Park City, Utah — Deer Valley’s planned implementation of phase two of its Expanded Excellence expansion didn’t go exactly as intended last winter.
The 2024-25 season saw the opening of Deer Valley East Village, creating a new way to reach the mountain. The first phase of the expansion 19 trails, one run extension, and 3 lifts during the 2024-25 season.
The original plan for last winter was to open 80 trails and 7 lifts. However, the warm weather derailed the opening of some terrain and lifts. Two finished lifts (Neptune and Pioche) and ten trails couldn’t open due to a lack of snow. However, the ski resort was still able to open 185 of its 202 trails this past winter, an all-time record for Deer Valley.
This week, Deer Valley Resort announced what’s next for the 2026-27 season. Next winter will continue that expansion, with the focus being on Hail Peak. The seven new trails (beginner, intermediate, and advanced) and 200 new skiable acres will be served by Hail Peak Express, a Doppelmayr detachable high-speed quad chairlift. This chairlift will carry up to 2,400 people per hour and have a vertical rise of 1,130 feet. The plan is to officially open the Neptune and Pioche chairlifts next winter.
One of the new trails on this peak will be called “Hill Yeah,” which is in honor of the nearby Hill Air Force Base and Deer Valley’s Salute to Service program. Hill yeah, brother.
“Last winter transformed Deer Valley,” said Todd Bennett, Deer Valley Resort’s president and chief operating officer. “This winter builds on that momentum by opening Hail Peak, expanding Deer Valley to 4,500 skiable acres, and continuing our investment in the lifts, snowmaking, and guest experience that define Deer Valley.”
A few terrain enhancements have also been made. In the Pioche Express terrain pod, there will be family-friendly skiing experiences. On the Pirate King trail, there will be rollers, berms, and a mellow ski cross experience. The Humbug trail will be home to flowy rollers, and McHenry will have an area exclusively for families. Forest thinning is also underway at the intersection of the old and new terrain, with a new glade called the Triangle Trees.
A major snowmaking investment will also be completed. The new 10-million-gallon snowmaking reservoir will help supply the Summit Pump House with 10,000 gallons per minute for the East Side. The system will be able to produce 20,000 gallons per minute for the full resort thanks to the 10,000 gallons from Ventana. We’ll see if this addition helps Deer Valley retain snow in the East Village, which was a struggle last year.
In terms of the relatively new lifts, Deer Valley plans to add storage buildings for the carriers of the East Village Gondola and Keetley Express. This allows for faster openings during inclement weather events.
The other big project down the road is the completion of the Park Peak Lodge. Currently under construction, it’s expected to be completed for the 2027-28 season.
East Village Update
Work also continues on the Deer Valley East Village. Construction is underway on the Coromont, Four Seasons, Marcella Landing townhomes, and Waldorf Astoria. The new base lodge for Deer Valley is also under construction, with an estimated completion date of the 2027-28 season. The only completed hotel at this point is the Grand Hyatt Deer Valley, which opened in late 2024.
Located near the East Village and Pioche Village, another new hotel is opening soon. According to the Park Record, the Canopy Deer Valley hotel (under the Hilton brand) is planned to open near the end of July.
We’ll keep you posted on the latest updates regarding Deer Valley’s expansion plans.
Updated Deer Valley Stats For The 2026-27 Season
- Highest elevation: 9,570 ft.
- Lowest elevation: 6,450 ft.
- Vertical drop: 3,120 ft.
- Number of runs: 209 (7 new, 17 overall expected to debut next winter)
- Longest run: 4.8 miles (Green Monster)
- Snowmaking coverage: 932 acres
- Skiable acreage: 4,500 acres (200 being added for next winter)
- Total aerial lifts: 32 (2 gondolas, 23 detachable chairlifts, and 7 fixed-grip chairlifts)
- Conveyor/surface lifts: 8
Image/Video Credits: Deer Valley Resort, Sheila Hall (Deer Valley East Village)
