Do you long for the old days of skiing? Do you miss a time when there were no crowds, the resorts felt small, and lift tickets came in the form of wickets you attached to a jacket zipper-pull? Well, those simpler times still exist at ski resorts like Eagle Point. I took my family to Eagle Point near Beaver, Utah in March and we found it to be chill, affordable, and super family-friendly.
About Eagle Point Resort
Eagle Point is a remote ski area, located in the Tushar Mountains in Central Utah. Beaver is the closest town and provides access to the resort with a drive up Beaver Canyon. The mountain has five lifts servicing 650 acres of skiing and riding on 40 named runs with 1,500 feet of vertical. The resort is very high, with a base elevation of 9,100 feet and a top elevation of 10,600 feet. Eagle Point has two day lodges, a restaurant, bar, and condos for overnight stays – pretty much everything you’d need for a family ski trip and nothing you don’t.
A Family Ski Trip to Remember
My wife, Callista, 5-year-old son, Ridge, and myself traveled to Eagle Point in early March. We seriously lucked out with the weather on the day we chose to ski. Unseasonably warm temperatures shot the mercury into the upper 40s, combined with sunny skies and little wind.
Eagle Point is divided up into two sections: the upper Skyline and the lower Canyonside. The main day lodge and parking area is located at the top of the mountain at Skyline. That’s where we parked as Skyline is also where most of the beginner and intermediate terrain is found. Friendly lot attendants got us rock-star parking right next to the ski runs. After getting tickets on those old-school wickets, it was time to ski.
Skyline Double Chair
The most visible chairlift from the lodge is the Skyline Double Chair. This lift drops skiers off at the lodge/parking lot, and services four green runs and one intermediate. For our first set of turns, we went down the easy Glacier Glade beginner run. The morning saw a good refreeze, so at 11 a.m. the snow was a bit crunchy. We could still get some bite to our ski edges though, and Ridge scooted down like it was nothing.
We loved skiing the Skyline runs because they are nice and long, with a very mellow slope angle. Even the blue run, Elk Meadows, is more like an easy green. This collection of trails is very much a beginner area, appropriate even for first-time skiers. So we soon made our way over to a more intermediate part of Eagle Point.
Monarch Triple Chair
Moderate and upper beginner skiers will find a lot to like off the Monarch Tripe Chair. The runs here are a bit shorter, but have more pitch. Still, they were pretty easy for Ridge to handle compared to the blue runs he skis at Solitude in Big Cottonwood Canyon.
We spent the rest of our day lapping the Monarch chair on runs like Teddy’s Twist, Hannah’s Haze, Full Moon, and Cassidy. Both Ridge and Callista enjoyed every lap. The runs were groomed to perfection. In the afternoon, the snow softened into creamy spring corn. Under bluebird skies we cruised lazily down the mountainside, never having to dodge another skier or snowboarder. In fact, there were times when we had an entire run all to ourselves.
Eagle Point Amenities
Of course the good times come to an end when a 5-year-old’s belly starts to grumble. Eagle Point has two options for food and drink. The Skyline Lodge has the usual cafeteria fare of hot dogs, burgers, candy, and hot chocolate. Skyline is also where to go for equipment rentals. There’s even a gift shop.
Because of COVID, we only got a hot chocolate and tailgated at the truck. But Ridge said that the hot chocolate at Eagle Point was, “the best he’s ever had.”
The Canyonside Bar and Grill on the lower mountain has more dining options with a full menu of food, beer and spirits. There’s also a game room and two hot tubs in the back for apre-ski relaxation.
So if you’re sick of expensive, crowded mega-resorts (like I am) then go to a gem like Eagle Point, where skiing is the focus. For more information and to book your trip, visit eaglepointresort.com. And for more recreation idea in Beaver County, check out ramblersutah.com.