Deer Valley Resort, renowned for its exceptional ski slopes and world-class amenities, has made a significant leap in elevating the winter sports experience in Utah. In August, owner Alterra Mountain Company reached a long-term agreement to operate its new neighbor, Mayflower Mountain Resort. This partnership with Mayflower’s developer, Extell Development Company, unleashes a wealth of new benefits and opportunities for skiers and adventure enthusiasts.
Obviously, the most significant benefit of Deer Valley’s expansion is the substantial increase in terrain, going from about 2,000 to 5,700 skiable acres. It has been the talk of this ski town for months. The fusion of the two resorts creates a vast intermingling of interconnected trails, lifts and backcountry, offering skiers a boundless playground to explore.
From gentle groomers to challenging black diamonds, the variety of terrain will cater to all skill levels, offering up an unforgettable experience for everyone fortunate enough to be part of this historical merger. Sorry snowboarders, there continues to be no shredding at Deer Valley.
Expanding the resort’s footprint not only means more skiing, but also a more spacious skiing environment. In other words, goodbye crowds. With the additional acres of slopes, Deer Valley will be able to accommodate more guests without compromising the quality of the skiing experience.
“The concept is here, it’s underway and now we need infrastructure to catch up. I think we need more restaurants, more stores and more conveniences on the Mayflower side to
keep up with the demand we will see as skiers start to travel on U.S. Highway 40 to get to the mountain and up the mountain — that will really be something,” says Mark Fischer, cofounder and managing director of jans.com.
With more entry points to Deer Valley Resort from U.S. Highway 40, ski traffic that currently clogs up the main Park City resort routes will be blessedly alleviated. In addition, the new part of the ski area will boast more than 1,200 day-skier parking spots and will be extremely walkable. “The theory is to arrive in your vehicle, park it, and then everything else is pedestrian based,” says Kurt Krieg, executive vice president of Extell. Now, that is music to a lot of skier’s ears.
Deer Valley has always been synonymous with luxury and exceptional guest services. With the addition of Mayflower, the ski area’s intrigue is magnified further. In addition to the already proposed expansion and update of Snow Park, Deer Valley’s original base area that will commence once approved, locals and visitors can expect the ski village on the Mayflower side to have a new skier services facility (including a ski school), equipment
rental options and plentiful food and beverage outlets. There also will be more than 800 hotel rooms across multiple properties, nearly 1,700 residential units, 250,000 square feet of retail and commercial space and a 68,000-square-foot recreation center. Every aspect of the resort experience will continue to be refined and tailored to exceed guests’ expectations.
“Deer Valley Resort is committed to building upon our legacy as one of the world’s most exceptional ski areas while staying true to our founding principles created over four decades ago,” says Deer Valley Resort President & COO Todd Bennett. “This expansion will facilitate even better access to the resort for our guests, while offering a substantial increase in world-class amenities consistent with the resort’s original vision.”
The Mayflower land is nestled in a pristine natural setting, surrounded by untouched and breathtaking alpine landscapes. For decades, it has been seen as ideal ski terrain by daydreaming ski enthusiasts and developers alike. With the whole project set to unfold over the next three seasons — a large portion of the new lifts and trails are expected to open as early as the 2025/26 winter season — skiing aficionados will finally have the chance to experience the eastern flank of Deer Valley.
The amalgamation of Mayflower and Deer Valley also will have significant implications for the economies of Park City, Midway, Heber and surrounding areas with the increased
number of visitors and extended stays boosting tourism spending. In addition, the multifaceted project is expected to create 2,000 new Deer Valley jobs, and the enormous
construction operations have increased employment numbers since ground was broken on the Mayflower project in 2021.
And let’s point out the obvious fact that real estate in the area is also expected to boom. With the expansion, Deer Valley will become the fourth-largest ski resort in the United States (Park City Resort holds the second-place title at 7,300 acres), and it’s a sure bet that property valuations and supply and demand for housing will escalate throughout Summit and Wasatch counties.
“From a real estate perspective, I think there are some great opportunities to get in at the ground level … from ski in/out lots, condos, single families and townhomes,” says Julie Snyder, owner of the real estate firm INHABIT Park City. “There will be even more real estate opportunities coming in the next few years, and with all the money behind the development, it [real estate boosts] will surely happen. Getting in now will be a great opportunity for an investor.” The Deer Valley/Mayflower merger marks an intriguing new chapter in the evolution of Park City’s winter sports attractions, along with the possibility of the Olympic Winter Games returning to Utah in 2034.
“We have Park City Mountain Resort with over 7,300 acres, we have Deer Valley with over 2,000 acres, and now with Mayflower there will be over 5,700 acres (on the front and back of Deer Valley). That’s 13,000 acres of ski terrain in Park City. That’s a gigantic ski destination,” said Fischer. “There’s nowhere in North America or most of the world — unless you want to travel to France — that has a ski destination like that.”
With expanded skiable terrain, reduced crowds, grand amenities and access to unspoiled natural beauty, this is not your grandma’s ski resort or ski state. With a whopping 238 ski runs, 37 chair lifts and all sorts of amenities packed into one resort, the new Deer Valley is bound to be every skier’s paradise.
