Deer Valley Resort in Park City UT is undergoing a huge expansion
By Eileen Ogintz
Mac and cheese for lunch? Not out of a box, but with a mix of fresh cheeses, bison or chicken, and varieties of vegetables. And that’s just one of the many lunch buffet options at the iconic Stein Eriksen Lodge, mid-mountain at Deer Valley Resort in Park City UT.
Eriksen, a Norwegian Olympic Champion, was the first director of skiing here at Park City and the Lodge, named in his honor, opened in 1982, a year after the Deer Valley resort.
This year, the resort has unveiled its East Village expansion, with the largest increase of skiable terrain in resort history. That means 3,120 vertical feet of skiable terrain and the “Green Monster”, one of the longest ski runs in the country, just short of five miles. (It’s a “green” or beginner level, so the “monster” part is a bit misleading.)
Deer Valley, Always known for its meticulous grooming and policy of not permitting snowboarders, is facing the same challenges as other Western resorts this season given the paucity of snow. By afternoon, the snow was slushy with bare spots.
“We will have a good time regardless of the snow,” said Reid Delawnois, here with his parents and fiancé from the East Coast.
We are staying at the Grand Hyatt in the new East Village. The Hyatt is in the middle of what is currently a huge construction zone. A new Four Seasons Resort, a Waldorf hotel, several condo projects, and a Deer Valley day lodge are all going up. There are five huge construction cranes along with a lot of noise, dust, and heavy equipment moving around the area.
To get to the new gondola from the Hyatt, in fact, it is necessary to take an open shuttle wagon (towed by a pickup truck) through the construction and then carry your gear another hundred yards or so to the gondola.
“I’m excited to see how this develops,” said Disha Patel, here with her husband and two kids from Las Vegas. The Patels give the hotel high marks—”especially the hot tubs,” opines Jiana, 5, but they lament the inconvenience right now as compared to other resorts.
Disha’s husband, Spandan Patel, noted that the kids really liked the tubing at the Woodward Tubing Park nearby in Park City—seven lanes, Utah’s longest at 1200 feet. A new tubing hill and cross-country ski center are in the works as part of the Deer Valley expansion but not this season.
This year, there are seven new lifts and 80 runs with more to come in 2026-27. The resort famously limits daily skier capacity to optimize the guest experience. When the East Village is complete (figure on at least 2-3 more years), there will be an onsite skating rink, restaurants, bars, retail, and more.
With snow not being the best so far in 2026, there is plenty else to do, whether perusing the shops on Park City’s historic Main Street, or opting for a world class spa experience including at the Montage, St. Regis, and Stein Eriksen Lodge. I had a great facial at the Grand Hyatt, but the spa is a work in progress, as there are not yet amenities like a relaxation room, sauna, steam room, or separate hot tubs.
The St. Regis is making a big play for families this season, as long as you can afford the freight. You can’t beat the convenience–snap on your skis, brought to you by the ski valet, just outside. Instructors can meet the kids here. The ballroom during certain weeks is turned into a giant kids’ playroom with games, bouncy house, and big screen movies; balloon artists roam the lobby. There are complimentary s’mores après and visits of animals, including birds of prey. (Want to hold a falcon?)
There are some 11 eateries, from the fine-dining Rime to the family friendly La Stellina for excellent pizzas and pasta and a fun funicular ride down. There is Top Golf virtual reality games and for the over-18 crowd, an après Vintage Room with DJ. In summer, you can mountain bike (Deer Valley is known for its trails) right out the door.
Hopefully, in a couple of years East Village will offer such convenience and amenities.
“Locals love all the new terrain,” said Julie Norcross, a Mountain Host who gave us a tour around the new huge area, “It is a great variety of runs and the views are amazing.”
There is pick up for ski school at the gondola, but it can be difficult to get from the East Village to elsewhere. The hotel does run shuttles but typically once an hour. It took us more than a half hour to drive to mid-mountain to meet a friend for lunch.
Deer Valley Resort is in the Wasatch Mountains, just 38 from Salt Lake City International Airport and has been lauded with many awards including the #1 Grooming, Lodging Weekend Getaway for Ski Magazine’s 2026 Resort Guide and Top 10 in Best Ski Resort in USA Today 2025.
Snowboarders and those who have Vail Resort Epic passes head to Park City Mountain Resort via a free town shuttle from the base.
We indulged at Cast & Cut, one of Deer Valley’s signature experiences with a huge buffet of sustainably caught seafood—everything from chowders to oysters, crab legs, sushi, make your own poke bowls, tempura shrimp, Korean short ribs, tri-tip, a huge grilled sea bass, salads, potatoes, house cured Salmon gravlax, duck breast, tuna sliders. The list goes on and on and includes the resort’s famous Snowball desert with chocolate mousse covered with whipped cream, one of many offerings. I loved the Kid’s Buffet with their make your own mac and cheese, geared to kids’ tastes where they can add breadcrumbs, extra cheese, chicken and broccolini.
A tough reservation to get is Deer Valley’s Fireside Dining where guests navigate to separate stations where everything is prepared over open fires—starting with raclette and ending with fondue.
With snow less than stellar, it is a good time to linger at lunch like at the mid mountain Royal Street Café known for Deer Valley’s turkey chili and house-made ice cream; or the Sticky Wicket, for 21+ that is designed to take you back to early days on the slopes. Edgar’s, on the second floor of the Snow Park Lodge, celebrates Deer Valley’s history and is the place to watch favorite events—like this year’s winter Olympics. It is named for Edgar Stern, founder of Deer Valley.
But you can’t beat the Stein Eriksen Lodge for a special and leisurely lunch—from the Mac and Cheese bar to carving station (the seared tuna was terrific) all varieties of salads, seafood, grilled tri-tip and chicken, game chili, and a fabulous desert bar. Ice cream sundae topped with gummies, perhaps, or Crème Brule, a giant cookie? No wonder so many ski instructors bring their clients here!
The Grand Hyatt, meanwhile, pulls out all of the stops at its breakfast buffet—from mini-Bavarian pretzels to made to order omelets to a variety of mini donuts stacked on poles.
The Patels weren’t letting the construction or the snow conditions bother them. “We are having a lot of fun,” said Sandan Patel. In fact, the two Patel kids are already asking about a return visit next year.