Park City March Skiing
Park City in March: Overview
Pros:
- Park City will have good coverage by March on all aspects
- 43% of Park City's terrain faces north, which helps preserve snow and keep it cold as the weather heats up into spring
- The weather is mild in Park City in March. It's either snowing or sunny, and it's a great time to get kids on the hill
- The commute from Salt Lake City's airport is, always, a piece of cake in March. Even better this late in the season because I-80 is unlikely to have ice or snow on it, making the commute from SLC to PC's slopes less than 40 minutes
- Park City in the spring is a wonderful place, especially near the town lift near Main Street
- There's lots of expensive lodging in Park City, but the breadth of lodging is huge, and budget-minded travelers can usually find something that fits
Cons:
- Park City hasn't been a secret for years and there are lots of people who seek it out for spring break. Town will be busy and crowds will be a thing until March 20 or so for certain
- Snow at the lower elevations of both mountain bases can suffer in the spring sun
- Word to the wise: for those commuting from lodging that is closer to I-80—there can be stifling traffic in during the morning rush, and out at the end of the day. Paying more to be closer to the mountain can really pay off
- Weekends will be nuts. Try and schedule your ski days in March at Park City for weekdays. Leave Saturdays and Sundays for traveling
March is generally a great time to visit Park City. There will be other people visiting, to be sure, so getting out early in the morning to beat the crowds around the two base areas of the mountain is key. Skiers who can get father back into the canyons that comprise this 7,300 acre resort will enjoy less crowded slopes and a shot at better snow when it falls.
Town will be busy with spring breakers in March so for families and others looking to eat out, it's important to book your reservations a few months out. Or don't book reservations and go to Davanza's, which is one of our favorite spots in Park City and place our founder frequented when he was working lifts at the Canyons twenty-or-so years ago.
Park City snow in March
- Snow quantity at Park City
- Snow quality at Park City
- How much snow is required for proper terrain coverage at Park City—steeper resorts require more snow to get 100% open.
- Park City's snow frequency (standard deviation)
- Park City's elevation
- Park City's latitude
- Park City's slope aspects - more north-facing slopes protect snow later into winter
Park City isn't particularly high, even for its latitude, as stuff tops off at the Wasatch ridge, which is about 10,000 feet. Snowbird, which is very close as the crow flies, is a full 1,000 feet higher and possesses more north-facing terrain. That said, Park City does have a good deal of terrain with north aspects. The slopes off of Ninety Nine Ninety and Jupiter Peak will stay preserved through March. The best spot on the mountain is the north-facing slope off of Ninety Nine Ninety, which requires that skiers traverse out to Red Pine Lodge and take two lifts to return to the terrain. But this keeps the snow from getting tracked out quickly, which we consider a plus.
Another area we like to hit: the north-facing trees off of Tombstone. This terrain is a little hard to find and it also requires a traverse on a cat-track to get out. But it's north facing and the snow stays primo into April here.
There is some north-facing stuff off of McConkey's that holds up in the spring but the fall lines aren't superb and the vertical is limited. Instead, try the north facing slopes off of Super Condor, including one of the best bump runs in the west: Devils's Friend.
What matters when it comes to snow for March skiing:
Ski areas with higher elevations and more northerly latitudes can keep snow colder when thawing temperatures in March or during warming events degrade other resorts' snowpacks. Aspects have the same affect, so the snow at a ski resort with more east or south-facing slopes will suffer more quickly as the sun grows stronger into March and the later spring.
For that reason, ski resorts with more north-facing terrain will be able to shelter snow more thoroughly into and through March. The most important factors for good snow preservation in spring tend to be elevation and north aspects, so the ski resorts with the highest elevations and the highest percentage of north-facing slopes tend to be those that preserve their snow best. More explanation on this topic can be found on our snow rankings page.
Lots of east and south exposures coupled with cold temperatures at night can put ski slopes into a nasty freeze-thaw process, wherein the ski resort becomes an ice rink overnight and doesn't revert to being skiable until the sun thaws things out. If the sun doesn't come out, however, skiers can be stuck with terrible conditions for days on end.
So, quite simply, in March, look for resorts with high elevations and high percentages of north-facing terrain (~50%+).