Utah is famous for its incredible array of ski resorts drawing visitors from around the country and around the world to enjoy the slopes of the Beehive State and while spending at a day at any single mountain is world class experience, there was once a plan to connect several of them for a mega resort with the promise of huge tourism and massive economic benefits.
Utah’s Wasatch Mountains are home to seven major ski resorts (Alta, Snowbird, Solitude, Brighton, Park City, Deer Valley, and Canyons) developed in close proximity since the 1930s due to the region’s geography and mining history. Early informal connections were blazed like trails between Solitude and Brighton and gates between Alta and Snowbird. In the 1980s, an initial proposal to link several resorts failed, setting the stage for more ambitious ideas.
In 2011, the SkiLink Gondola was proposed to connect Canyons to Solitude, aiming to cut travel time and ease traffic but it was kiboshed by 2013 amid environmental opposition and regulatory hurdles. Then in 2014, the ONE Wasatch plan united all seven resorts with a vision to create a massive interconnected area of over 18,000 acres using new lifts and runs.
Despite enthusiasm from resort operators, ONE Wasatch stalled due to environmental concerns, watershed protection issues, backcountry access debates, and competing pass systems like Epic and Ikon. The full merger never happened, though partial connections like the Park City-Canyons gondola were built, and alternatives like multi-resort passes now provide access without physical links.
While a mega merger is currently sidelined, there is always the possibility plans will rekindle. There are pros and cons to any ambitious plans like these and we would like to know your thoughts. Please let us know your opinion: leave well enough alone or try to link these resorts together?
