Snowbird Raises "Preferred Parking Pass" Price by $200
The majority of parking at Snowbird, Utah, is available on a first-come, first-served basis, but if a skier wants to guarantee access on the busiest and deepest days of the season, they need to shell out some serious coin.
POWDER reported that Snowbird sold its Preferred Parking Pass for $1,299 for the winter 25/26 season.
For next season (winter 26/27), the pass will cost a whopping $1,499, according to an updated page on Snowbird's website. A similar parking pass cost $799 in 2022 at Snowbird.
"Roll up to the mountain and step out onto the slopes with preferred parking," writes Snowbird. "Due to the geography and heavy snowfall of Little Cottonwood Canyon, parking is limited at Snowbird. A Preferred Parking Pass allows you to show up at Snowbird and park in designated lots. Parking passes give you access to the Lower Gad Valley, Pond, and Bypass Road Preferred Parking Lots for the season."
The Snowbird Preferred Parking Pass is valid every day from December 1, 2026, to April 30, 2027, until 1 p.m. See below for Snowbird's parking map. The Preferred Parking Pass grants access to lots shaded in purple.
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It's important to reiterate that the green-shaded zones, as shown on Snowbird's parking map above, will remain free and can be accessed on a first-come, first-served basis.
If a skier wants to ensure a parking spot on a given day, they can either purchase an individual parking reservation, which starts at $25 per day this season, or purchase the Preferred Parking Pass.
Season parking passes aren't exclusive to Snowbird, but the consistent rise in price has some skiers and snowboarders frustrated. Dan Reese, known online as Bored Progression, expressed his distaste for the Preferred Parking Pass in a recent Instagram post.
"Let's keep parking spaces empty most of the season for the wealthiest people, who may or may not be there on the busiest days, when there's already not enough parking. R.I.P. your soul," Reese writes sarcastically.
Other skiers and riders have called out the obvious: the Preferred Parking Pass costs as much, if not more, than a season or mega-pass like Ikon or Epic.
For example, Snowbird's Summit Pass, which grants unlimited access without blackout dates, costs $1,499 for new passholders. Combined with the Preferred Parking Pass, a skier is looking at shelling out more than $3,000 on the season.
How many real skiers can afford $1,500 for a parking pass on top of their ski pass? Not many, but premium products such as this were never intended for ski bums.
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This story was originally published April 15, 2026 at 3:28 PM.