Four Utah mountains, four ways to play: summer adventure guide to the Wasatch

Utah Olympic Park's bobsled/skeleton/luge track. Photo: Michele Roepke // TownLift

UTAH — With August temperatures climbing, families across Utah are flocking to the Wasatch Range where four major resorts offer cooler mountain air and adrenaline-pumping summer activities that continue through Labor Day and beyond.

From Olympic bobsled rides to mountain coasters and ziplines, the region’s ski resorts transform their winter slopes into adventure playgrounds for the summer season. 

Four mountains, four experiences

The Wasatch Range’s summer offerings span a wide price spectrum, offering everything from budget-friendly family fun to premium thrills. Options range from $25 all-day passes to $115 single-ride experiences.

Solitude Mountain Resort leads the pack in affordability with its $25 Summer Fun Ticket, providing all-day access to an adventure park, three chairlifts, and a mining sluice experience. The ticket includes climbing walls, bungee trampolines, a bounce house, ninja skills course, and a gemstone bag for the mining activity.

At the premium end, Utah Olympic Park offers the region’s most unique experience with its $115 Summer Bobsled ride on the actual 2002 Olympic track, where passengers can reach speeds up to 70 mph in less than a minute. The venue also provides Gold Pass options at $75-90 per 3.5 hour session, including access to alpine slides, ziplines, and extreme tubing.

Snowbird Resort positions itself in the middle ground with all-day activity passes priced at $60-65, offering unlimited access to 11 different activities including alpine slides, mountain coasters, and the signature ZipWhipper. Individual activities, like the mountain coaster, cost $33 separately.

Park City Mountain takes a different approach, offering no comprehensive day pass but instead pricing activities individually. Popular attractions include the $39 mountain coaster (Utah’s longest at over a mile), $31 alpine slide, and $40 zipline, though costs can quickly add up for families wanting multiple experiences.

Budget Breakdown: Where Families Get the Most Value

For budget-conscious families, the math is clear. A family of four choosing Solitude’s Summer Fun Ticket pays just $100 for a full day of activities, compared to $240-260 at Snowbird, $300-360 at Utah Olympic Park, or potentially $200-300+ at Park City Mountain depending on activities selected.

However, that pricing often reflects the uniqueness and scale of offerings. Utah Olympic Park’s bobsled experience, for instance, remains the only opportunity for civilians to ride an actual Olympic track in the United States.

Seasonal operations

Most venues maintain daily operations through August, with some extending into September. Utah Olympic Park operates both morning and afternoon sessions through September 1, while Park City Mountain and Snowbird continue daily operations through the end of August before transitioning to weekend-only schedules. Solitude’s Summer Fun Ticket operates throughout the extended season.

The summer adventure season continues well into fall, with most venues operating through September and some extending into October. 

For families planning late-summer adventures, advance online booking often provides additional discounts, with Snowbird offering up to 20% savings for early purchases and Solitude encouraging advance ticket sales for guaranteed pricing.

As Utah’s summer heat persists, the Wasatch Range’s elevated adventure parks continue providing cool mountain alternatives for families seeking outdoor thrills\.

Activities and pricing subject to weather conditions and operational schedules. Visitors should check individual resort websites for current availability and pricing.