Best Ski Resorts in Utah for Families

2025-02-17

Posted In: Blog, Ice Climbing

A father teaching his son to ski at a Uth ski resort

Utah is home to some of the best ski resorts in Utah for families, offering incredible slopes and family-friendly amenities for a fun and memorable ski vacation. Whether you’re traveling with young children or teenagers, finding the right resort with family-friendly amenities can make all the difference. At Red River Adventures, we specialize in providing unforgettable outdoor experiences in Utah, from guided rock climbing and rafting in the summer to ice climbing and guided backcountry skiing in Salt Lake City in the winter. We have years of expertise in Utah’s outdoor industry and a deep knowledge of Utah’s incredible landscapes. In this guide, we’ll explore the best ski resorts in Utah for families, from top-notch ski schools to exciting off-slope activities for all ages.

Top Family-Friendly Ski Resorts in Utah

These ski resorts offer the best experience for families, with a range of accommodations, activities, and services designed to make your family ski vacation as enjoyable as possible.

1. Deer Valley Resort

Why it’s great for families: Deer Valley Resort is known for its world-class service and offers a variety of family-friendly features, including dedicated children’s ski schools and daycare facilities.

Location: Park City, Utah

Family-Friendly Features:

- Top-rated ski school with programs for all ages and skill levels.
- Free ski valet services and easy-to-navigate beginner slopes.

Fun Fact: Deer Valley is one of the few ski resorts in the country that is ski-only, meaning no snowboarding is allowed, making it ideal for families focusing on skiing.

2. Brighton Ski Area

Why it’s great for families: Brighton Ski Area is known for its affordability and family-friendly atmosphere. It offers excellent terrain for beginners and intermediate skiers, making it perfect for families of all skill levels.

Location: Big Cottonwood Canyon, Utah

Family-Friendly Features:

Free skiing for kids aged 10 and under, which is a big draw for families.
Brighton’s terrain park is a favorite for teenagers looking for extra adventure.

Fun Fact: Brighton is often recognized for its relaxed vibe and is one of the few resorts in Utah where every lift offers access to beginner, intermediate, and advanced terrain.

Family Ski Vacation Tips

Here are a few tips to ensure your family ski vacation in Utah is smooth and fun for everyone:

1. Take Advantage of Family Ski Schools

Many Utah resorts offer family ski packages that include lessons for both kids and adults. Booking ski school in advance can help everyone improve their skills while allowing parents to take time for themselves on the more advanced slopes.

2. Choose Accommodations with Family-Friendly Amenities

When booking accommodations, look for resorts or lodges that offer extra perks like kids’ clubs, game rooms, or even ski-in/ski-out access to make transitions from the slopes to your room as easy as possible.

3. Choose a Few Other Winter Activities to Introduce Your Kids To

While skiing is the main attraction, many Utah resorts offer other winter activities that can enhance your family vacation. Snowshoeing, sledding, tubing, or ice climbing are great alternatives or additions to skiing. These activities provide a break from the slopes and are an exciting way to introduce your kids to the joys of winter in different ways.

Off-Slope Activities for Families

1. Snow Shoeing

Many family-friendly resorts, like Solitude Mountain Resort, offer snowshoeing as an additional outdoor activity. It’s a peaceful and scenic way to explore Utah’s snowy landscapes at your own pace.

Fun Fact: Snowshoeing is a low-impact activity, making it ideal for families with younger children or those looking for a relaxing outdoor adventure.

2. Ice Skating

Most major resorts, including Snowbird and Sundance Mountain Resort, have outdoor ice skating rinks, perfect for families looking for a fun activity off the slopes.

Fun Fact: At some ice rinks, kids can use “skating aids” to help them glide. You might see little ones holding onto a penguin or seal-shaped helper—these tools give them extra stability as they learn to skate.

3. Ice Climbing

For adventurous families, ice climbing is a thrilling way to experience Utah’s winter in a completely different way. Red River Adventures offers half-day guided ice climbing in Salt Lake City for kids 8 and older, making it an exciting and unique winter activity that everyone in the family can enjoy.

Fun Fact: Ice climbing not only builds physical strength but also teaches kids teamwork and perseverance, making it a fun and educational activity.

From ski schools to off-slope activities, Utah is home to some of the best ski resorts for families. Whether you’re looking for a luxury resort with all the amenities or a more laid-back, kid-friendly environment, Utah has something to offer every family. Plan your family ski vacation in Utah today and enjoy an unforgettable experience on the slopes.

Questions? Call (877) 259-4046 or Email Us

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Doug Hearon

February 22, 2025

My wife and I spent 6 days skiing JAPOW with the Red River crew and it was amazing! Incredible food, deep snow, and Onsen was the daily routine and it was absolutely perfect. Great line choices as well!

Jaxon Bak

February 21, 2025

Best group out there. Extremely knowledgeable people and super fun to be around. 100% would recommend for guided tours!

McKensee Harris

February 18, 2025

Victoria was an incredible leader for the Womens Avy 1 clinic. She was so knowledgable, accomadating, and created a supportive environment for our course. I learned so much and feel so happy to have had this opportunity to participate in her class.

Kelley Julian

I took the AIARE 1 Course and was lucky to get Sam and Brian as instructors, plus Robbie who is almost certified. Not only did we learn a ton about planning a safe route in the backcountry, we had lots of hands on practice with rescue, general safety while in the field, and gear management. 12/10 recommend

Emma N

February 17, 2025

Victoria was fabulous — I couldn’t have asked for a better instructor for my Aiare 1 course.

Jay Adams

February 12, 2025

Nate was a fantastic guide. Ice climbing is something I wanted to try for quite awhile. Red River Adventures gave me the chance to experience this. Really fantastic adventure!

S A

February 11, 2025

We just returned from a fabulous JAPOW trip that ranks as Best in Class! Carl and his team clearly put in an incredible amount of thought and preparation to make this a fantastic experience from every aspect. Besides their professionalism, their safety focus, and their almost unreal ability to find untracked powder, they are just fun companions with whom to spend the week. Highly recommend.

P Ro

My friend and I (indoor rock climbers/minimal to no ice climbing experience) went on a trip to Midway, UT for XC skiing and the crater, and decided to add on ice climbing. We got rescheduled because of a relative heat wave that melted most of the ice. The owners were extremely accommodating in moving us and offered a refund. We opted to wait a couple of days and ultimately we went out in Provo Canyon two days later (our first choice location due to its proximity to Midway) and had a great, full-day experience adjusted to our level! Shoutouts to Tanya (owner/owner’s wife) for staying in regular communication with us, and Brian, our guide, for a wonderful day!

Elisa Hecht

February 8, 2025

We had an incredible trip with Red Rivers Adventures in Hokkaido, Japan! Carl, John and Ayu were amazing guides. We highly recommend this lifetime experience.

Ethan Como

February 7, 2025

Brian and Sam rule!!! They were very friendly and helpful. Judgement free zone! 10/10 would recommend

Jessica Griffiths

Knowledgeable and patient avalanche guides. Couldn’t ask for more

wutben

February 5, 2025

Very fun and helpful course for AIARE 1. Learned a lot and had a great time with my instructors and other class mates

Stephen McSweeney

February 3, 2025

Fantastic course led by awesome, professional folks. Would highly recommend to anyone. Thank you guys, I learned a ton.

Wes Angel

January 28, 2025

Great 1st ice climbing experience! Brian was a great guide.

Sage Nightingale

January 27, 2025

Learned so much from John during our AIARE II course this weekend! Even got to ski a bunch of powder :)

Jacob Lambert

January 26, 2025

John took me and my fiancé out for our first splitboarding experience and it was a fantastic time. He was an incredible guide and tailored the experience to our skill levels. He was friendly and non-judgmental while going out of his way to help us have a successful trip. He is widely known as a legend in this field. I would highly recommend this company and will plan to use their services in the future.

Liam Doherty

Brian was a great instructor! I appreciate his help and guidance.

Robert Williams

Ben was an excellent instructor for the Avalanche Rescue course!

Jakob Allen

Had an awesome day!

Shane McConnell

January 24, 2025

This is an excellent 2 day avi course (plus a bit extra pre course prep). A ton of great information which makes a solid introduction to planning and executing safe backcountry ski and split boarding trips. John and Jeremy were excellent teachers and guides. Highly recommend it.

Carly Anderson

January 20, 2025

I took the all women’s class with Vic and it was incredible. I felt very supported through the entire class with a bunch of other incredible women! Would highly recommend doing a course with Vic if you’re feeling nervous at all. She is incredibly patient and knowledgeable about all things backcountry!

Matthias Ruckle

Awesome experience. Garth and Ben were great guides and we learned so much!

David Staggs

January 19, 2025

I had such a great day ice climbing with Red River, couldn’t recommend this company enough. Booking and scheduling were simple and easy, and there were plenty of locations to climb near where we were staying. The price for two people + gear was completely reasonable. Our guide, Nate, was absolutely fantastic and totally made the whole experience for us. He let us choose how much and how difficult climbing we wanted to do, while being kind, interesting, and easy to talk to. He gave us great advice for how to climb more effectively and celebrated with us when we did something well. Nate even surprised me with a cupcake (it was my birthday). I had such a fantastic experience and wouldn’t hesitate whatsoever to book with this company again.

Ryan Russo

January 18, 2025

Excellent guiding, climbing, and ice. Overall a great experience!

samuel creenaune

We went touring with John and it was awesome. Great experience, tips and tricks and great knowledge of the area which was much appreciated. Thank you

Robert “Rob” Kowalsky

January 14, 2025

I had an excellent experience taking a low ratio AIARE level 1 with Red River. Our guides Garth and Ben were experienced, knowledgeable, and provoked good discussion among my group. Plus they were also pretty nice folks! I wish that the classroom portion was a bit more organized and built upon content we learned in the pre-course instead of rehashing it, but the field portion more than made up for it. I would recommend this outfit to anyone trying to learn about the essentials of safely navigating avalanche terrain.

wilson Kriegel

Great experience. Easy process. Good gear. Great communication. Super safe!

Kyla Marie

January 12, 2025

Great information and hands on experience learning how to use life saving tools and skills. Thank you red river!

TED BOTS

January 10, 2025

Great day backcountry with Carl!

Evan Landau

Always such a dope time with these guys. I’ve toured the past two years with Landon. Super knowledgeable both in safety and where the good spots are while teaching you a bit about the sport. Gonna do some mountain biking with him and his summer!! So stoked 11/10 guide book asap

Rodney Malcolm

January 8, 2025

Awesome day and Carl was fantastic as a guide. Super helpful tips when needed and fun to chat and ski with.

Sam Flessner

January 6, 2025

Avy 1 course was very well run. Instructors were professional and knowledgeable. I would definitely recommend.

Alexa Budzynski

January 3, 2025

We wanted to try Splitboarding in the backcountry on our last trip to Park City, UT. We found Red River through a simple Google search and we couldn’t have been happier with the entire experience. Our guide, John, was kind, patient, congenial and super safety focused - which we really appreciated. We went from knowing zero to having a challenging and fulfilling couple of days in an absolutely gorgeous part of the country (Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons). We also super appreciated that all the gear was provided in the Intro lesson price. These people know their stuff. If you’re thinking you want to try backcountry riding, the time is now and these are your peeps.

Karson Eilers

January 2, 2025

I took an AIRE 2 course with Red River Adventures. Instructors were professional, safe, and fun.

Daniel Grobman

January 1, 2025

Awesome experience!! My tour guide Landon was amazing and hand vast avalanche knowledge! Can’t wait to book with red river again!!!

Heber Valley Music Together

December 30, 2024

It was a great class. Ben had a good knowledge base and made everyone feel comfortable. I loved the amount of repetition given to take out and put back the equipment- this got me so much more comfortable with all my equipment.

Diego Canavati

December 28, 2024

Super profesional and expirienced guides!

Kalen Griffin

December 22, 2024

Vic put on an awesome course! Extremely informative and fun and we learned a lot about avalanche rescues. 10/10 would recommend! Thank you 😊

Roni Peled

Great learnings with great people

Kyle Almeida

December 19, 2024

Had a fantastic two days in the Wasatch for AIARE 1! John and Vic are awesome guides and very knowledgeable about avalanche education and their tour routes. Highly recommend.

Matthew McHugh

The guides/instructors at Red River are best in class. John and Victoria went above and beyond to answer our questions, share in between the lines knowledge, and encourage lifelong learning.

Emma Braun

December 18, 2024

Took an all-women AIARE 1 course and it was fantastic!! Highly recommend. Victoria was an awesome instructor and had a lot of great experience and advice to share for women who are interested in getting more involved in this male-dominated sport. Thank you Vic and Red River for advocating for women in the backcountry!!

David Smith

December 16, 2024

I highly recommend using Red River Adventures for all your AIARE course. Extremely professional instructors that take the time to focus on everyone.

Ashley Jenson

December 7, 2024

I’ve taken my Aiare 1 and a rescue course with red river adventures and both classes were amazing. The instructors do a fantastic job. I felt heard and every question I had was answered. I highly recommend taking a course with these guys, you’ll really walk away with a lot.

Gracee Dalton

December 6, 2024

Amazing guides who are very well educated and informative. Great learning experience.

Mike Schirf

November 26, 2024

My wife and I had the pleasure of joining Carl and his amazing team of guides last year in Japan. On top of being extremely knowledgeable of the area and where to find the best snow they are all amazing humans which made the trip that much more special. It was a dream trip and we would do it again in a heartbeat.

Megan Caravello

November 11, 2024

We did rock climbing just outside salt lake City, at big cottonwood canyon. Carl was a super guide. We had never rock climbed, and Carl have us great intro instructions then we climbed up two rocks, that were challenging and fun. Would highly recommend

Cynthia Svendsen

October 20, 2024

We had an amazing trip to Greece for rock climbing with these folks. Carl, Tonya, Mary, and Sam did a wonderful job being well organized, providing thoughtfully executed guiding, and good vibes all around. Couldn't have asked for a better week with this crew.

Timour Kamran

October 14, 2024

Fantastic day out with Jon!

Andy Ballard

October 3, 2024

John was a consummate professional. He got my boys up their first multi-pitch climb in Big Cottonwood Canyon on an ultra classic line. I really appreciated his ability to make this memorable experience happen. Super friendly and I would not hesitate to use him again and recommend to my friends.