Mountain Green sits at the bottom of the hill, closer to Snowbasin than anywhere else on the Wasatch Front. This winter that head start mostly disappears once you reach the roundabout. Snowbasin's parking rules for 2026-27 sort cars by how many people are inside them. Distance doesn't factor in. The bus that stops in town runs out of Layton, and the county pays for the Mountain Green stop as an add-on. A solo driver from Old Highway Road and a solo driver from Layton end up in the same lane.
So the useful questions about a ski day from Mountain Green are who's riding with you and whether you'll take the bus. How short the drive is matters least.
Opening Day Is a Target, and the Resort Says So
Snowbasin is aiming to open on Friday, Nov. 27, the day after Thanksgiving, as it usually does. Brand marketing manager Brooks Roe told the Standard-Examiner on Oct. 18 that the date depends on conditions.
"We don't want to open with just Bear Hollow and let everybody run mad on it. We want to open up as much terrain as we can for people to enjoy and have a great opening day experience."
The same Standard-Examiner piece quotes Roe saying there is "nothing too much new" on the mountain this season. The summer went to snowmaking repairs, lift fixes and widening a couple of trails near Bear Hollow. The one new building is the Meadow Pavilion, finished this summer. It adds room to eat lunch and warm up, and it takes over as the lunch spot for the ski school's kids, who used to have nowhere to go on busy days.
The mountain itself changed little this year. The real change is in how you get to the lifts, and that's where Mountain Green's position in the valley matters.
Earl's Lot Goes to Full Cars
Parking at Snowbasin is still free across five lots: Earl's, Maples, Canyon Rim, Wildcat and Green Pond. None of them takes reservations. The catch is which lot you get.
According to Snowbasin's parking page, Earl's lots A through E are held for vehicles with three or more people on weekends and holidays until 11 a.m. After that they open to everyone while space lasts. On weekdays, Earl's Lot A is carpool-only. Earl's is the lot next to Earl's Lodge at the base. The resort also has a new weekend and holiday traffic pattern that starts at the roundabout. Carpoolers get express access down the middle lane, and cars with two or fewer people are routed into Canyon Rim or Maples through an added lane.
Here's what that means for a Saturday from Mountain Green. The town's short drive gets you to the roundabout early, and arriving early is the only advantage proximity gives you. Once you're there, a two-person car from town and a two-person car from the Salt Lake Valley get the same treatment. Canyon Rim grew by 124 stalls last winter, which helps the solo and two-person lots absorb that traffic. Street parking on Snowbasin Road is managed by Weber County, not the resort. It's allowed to the right of the white lines, except in the No Parking Zone near the Wildcat lot.
| Way up the hill | Weekend and holiday morning | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Solo or two per car | Routed to Canyon Rim or Maples | Free parking |
| Three or more per car | Priority lane into Earl's A through E until 11 a.m. | Free parking |
| UTA ski bus | Drops at the resort, no lot needed | $5 one way, or free with any Snowbasin pass |
The Bus Stop Mountain Green Pays to Keep
The bus option has a local backstory. UTA runs two seasonal Snowbasin routes. Ski Utah lists Route 675 as the Ogden route and Route 677 as the route from Layton, and its route list includes a "Mountain Green Ski Bus Stop" on 677.
That stop sits outside UTA's normal service area, so it runs under a contract with Morgan County. An agreement on the county commission's Oct. 6 agenda authorizes UTA to operate in Morgan County to serve the Mountain Green stop. It sets the service window from Winter Change Day on Dec. 6, 2026, through April 11, 2027. Under the agreement as written, the county pays UTA $6,550 for this season and $6,360 retroactively for last season. The fee rises about 3% a year if UTA uses its four one-year renewal options. The county is also responsible for keeping up the stop, snow removal included.
That's the clearest sign of how the system is built. The bus is a Layton route that passes through Mountain Green on its way up, and the town's stop is a paid add-on. That arrangement still works well for the rider. UTA lists the standard ski-bus fare at $5 one way, with reduced fares for qualifying riders. For 2026-27, every Snowbasin pass tier, from Premier Platinum to Premier to Value, comes with a free UTA ski-bus pass. If you hold a pass, a bus seat costs nothing, needs no carpool and skips the lot sorting.
Where to wait is a little less settled. A 2020 Davis County tourism guide listed the Route 677 stop as "Mountain Green Kent Smith Park Bowery," and Kent Smith Park sits on West Old Highway Road. That guide called it a park bowery, not a park-and-ride. UTA said it would post Winter Change Day details in early November. Check the current Route 677 timetable for the stop and departure times before Dec. 6.
The Road Between Town and the Roundabout
Whichever way you go, you'll use SR-226, and UDOT has crews on it now. The SR-226 project between Trappers Loop and Snowbasin covers fiber and utility work, paving and shoulder improvements. Lane shifts, restrictions and minor delays are possible. Work started Sept. 8, 2026, and completion is listed for winter 2026/27. Part of the closest town's advantage over everyone else is these few miles of road, and some days this winter they may come with a flagger.
A Ski Morning Built Around the Rules
Taken together, the season works best for Mountain Green skiers who plan around occupancy and treat distance as a bonus. A Saturday from town might go like this:
- Pick up groceries and lunch fixings the night before at Lee's Marketplace, 4935 W Old Highway Rd, which has a bakery and deli.
- Fill the car to three, or decide early to take the bus and leave the car home.
- Fuel up at the Sinclair at 5150 W Old Highway Rd, which pumps 24 hours, if you're driving.
- Reach the roundabout before 11 a.m. if you want Earl's.
- Leave tunes and rentals for the base. The Grizzly Center handles both, with rental hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily during the season.
Families with teenagers or college-age skiers have one more thing to look at. Snowbasin added Youth, Teen and Young Adult Value Pass options covering ages 5 through 26 for 2026-27. Value passes come with holiday blackout periods. Since every Value pass includes the free bus pass, a younger skier with one can ride Route 677 from town without anyone driving them.
If you'd like to try the base area before the lifts start turning, Snowbasin is hosting a Thanksgiving buffet at Earl's Lodge on Thursday, Nov. 26, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Reservations are required. If the Nov. 27 target holds, that's the day before opening.
We live and work at the foot of these same canyons, and the Nanci Lifer Team is always happy to talk through how a particular street in Mountain Green connects to Trappers Loop, the bus stop or the Snowbasin road. If you're weighing a home based on how easy the winter commute to the mountain will be, Let's Connect.
