Alta’s Paid Parking Reservation System Begins this Weekend
Background
To address parking challenges last season and improve the guest experience, Alta has made the decision to implement a paid parking reservation system this season. The new system will begin this Saturday, December 18, and will take effect on weekends and holidays for the remainder of the season. Reservations are available for purchase now.
Parking reservations will be required from 8am to 1pm during affected dates, and can be purchased online for $25 per day. Alta.com lift ticket purchasers will be able to reserve their spot for $10 per day. In addition to all weekends, the paid parking policy will be in effect on the following holidays:
Winter Break (December 23rd–January 2nd)
MLK Weekend (January 15th–17th)
Presidents' Weekend (February 19th–21st)
Alta passholders will not need to pay to reserve parking. However, Ikon and Mountain Collective passholders will. All parking will be free after 1pm, regardless of the day.
Our Take
This change will likely result in a number of unhappy guests, although such a capacity restriction is not entirely unprecedented in the area (in recent seasons, nearby Solitude has been charging up to $20 for all resort parking, even on non peak days.). However, what is unprecedented is the degree to which this policy will actively penalize Ikon and Mountain Collective passholders. Since guests with these products will not be purchasing online lift tickets for access, they will not qualify for the cheaper $10/day reservation rate and consequently must pay the full $25 if driving up to the resort. In fact, it seems as if this program is designed such that only Ikon and Mountain Collective resort guests pay the full rate, given that most everyone else will be purchasing in-advance lift tickets or holding a reservation-exempt season pass. We expect this change to be most welcomed by season passholders, who will not need to pay for parking.
Alta says they are implementing this paid parking policy to reduce traffic to the resort. However, one complicating factor may be neighboring Snowbird, which offers trail connections to Alta and is also on the Ikon Pass. Snowbird is continuing to offer some free parking, meaning that in-the-know Ikon skiers may just opt to park there and ski over to Alta. However, Snowbird’s free parking spots will be limited this season and will presumably fill up incredibly fast, leaving people without reservations out of luck and forcing them to turn around. As a result, it wouldn’t be unrealistic to see cars lining up at the Cottonwood head at dawn, as prospective visitors fight to secure Snowbird’s limited free spots.
Considering a trip to Alta next season? Check out our comprehensive mountain review. Additionally, check out how it stacks up in our Utah rankings. Keep in mind that Alta is a skiers-only resort and that snowboarding is prohibited.
