Brighton Ski Area

While not the biggest mountain by acreage of all the options near Salt Lake City, Brighton is often not crowded and can give skiers and riders the best bang for their buck. Lift tickets are extremely affordable, and the mountain often runs weekly specials to help guests save even more money. Combine that with high-speed lifts all over the resort to maximize daily run totals and you can understand why so many locals call this place home.

Brighton is generally split into three main areas, with terrain ranging from beginner runs in the center to expert runs on the peripheral parts of the layout. At looker’s left, the Great Western Lift serves intermediate and advanced terrain off of a ridge extending down from Mt. Clayton. At looker’s right, the Millicent lift leaves the edge of the parking lot to give excellent backcountry access and a quick ride to more intermediate and advanced runs. The center of the resort offers terrain for all ability levels off of the Majestic, Crest Express, and Snake Creek Express lifts.

For those looking to air it out, the center of the resort is where you will find most of the six terrain parks typically set up at Brighton. On good snow years, there is also a massive half pipe set up under the Majestic lift. Besides the various terrain park offerings, natural rock jumps and cliffs abound throughout the advanced and expert runs all over the resort that playful skiers and riders are sure to enjoy.

Brighton is one of the more picturesque ski resorts around, as each lift brings resort guests to lookouts with jetliner views of the surrounding Utah peaks. Another often-overlooked feature of Brighton is its proximity to Solitude Resort. There is a connector trail off the Millicent lift that allows skiers and riders direct access to the slopes of the other mountain, and passes typically allow lift access at both resorts. What’s not to love about skiing excellent terrain surrounded by breathtaking views and direct access to another world-class resort?