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driving from SLC to jackson? to big sky?

KustyTheKlown

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I'm going to Utah 12/15-23. even if this storm next week delivers, they still won't have very much terrain open. I have a rental car with unlimited mileage, and a 4-6 hour drive is nothing considering I do Vermont every weekend. my only concern is the driving conditions in a relatively shabby rental car. guaranteed 4wd is just prohibitively expensive.

both routes look like they are predominantly flat, but each with some mountain passes towards the end of the drive.

Jackson is closer, but not on my pass, and cheap lift tix are not available
Big sky is an hour+ further, but is on my pass.

I have cheap refundable accomodations in both locations

what do we know about the roads involved here? anyone ever do these drives? @thetrailboss?
 

Jully

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Wow, who knew Big Sky was under 6 hours from SLC airport... I sure didn't. I always assume everything out west is 40 hours away from everything else.
 

cdskier

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Wow, who knew Big Sky was under 6 hours from SLC airport... I sure didn't. I always assume everything out west is 40 hours away from everything else.

Hah! I thought the exact same thing!
 

Smellytele

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I drove SLC to Jackson in the summer. We went through Logan on 89. I don't think I would want to go that way in the winter as it was very deserted and probably wouldn't be kept up well in the winter. On the way back we went over Teton Pass which might be dicey in the winter as well.
 

crank

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I think you will be fine unless there is a big storm. Might want to check on open terrain at Big Sky before driving up there though.
 

KustyTheKlown

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I think you will be fine unless there is a big storm. Might want to check on open terrain at Big Sky before driving up there though.

I agree that the driving should be fine unless its snowing hard when I'm actually going thru the passes. I'm more interested in intel on slc>big sky cause that's where I'm more likely to end up

re: terrain - jackson and big sky are both not even close to fully open, but they've both received lots (>100") of upper mountain snow. then they got rained on for 4 days straight. now they both have another 2 feet coming in the 10 day forecasts. relative to Utah right now, Jackson and big sky are powder paradises. Utah has no base to work with. i'll end up in SLC anyway for the second half of the trip. I don't need to commit to plans until about 12/13 when I would need to cancel some reservations.
 

crystalmountainskier

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Shortest mileage route to Jackson is I-80 past Park City then through Evanston and Star Valley. There's only one smallish mountain pass called Salt Pass. Most of the mail/package/food deliveries for Jackson go that way daily year-round.
 

jimk

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Sorry, I've never driven specifically from SLC to Big Sky or Jackson, but have driven numerous other routes in UT, WY, NV, CA, OR, CO and NM in recent years. There is a 75% chance you will be fine in regular car without 4wd, but you can always buy chains for $50 and keep them for emergency. I did that once in the Tahoe area and used the chains on a powder day, then threw them away the night before returning car at airport. Saved me $800 on a two week rental. If bought at store with numerous locations you may be able to return for refund at end of trip if unused. A lot of the ski areas in WY and UT are approached from flatlands without many mtn passes between interstates and the ski area base lodge/parking lot. Approach to Jackson from the south is pretty friendly. Even road up BCC to Brighton is not too bad most of the time. Haven't heard a lot of stories about hairy drives into Big Sky. I got delayed for a day one time in early January near central WY when police closed I80, but it was caused by blowing snow and low vis, rather than steep, snowy inclines.
There is a good chance I will make the drive from SLC to Jackson (then on to Banff and back to Sun Valley) on a cross-country drive this March. I'll be using my own Outback with only all season tires. We can compare notes after the fact:)

PS: I usually rent cheap economy cars when I fly to the West for ski trips. However, there are a couple places where I've arranged for a 4wd SUV or bought chains; 1) Tahoe during a snowy stretch when they are likely to impose (and enforce) chain laws in the mountains and 2) if staying in SLC in the heart of winter and planning to commute up to Alta/Bird a bunch of days. If I traveled more with other people and splitting costs with them, I'd be much more likely to rent a pricey SUV on western ski trips for ease of use.
 
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x10003q

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Sun Valley is about 300 miles from SLC. They have a ton of snowmaking. I have not done the drive from SLC, but the skiing is big fun.
 

kingslug

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I'm going to Utah 12/15-23. even if this storm next week delivers, they still won't have very much terrain open. I have a rental car with unlimited mileage, and a 4-6 hour drive is nothing considering I do Vermont every weekend. my only concern is the driving conditions in a relatively shabby rental car. guaranteed 4wd is just prohibitively expensive.

both routes look like they are predominantly flat, but each with some mountain passes towards the end of the drive.

Jackson is closer, but not on my pass, and cheap lift tix are not available
Big sky is an hour+ further, but is on my pass.

I have cheap refundable accomodations in both locations

what do we know about the roads involved here? anyone ever do these drives? @thetrailboss?

looks like we have the same dilemma at the same time. Try to get a jeep with 4wd. Mountain passes are no fun. But the chain idea is good. Can't believe we even have to think about this. I've never missed in the last 5 years going at this time.
 

BenedictGomez

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It really is absurdly expensive renting 4x4 out there. You may as well buy a crappy 4x4 beater on Craigslist for a few thousand if you're out there on a 10 day vacation.
 

Oncefast

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We skied Brighton/Solitude/JH/BS last Feb/Mar. Jackson is the best ski town, but unless you have a MC pass, very expensive. I would not do Teton Pass without a 4x4 or chains if any snow is on the road. But only need to do that if you are going from JH to BS. I doubt the good stuff at BS will be open mid-Dec and a lot of its terrain is pretty tame. Don't know if putting all the hours in to get there and back really makes sense. I might opt for staying put and just enjoying Solitude and Brighton, especially if Honeycomb Canyon is open. With the money you'd save on gas, you could also do Powder, which is supposed to be a lot of fun. Also, many more dining choices in SLC vs BS.
 

KustyTheKlown

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look at the year to date snowfall and the weather. the skiing (which is the only important thing) will be awful in utah in mid-late december unless there are drastic changes immediately. approximately 0% chance honeycomb is open
 

thetrailboss

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I'm going to Utah 12/15-23. even if this storm next week delivers, they still won't have very much terrain open. I have a rental car with unlimited mileage, and a 4-6 hour drive is nothing considering I do Vermont every weekend. my only concern is the driving conditions in a relatively shabby rental car. guaranteed 4wd is just prohibitively expensive.

both routes look like they are predominantly flat, but each with some mountain passes towards the end of the drive.

Jackson is closer, but not on my pass, and cheap lift tix are not available
Big sky is an hour+ further, but is on my pass.

I have cheap refundable accomodations in both locations

what do we know about the roads involved here? anyone ever do these drives? @thetrailboss?

So I have not been to Big Sky...yet. The drive from SLC to Jackson Hole is pretty easy. Only concern would be weather. I suggest taking I-80 east to Green River, Wyoming then heading north. Be forewarned that there is NOTHING once you leave Green River until at least Cokeville. The route goes in and out of Utah and Wyoming before heading north and east outside of Bear Lake. You drive 89 north to Cokeville. That is a logical stop--gas, truck stop. From there it is a relatively easy drive up Star Valley (Smoot, Afton, Alpine) before you turn off and head up the Snake River Canyon to Hoback Junction. Just watch the weather. I have done it in about 4.5 hours.

And if Jackson is too much (it is VERY expensive), go to Grand Targhee. Cheaper, laid back, easy to get to. Drive north on I-15 to Idaho Falls then head east to Driggs. Currently Grand Targhee is killing it--lots of snow.
 
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thetrailboss

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Sun Valley is about 300 miles from SLC. They have a ton of snowmaking. I have not done the drive from SLC, but the skiing is big fun.

Sun Valley is also another good option. Relatively easy drive, except for possibly bad weather at the Idaho border.
 

abc

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not on max pass. big sky is the inexpensive choice. Jackson is the easiest to get to choice
No, Jackson isn't "easiest" to get to. As trailboss mentioned, Targhee is easier to get to, less expensive too.

If you're going for Jackson's reputation of gnarly terrain, those needs a lot of snow to open. Same for Big Sky too.
 

KustyTheKlown

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I have been to all three. Targhee is too expensive to stay at, but their lift tickets are reasonable. I can stay in town of Jackson for $50 a night, but their lift tickets are wildly unreasonable. I can stay outside Big Sky for about $70 a night, and ski for free. I haven't looked closely at Sun Valley yet, but I know they don't have discount lift tix (no Mountain Collective resorts do). Sun Valley seems like the safest and easiest drive.

As for the gnarly terrain - yes, I know, they need a lot of snow to open super steep and exposed stuff. Of course. But this is all relative. Jackson and Big Sky and Targhee all have an impressive early season base, even if they got rained on recently. Utah has quite literally NOTHING right now. absent a multiple foot blockbuster storm, the skiing in Utah will be substantially more boring than anything on offer further north.

I don't mind driving in terms of time, at all. I log two 4-6 hour drives every single weekend to get to New England. My only concern is running into some gnarly driving conditions in a cheap ass rental car. I will beg for 4WD upgrade at the counter.
 
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