Utah recommendations

CONTENTS DELETED

No recommendations about where to stay, but some friends just got back from out there and could not stop talking about how great Snowbasin is compared to everything else in Utah. Don't miss it.

I hear you about Big Sky. Incredible mountain, but it takes forever to get there.

The last two years we went to SLC Presidents week. As long as you stay away from Park City we never really ran into any crowds during the week.  The weekends at Snowbird and Alta will be quite crowded with longer life lines. I'd suggest skiing Solitude, Powder or Snowbasin as alternatives on the weekend days with Solitude by far being the least busy.

We really like staying in downtown SLC.  We have stayed at both the Sheraton and DoubleTree.  The Doubletree used to be a Embassy Suites so every room is a suite with a separate bedroom and a pull out couch in the living room.  That would work well for a family.  I like being able to walk to dozens of restaurants and other things to do in SLC from our hotel.

Staying Downtown you have a quick drive to all the resorts. I've stayed in Sandy and you can go thru miles of stop lights to get to BCC or LCC.  Using I-215 you come into the BCC with very few lights and a bit more to LCC.

If you do take a day off I highly recommend the Natural History Museum at the Univ of Utah as a day off activity.  See my TR from last Feb.

I've heard great things about......Park City.

Snowbird is in my top 5 favorite mountain list. It's incredible but it's also a tricky mountain that doesn't give up it's secrets easily for the newcomer. If you know someone that skis there regularly have them show you around or try to friend someone while you are there. My best days there have always been trailing a local. The difference in the experience is like night and day. It's easy when you are on your own to spend a good chunk of your day just trying to figure out where you want to be.

And as already mentioned leave LCC for other spots on the weekend. Solitude is a great place to spend a day. If it's looking like an interlodge situation than just stay put.

Alta is classic but it's not my favorite to be honest. They advertise something like 2200 acres but they hardly ever have the place 100% open. Some of my favorite lines are in the Castle and on Baldy and it's 50-50 on them having that stuff open.

Save a good poop for the Snowbasin lodge. I hear it's an amazing facility.

If you like to have good beer than buy it warm at a liquor store and then ice it in your room.

The P-Dawg lounge is the place to apres in LCC. They usually have fried finger foods for happy hour.

You might try renting a condo at Solitude. I have not done this but I have been in them, they are quite nice. I can't recall if there is a pool there. Personally I would not do that but if you want to be on site that works. For a family of 4 I would rent a 2 bedroom unit at the Marriott residence inn in Sandy, good location and reasonably priced with a full kitchen, pool and hot tub.

I have looked into doing a similar trip a few times but never have gone through with it. Look into the condos at the Canyon Racquet Club or Oaks at Wasatch.  You can find a bunch on VRBO. They look to be very conveniently located.  The Oaks ones look like they have their own hot tubs.

PeeTex wrote

You might try renting a condo at Solitude. I have not done this but I have been in them, they are quite nice. I can't recall if there is a pool there.

I recently stayed with a friend at the Solitude condos. They're very pleasant and have a nice outdoor pool, hot tub, etc.

raisingarizona wrote

Save a good poop for the Snowbasin lodge. I hear it's an amazing facility.

This.  Bring a cot and camp in the bathrooms there.

MM

Coaches idea about hotel suite sounds good. Never stayed at a condo at the base of the canyons. I mooch off my friend who gets a great friend and family deal at Fairfields or Marriots.
Don't stay at Solitude or up at Snowbird, unless that's all you want to ski. Even then, you may get interlodged, which is a local law that confines you to your lodging until avy danger recedes, which can actually take 48 hours or even more. I mean, subject to arrest if you even go out on your deck. Meanwhile, the people who stayed down in the SLC stripmall world can just drive to whatever is open. You know, like Park City.
The Mexican food down there is to die for, and cheap. Way above east coast standards.
Snowbasin is awesome, but a trek from, say, Sandy. Save your energy for Alta, the finest mountain in the west.

raisingarizona wrote

Save a good poop for the Snowbasin lodge. I hear it's an amazing facility.

You heard correctly.

I've stayed here several times and have been very pleased. Breakfast buffet and a light dinner included. Although their rates do seem to be increasing.
http://www.crystalinnmidvalley.com/

Im taking a left turn on you sorry.  The Canadian exchange rate is lower than I ever remember.  If you lock into a trip now you have a year to pay for it and get it at a 30 % discount.   Fly out of Montreal straight to Vancouver and bus it up to whistler.  You wont need a car once you are there and they are so build up from the Olympics there are plenty of cheap lodging options.  

In Utah I would look at staying right up at brighten for the  hill side experience.  You can get something cheap with a pool there and you can still get around to LLC.   For me I can never get over the weird vibe I get from Utah.

That's the one thing Park City has going for it. It isn't really creepy Mormon Utah.

We spent a night in Salt Lake City courtesy of Delta Airlines (delays) and had time to walk around Downtown.  Yes, interesting place, strange vibe, sooooo clean in an almost creepy way.

Oh - get a few bottles of Epic Brainless - a local brew that has a wicked alcohol content.

They say word of mouth is the best advertising so....

If still in existence, what ever you do ....don't eat at Loco Lizard. They took out half my family years back, one person made it to toilet after we had to pull off at Snowbird enroute to Alta, the other, my younger son lost it halfway up the mountain and my wife and I had to deal with his explosive diarrhea in his pants after an unsuccessful attempt to drop them. Kid was probably 10 y.o. at the time. Without a doubt the worst experience I've ever had during the course of any ski day in my 44 year career.

Hope nobody's eating while reading this. Bottom line..F that place..stay away.

When in SLC I always reserve a night for dinner at the red iguana. Go early, no reservations and there can be a line to get in. Family friendly. Best mex in SLC.

Not cheap, but I got my friends a gift certificate here for their honeymoon, they had a great time at the place!

PeeTex wrote

When in SLC I always reserve a night for dinner at the red iguana. Go early, no reservations and there can be a line to get in. Family friendly. Best mex in SLC.

+1
I always try to eat at the Red Iguana.