Like Brighton this year and other Utah ski resorts recently, Solitude will require drivers to reserve parking in advance this season.
Starting Friday, Dec. 15, on weekends and holidays, parking reservations are required for all early-morning arrivals, from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. After that, no reservations are required, and after 1 p.m., parking is free.
Another new element this year is the cost. Unlike years past when lot attendants gave guests vouchers with discounts depending on the number of carpoolers, this winter, it will be a flat rate. But cars with four or more people will be free.
On weekends and holidays from December to April, the rate is $35. Monday through Thursday on non-holidays, the cost is $20.
On those weekend and holiday dates, where reservations are required, all guests will need those reservations.
Before Dec. 15 and after April 15, parking is $10, no reservation required.
But, Solitude spokesperson Travis Holland said there’s a benefit for people who drive up the canyon in groups of four.
“Carpooling is so crucial to access in Big Cottonwood Canyon that every day here at Solitude, guests who arrive with four people in their car will park for free,” Holland said.
Last season, Solitude’s snowiest season on record with 816 inches of snow, according to Ski Utah, overcrowding and long lines plagued canyon drivers.
Brighton implemented similar rules this winter, also citing crowded canyon roads as a reason.
This year will be the first time Brighton has required reservations to park and charged a fee for it. There, reservations cost $20, and season pass holders get free vouchers.
At Brighton and Solitude, after 1 p.m. parking is free and doesn’t require reservations.
Last year, for the first time, Park City Mountain Resort implemented a paid parking reservation system for the 2022 - 2023 ski season at the Mountain Village lots.
Parking is $27 a day on surface lots and $45 a day in the parking garage. Cars with four or more occupants park for free, but still need to reserve a spot.