The snow may be gone, but that doesn't mean Utah's resorts close for the summer.
Nine of Utah's 13 ski areas offer a full schedule of summer activities, ranging from hiking to biking to a high-speed coaster ride down mountain slopes.
Following is a list of the active resorts and the summer activities they offer:
Brian Head
Phone: 435-677-2035
Web: www.brianhead.com
The resort was one of the first to offer lift-served mountain biking. Riders have access to more than 200 miles of single and double track trails and a variety of options, including trails on the ski slopes or extended rides, mostly all downhill, where a shuttle picks up and returns riders. The resort also offers scenic chair rides.
The resort also offers Utah's highest (11,000 feet) and longest (10,000 feet) Frisbee golf course in Utah.
All-day lift pass $20
Single life ride $8.
The Canyons
Phone: 435-615-3440
Web: www.thecanyons.com
Among the activities available at The Canyons are gondola rides, hiking, biking and new this year is disc golf.
The Gondola rides are available Thursday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Hikers and bikers can take the gondola up and then choose the route of their descent, mostly all downhill. Or they can explore the mountain and take the ride down later.
New this year is a nine-hole disc golf course designed into the mountain setting. The course starts where the gondola ends. There is no charge to play, but a ticket up the gondola is required.
Gondola adult $12
Gondola children $6
Gondola seniors $8
Deer Valley
Phone: 435-649-1000
Web: www.deervalley.com
Among the many things Deer Valley is noted for, none stands out like its summer mountain bike program. The resort was one of the first in the country to offer lift-served access to the high ground, and lifted the program up from there. One magazine listed the resort as one of the top 10 biker destinations in the country.
Bikers and scenic riders have access to two lifts — Silver Lake Express at the base and the Sterling Express located midmountain. From there riders have access to 55 miles of mountain riding on both single and double track.
The resort has also set aside a number of hiking-only trails. There is a short quarter-mile hike, with very little elevation change, that offers views of Jordanelle Reservoir and the Uinta Mountains. There is a longer five-mile hike, Sultan Out & Back, that offers easy descents and moderate ascents, that starts at the Silver Lake Lodge.
The resort also offers a number of summer adventure camps for kids.
All-day lift bike $24
Single ride bike $16
Scenic ride adult $13
Scenic ride kids $10
Park City Mountain Resort
Phone: 435-649-8111
This is the area with the widest range of summer activities, ranging from the new Alpine Coaster, to the alpine slide, ZipRider, climbing wall, mountain and hiking, scenic lift rides, the human maze, legacy launcher (trampoline with safety harness), miniature golf, kiddy rides, which includes a merry-go-round, and horseback riding.
The newest ride is the Alpine Coaster, one of only three in the country. This elevated ride consists of more than a mile of loops and high-speed curves.
At 3,000 feet, the resort's slide is one of the longest in the world. There are four different tracks, each winding and turning and dipping mid-mountain to the base.
There are four different cables for the ZipRider that carries riders, at times, up to 110 feet off the ground at speeds approaching 45 miles per hour.
There are also a number of rides open to keep the kids entertained.
There are two lifts open to bikers, hikers and scenic riders — the Town Lifts that begins on the town's Main Street and the PayDay lift located at the base of the resort.
Coaster single ride $17
Coaster passenger $5
Alpine single ride $11
Alpine passenger $3
ZipRider single ride $19
Lift ride single $11
Snowbasin
Phone: 801-620-1013
Web: www.snowbasin.com
Disc golf, lift-served mountain biking and hiking through stands of trees and open meadows are among the options available.
The mountain biking trails are considered among some of the most enjoyable and scenic in the state. There are 25 miles of trails on ski-area property, and more trails running off the property that are controlled by the U.S. Forest Service.
Snowbasin was one of the first in the state to offer a course to disc golfer. The course is one of the longest in the state with three holes rated par 3, 10 rated par 4 and five rated long par 5.
For those who want to hike, but want to avoid bikers, the resort offer three trails just for hikers.
Bike single adult $14
Bike all-day $16
Bike all-day youth $12
Lift scenic single $12
Lift scenic youth $8
Snowbird
Phone: 801-933-2222
Web: www.snowbird.com
Snowbird is among Utah's most popular summer sites, not only because of the available activities, but also for its fall Octoberfest.
Among the summer challenges are the two-lane alpine slide, two-line ZipRider, mechanical bull, hiking and biking, horseback riding, ATV rides, bungee jump, inflatable activities for kids and the popular Tram ride.
What has blended many of these things together is the 'Bird's Activities Pass. The pass allows visitors unlimited access for the day to the various events.
New this summer is the ride on the new Peruvian chair that stops at the entrance to the Snowbird tunnel. Riders can either get off the lifts and go through the tunnel and then ride down, or stay on the chair and enjoy the scenic ride down.
The area's slide is 1,300 feet long and the ZipRider is 1,000 feet long. The Tram has been a popular summer activity since it was first opened in 1971. The Tram rises nearly 3,000 feet along a 1.60-mile-long cable. Riders can go the top of the 11,000 -foot Hidden Peak and either mill around and enjoy the lofty view or hike down to the base.
Horseback and ATV trips start at the top of Hidden Peak and ascent down in to Mineral Basin. Those going on horseback are driven down to the base of the Basin; those taking ATV rides start from the peak and follow access roads.
Activity pass $32
Activity pass (children under 75 lbs.) $19
Tram single adult $12
Tram single child $10
Alpine Slide $8
ZipRider $12
ATV/horseback $89 for 3 hours
Solitude
Phone: 801-534-1400
Web: www.skisolitude.com
Solitude offers visitors the opportunity to ride, hike or throw in the summer.
Mountain biking and/or scootering has become very popular. Mountain biking is a signature activity. It offers 20 miles of forested single-track trails. Visitors can take the Sunrise lift, which rises up nearly 1,000 vertical feet from the Solitude Village, and choose to stay on and ride back down or get off and explore or hike down.
For those looking for a different ride down, the resort offers modified scooters called a Diggler, a cross between a kid's scooter and mountain bike.
Hikers and bikers are able to access two canyons off the chair — Solitude and Honeycomb — that feature some unique geological features and remnants of early mining days.
Consensus is that the resort's disc golf course is one of the most scenic in the state. All "holes" are par 3. The entire 18-hole course is 7,750 yards. The Sunrise lift takes discers to the course Wednesday through Sunday.
Chair single ride $6
Chair all-day $15
Sundance
Phone: 801-536-4071
Web: sundanceresort.com
Activities at Sundance are enhanced with the spectacular backdrop — Mount Timpanogos — and include scenic lift rides, mountain biking and hiking and horseback riding.
The resort offers riders and hikers more than 25 miles of lift-served single-track trails. Those taking the Ray's Lift can either get off the lift at the top and explore the surroundings or hike or back down.
Last year the resort started full-moon lift rides between 9 and 11 p.m. Dates for the nighttime ride are June 29 and 30, July 28 and 30, Aug. 28 and 29, Sept. 26 and 27.
Horseback rides leave from the Sundance Stables and head to a number of scenic wonders, including Stewart Falls, from the back of a horse. Rides include no more than six riders. The resort also offers evening sunset trail rides.
Full moon lift $8
Lift single adult $8
Lift single child $7
Wolf Mountain
Phone: 801-745-3737
The resort opened its mountain to mountain biking for the first time this season, as well as access to its Wolf Lair's Mountain Bike Terrain Park, which includes earthen features, four cross, board walk jibs and trails.
The mountain trails offers riders everything from expert to beginning trails.
Visitors can also hike the mountainside or simply take a scenic lift ride.
Lift all-day adult $15
Lift all-day child $10
Lift single ride $5
E-mail: grass@desnews.com