Is it better to drive to Brighton/Solitude/Alta/DV or park at the base and take the ski bus if you have a medium-sized SUV? In other words, what is the road and parking situation usually like, this time of the year?
Finally, is the ski bus free if you have the Ikon pass or is it still $4.50 each way? Someone mentioned this today, but I can't seem to find anything on Google.
Also, do the resorts themselves run buses that go to those Cottonwood Heights bases?
Thanks!
Drive if the road conditions/weather are acceptable. On a weekend day/holiday/powder day at this time of year, leave early and arrive early in order to ensure a parking spot in a car park rather than being forced to park along the canyon road or, worse, get shut out of any available parking anywhere. If the electronic message board at the mouth of BCC or LCC indicates four-wheel drive/chains are required, that's a tougher decision based on your winter driving skills and how your vehicle is equipped/fitted out. The ski bus is an option but, if you're waiting at a bus stop at the mouth of the canyons or even at a bus stop a short distance before the mouth of the canyons, the probability is high that the bus will arrive already overloaded with people and gear with no room for you. Alternatively, there may be some standing room only on one of the first three or four buses that come by your stop but this means you'll be standing in the aisle holding all of your gear for at least a half hour and, more likely, longer (sometime way longer) than that and subject to lots of herky-jerky motion from relentless stop-and-go driving. Definitely drive to Deer Valley, as the route is longer but way less treacherous and there's no appealing alternative.
As already mentioned, the ski bus charges $4.50 per person each way and Ikon pass holders/season pass holders/employees ride for free. The resorts do not run ski buses: they are operated by the local municipal bus entity known as the Utah Transit Authority and subsidized by the Cottonwood Canyon resorts. Solitude operates a shuttle that makes three trips per day (sometimes more) up to the Solitude Nordic Center, which is on the Brighton loop and passes right by Brighton each trip. I'm almost certain the shuttle drivers accommodate people wishing to travel to and from Brighton Ski Area, although I imagine they expect a tip