put two mountains side by side and compare them. But let’s say you have a week or two to spare and you want to check out an entire region? Enter the Rocky Mountain states of Utah and Colorado.
Colorado and Utah are two of the most popular destinations for skiing in the world, boasting multiple top-of-the-line resorts with a wide variety of experiences. But even with so much variety, there are still a couple of notable distinctions between the two regions. In this piece, we’ll break down what you can generally expect from the ski resorts in each of these states, the pros and cons of the regions, and why you might want to choose one over the other.
Snow Quality
Advantage: Utah
While both Colorado and Utah boast strong snowfall totals at every destination resort, Utah takes the edge in this category thanks to unprecedented accumulation quality at its best resorts.
Utah’s destinations can essentially be broken into two sub-regions: the Cottonwoods, and not the Cottonwoods. The Big and Little Cottonwood Canyon ski resorts have much higher snow totals and better snow quality than the other Utah destinations, seeing accumulation so good that one could argue it’s the best in all of North America. On the other hand, Colorado resorts experience much more similar snow quality to one another. In a typical season, every destination in the state enjoys very good snow with relatively frequent powder days. They’re not as consistent as the best Utah resorts, but typical guests won’t be disappointed with the experience.
Outside the Cottonwoods, Utah’s resorts receive very similar snow totals to the Colorado mountains. Accumulation is slightly drier than that of Colorado resorts at these non-Cottonwoods mountains; however, snow retention is arguably bit worse due to lower elevation footprints.
Utah’s Big and Little Cottonwood Canyon resorts, including Alta, Snowbird, Brighton, and Solitude, are really hard to beat for both snow quality and quantity.
Reliability
Slight Advantage: Utah
When it comes to resort reliability, both regions are very strong choices. If you’re booking a trip between February and mid-March, you can expect the full mountain to be open at pretty much every destination in both states. Mid-January is even a good bet for all but the most extreme terrain offerings.
But when it comes to a December or early January trip, Utah is probably the better bet if you want to ski the full mountain. Resorts in both states always open at least some terrain by the December holidays thanks to early-season snowmaking, but some of Utah’s Cottonwoods mountains tend to be 100% open by this time thanks to strong natural snowfall; such quick openings are rare at most Colorado mountains and the non-Cottonwoods Utah resorts.
On the other hand, some of the lower-elevation Utah resorts are a bit quicker to see their conditions deteriorate in late March, while all Colorado mountains—and the higher-elevation Utah ones—generally stay very reliable through the end of the month, and even April.
Telluride, Colorado is slower to open than many competing Rockies destinations, but it tends to stay very reliable through its April closing date.
Beginner Terrain
Slight Advantage: Colorado
If you have beginners in your group, Colorado might look like the better destination on paper. Its mountains are generally a bit mellower than the Utah resorts, with at least acceptable percentages of beginner terrain at every major destination. On the other hand, a not-insignificant number of Utah mountains, including Snowbasin, Solitude, and Snowbird, have limited or almost nonexistent green footprints.
That being said, first timers—or anyone who hasn’t been on a trip to the Rockies before—may want to start with Utah simply due to elevation circumstances. Colorado’s resorts are generally at higher elevations than Utah’s, meaning that guests will find thinner air and struggle more to exhibit energy.
Intermediate Terrain
Advantage: Colorado
If you can handle the elevation, Colorado may be the slightly stronger choice if you have intermediates in your group. Both states have plenty of terrain that’s suited for this ability level, but Utah visitors will want to heed caution at certain resorts, such as Snowbird and Solitude, where blue runs are notably harder than usual. Colorado blues are definitely a bit more difficult than those at more regional mountains outside the Rockies, but at most of them, the uptick in difficulty is minor, and most trails are consistently groomed.
Colorado resorts tend to have mellower terrain, but their higher elevations and thinner air make it more difficult to spend time on the mountain.
Advanced Terrain
Advantage: Tie
For single-black-level advanced terrain, Colorado and Utah are pretty comparable. There are tough, demanding mogul runs at every destination resort in both states, as well as steep trees and bowls at most mountains. Colorado’s mountains generally have more very long black trails, affording slightly better setups for those looking to do endurance laps. Colorado’s mountains generally also offer more black-level groomed runs, allowing for some seriously fast bombable terrain.
Expert Terrain
Advantage: Utah
When it comes to expert terrain, we’d give the slight upper hand to Utah. Utah’s narrow, jagged peaks make for truly extreme lines across its toughest resorts, even right off the lifts at some mountains. On the other hand, Colorado’s I-70 corridor mountains do have some really tough trails, but they aren’t as technical, rarely requiring the mandatory straightlining or cliff drops that are common at some Utah mountains. That said, several Utah resorts, such as Park City and Deer Valley, are fairly mellow as well. In addition, Colorado’s more remote southern destinations, such as Crested Butte and Telluride, are the toughest in the state and are much more comparable in challenge to the hardest Utah resorts.
Some of Utah’s ski resorts, such as Snowbird, have truly extreme, high-consequence terrain right off the lifts.
Resort Size
Advantage: Colorado
In general, Colorado mountains have longer vertical drops and larger boundary-to-boundary footprints than the Utah resorts. With the exception of the absolutely massive Park City and Powder Mountain, none of Utah’s mountains are larger than 2,500 skiable acres. On the other hand, six Colorado destinations have skiable footprints well above that number, and eight have total boundary-to-boundary footprints that crest that metric.
But wait a minute—what’s the difference between a resort’s skiable footprint and boundary-to-boundary footprint? Well, the overwhelming majority of Colorado resorts do not count the thick bottom tree sections of their mountains as part of their skiable footprint, meaning that from end to end, the resorts are physically larger than their acreage numbers would have you believe. On the other hand, the skiable acreage measurements for all of Utah’s resorts includes their full boundary-to-boundary footprint. For example, while Colorado’s Copper and Utah’s Snowbird might both offer 2,500 skiable acres, Copper actually has a boundary-to-boundary footprint of 3,600 acres, making its total footprint 1,100 acres larger than Snowbird’s.
This means that Utah’s skiable acres are generally more “compact” than Colorado’s. Since a lot of vacation-goers will undoubtedly notice a general feeling of breadth more than a true technical skiable acreage number, Colorado arguably comes out on top when it comes to hosting mega resorts.
At 5,317 skiable acres and 8,184 acres from boundary to boundary, Vail, Colorado is one of the largest ski resorts in North America.
Proximity to Other Resorts
Advantage: Utah
While they’re generally bigger, the Colorado resorts are typically further away from one another than the Utah ones. Many Colorado destinations are several hours apart from one another, while it rarely takes more than an hour and a half to travel between any two Utah destinations, if that.
Six of the eight major Utah resorts are less than 10 minutes away from their closest neighbor; in fact, four out of the eight (Alta/Snowbird and Brighton/Solitude) are directly interconnected by trail with the closest neighboring ski mountain. So even though the Utah resorts are generally smaller, it’s not that hard to access more terrain if you really want to.
Some I-70 corridor Colorado resorts—including Arapahoe Basin, Loveland, and Keystone, and to a lesser extent Vail and Beaver Creek—are also quite close to one other; however, the other mountains take at least half an hour to drive between.
Terrain Diversity
Advantage: Tie
In general, Colorado’s terrain has a much clearer divide between below-treeline, tree-defined trails and glades and above-treeline, high-alpine bowls (although there are some exceptions). Utah’s terrain is more mixed, with thin, skiable woods across all elevations and less of a clear treeline than the Colorado resorts.
Bowl areas tend to be smaller at Utah resorts, but some mountains, such as Alta and Snowbasin, have bowls in lower-elevation areas at the same elevation as some of their tree-defined slopes. This also results in world where a lot of Colorado’s most unique terrain is concentrated in high-alpine areas, whereas the standout terrain at Utah’s resorts spans multiple elevations.
All of Utah’s destination ski resorts are less than an hour and a half from Salt Lake City with no traffic, although the access roads can get backed up.
Getting There
Advantage: Utah
When it comes to resort access, Utah is the clear winner. The major Utah mountains are about as close as destination resorts can get to a major international airport, with all of them less than an hour and a half from the Salt Lake City airport with no traffic, and most of them less than an hour away. This essentially means that Utah visitors can practically plan a stop at every resort in the region. With Salt Lake City smack in the middle of the routes between these mountains, it’s a perfect lodging hub, and vacation-goers can enjoy all the city has to offer after a day on the slopes.
On the other hand, the Colorado resorts are much further away from their closest major cities, which, in most cases, is Denver. The vast majority of Colorado mountains are located along the Interstate 70 corridor a few hours west of Denver. Despite this being an Interstate highway, it is a long, dangerous drive; the route involves steep gradients, twisty roads, and multiple mountain passes that can close during inclement weather. Utah’s resorts involve significantly less travel time up difficult mountain roads, with many of the routes involving flat, city-like driving until only the final 10 or so miles. That said, the mountain sections of these Utah drives aren’t exactly easy either, and the access roads can close under inclement weather conditions as well.
A handful of destination Colorado resorts are located several hours away from Denver outside the I-70 corridor, including Aspen Snowmass, Telluride, Steamboat, and Crested Butte. These mountains are all incredibly remote and too far away from other resorts to be practical for most multi-destination trips, although Aspen Snowmass does have four distinct, separate mountains that for all intents and purposes make it a multi-destination vacation on its own. On the other hand, there are no major Utah ski resorts outside the Salt Lake City area, although a few smaller ski mountains do exist around other parts of the state.
All of the remote Colorado resorts—and some of the western I-70 corridor mountains—can be accessed from much closer, more regional airports than Denver. However, flights to these destinations tend to either be difficult to book logistically or extremely expensive. When it comes to Utah, it probably makes the most sense to fly into the Salt Lake City airport for all destination mountains.
Ski towns in Colorado, such as Telluride, are among the best in North America.
Resort Towns and Aprés-ski
Advantage: Colorado
Utah obviously has Salt Lake City. But if you’re staying up in the alpine, Colorado has a much better variety of mountain towns. Nearly every Colorado destination has an associated town with it, with the majority of Rockies ski towns you’ve heard of—including Aspen, Vail, Breckenridge, Steamboat, and Telluride—all located in the state. All of these towns have plenty going on off of the slopes, and are great choices for those who don’t want to spend their entire day on the ski mountain. There are plenty of aprés activities in each town, with numerous bars and restaurants that are perfect for unwinding after a busy day on the mountain.
At most Utah resorts, it’s a stretch to say there’s even a town in the first place. The one notable exception is Park City, which is actually a really fun spot, but the two ski resorts in town—Park City and Deer Valley—aren’t that great compared to much of the state’s competition. In Utah, you can get either a really good ski town or a really good mountain, but in Colorado, you can get both.
Crowds
Advantage: Tie
If you’re looking to beat the crowds, neither Colorado nor Utah are exactly great bets for a weekend or holiday trip. But a handful of mountains in both regions do offer notable reprieve. Utah’s Powder Mountain is exceptional at keeping crowds at bay, and Colorado’s Beaver Creek and Telluride are very strong in this respect as well. That said, these mountains are either very remote, very expensive, or tough to secure tickets for, making them tough to visit for many. Typical mountains in both states have at least modest waits on lifts during busy times, and at several resorts—especially those on the Epic and Ikon pass products—the waits have gotten worse in recent years.
Neither Colorado nor Utah are exactly hidden gems anymore, and several destinations, including Winter Park, Colorado, see large crowds during peak times.
Epic Pass Access
Advantage: Colorado
If you have an Epic Pass, Colorado is the clear winner; this product is owned by Vail Resorts, and as one might expect, the company has a very strong regional presence. Six Colorado resorts—Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone, Crested Butte, and Telluride—are on the full Epic Pass, while five of these are on the base Epic Local Pass (Telluride is absent from this product). Four of these resorts are right on the I-70 corridor. The only Epic resort in Utah is Park City, and while it’s larger than every Colorado resort on Epic, it’s a somewhat flawed destination mountain with some notable crowding and navigation shortcomings.
Ikon Pass Access
Base Pass Advantage: Colorado
Full Pass Advantage: Utah
If you have an Ikon Pass, the picture is a bit more muddy. Both Colorado and Utah have numerous Ikon Pass destinations, with six each in both states (and the Colorado mountain total increasing to nine if you count the four Aspen mountains as separate destinations).
That being said, the Ikon Base Pass is worse in Utah—Alta, Deer Valley, and Snowbasin are all absent from the cheapest pass product, cutting the state’s resort offerings down by half. If you’re a skier, consider splurging for the Ikon Base Plus Pass or a full Ikon Pass if you plan on a Utah trip. Only Aspen Snowmass is absent from the Ikon Base Pass in Colorado, and three of the six Colorado Ikon Base resorts don’t even have holiday blackouts; every Utah resort is blacked out on the Ikon Base products during holiday periods.
Snowboarder Friendliness
Advantage: Colorado
A trip to Utah—especially if you have the full Ikon Pass or Ikon Base Plus Pass—will come with considerable restrictions if you’re a snowboarder. Both Alta and Deer Valley completely prohibit the activity on their slopes, and they’re the only two Rockies ski mountains on the continent to do so.
Salt Lake City and its suburbs are home to economical lodging options for a Utah ski trip.
Lodging and Ticket Costs
Advantage: Utah
When it comes to economical lodging options, Utah is the clear winner. If you stay in Salt Lake City, you can save quite a bit on lodging, whereas cheaper accommodations that are reasonably close to the mountains in Colorado are really hard to come by. Denver is too far away to practically day trip for most Centennial State destinations.
However, lodging prices are much more comparable when it comes to upscale and luxury accommodations in the mountains, and the nicest hotels in both states are prohibitively expensive for most guests. At some mountains in both states, such as Alta in Utah and Aspen Snowmass in Colorado, even the cheapest accommodations are probably out of budget for the vast majority of individuals.
For those who don’t have one of the multi-resort passes, tickets at the mountains in both states are about as expensive as they get. However, tickets in Utah are generally more reasonable than those at Colorado resorts; a handful of Colorado mountains do have somewhat affordable lift tickets, but none of the resorts that fall into this bucket have on-site lodging, which reduces their practicality for guests who don’t have access to a car.
Verdict
So when it comes to choosing between Colorado and Utah for your next ski trip, it really comes down to a matter of preference.
Utah’s very best resorts arguably beat out Colorado’s due to top-tier snow and terrain quality, but Colorado has a much larger quantity of strong destinations with offerings on both major pass products. Utah’s mountains are much better for ease-of-access, but Colorado’s mountains sit above world-class towns with much more going on after the slopes close. But ultimately, both regions are world-class ski destinations, and most guests won’t be disappointed with a trip to either state.
For more information on these resorts, check out our Colorado, Utah, Rockies, and full North American rankings.
