Snowbird to Offer Hybrid First-Come/First-Serve and Reserved Paid Parking System Next Season
Utah’s Snowbird has detailed its 2021-22 parking policies. The resort will retain some free first-come, first-serve parking but also sell parking reservations for those who want to secure spots. Most paid parking will need to be reserved in advance, although a limited number of paid and valet spots will be available day-of. The resort is charging $699 for a 2021-22 Preferred Parking Pass, which gives guests season-long access to three paid lots.
Snowbird also hopes to provide parking priority and discounted reservations for 4+ person carpools next season; however, these policies will be dependent on the status of COVID restrictions.
In addition to limited spots along SR-210 when conditions permit, the resort says free parking will be available at the following lots:
Entry 1 (west of Creekside)
Upper Gad Valley Lot
Wilbere Hill
Main Lot
Chickadee Hill & Superior Lot (when available)
The Bypass Road (excluding the Preferred Parking area)
Our Take
When first glancing at this news, it’s easy to just see that Snowbird will offer free, reservation-less parking next winter and assume you won’t ever need to pay for a spot. But on busy days—especially with neighboring Alta instituting a paid reservation system next winter—we wouldn’t be surprised to see Snowbird’s free spots fill up incredibly fast, leaving many people without reservations out of luck and forcing them to turn around. This new policy might end up impeding Alta’s efforts to use its new parking reservation system to reduce Little Cottonwood Canyon congestion. Don’t be surprised to see cars lining up at the Cottonwood head at dawn, as prospective visitors fight to secure Snowbird’s limited free spots.
Ultimately, Snowbird’s new hybrid parking approach may just become a way for visitors to hedge against the uncertainty of getting a free space by paying. With Snowbird offering the only free spaces across all of Little Cottonwood Canyon next season, this will certainly make for an interesting dynamic. We’ll keep an eye out to see what happens.
Considering a trip to Snowbird next season? Check out our comprehensive mountain review.
