If you're looking for a great family ski experience out west, head for Alta, Utah, where the season extends from late November to late April and the annual snowfall averages 500 inches!

If you're looking for a great family ski experience out west, head for Alta, Utah, where the season extends from late November to late April and the annual snowfall averages 500 inches! Located at an elevation of 8,600 ft. above Little Cottonwood Canyon in the Wasatch National Forest, Alta boasts 2,200 acres of skiable terrain. It offers a variety of runs ranging from beginner to advanced, breathtaking alpine scenery, excellent "powder," and a skiers-only focus that excludes snowboarding. Most importantly, it tops the list of family-friendly ski areas in Utah.

Brief Mountain Tour

Beginner and intermediate skiers can access Alta via the Albion, Sunnyside, and Cecret lifts. The Sunnyside services a mile-long beginner run, named the Crooked Mile. This run can get busy, so a good alternative would be to go down the Dipsey-Doodle, then down the Home Run where you cut through a couple of blue runs. We enjoyed the gentle, long curves weaving through breathtaking pines. Above the beginner area, skiers can ride the Sugarloaf or Supreme lifts to access the numerous intermediate and advanced trails. On the front face of Alta, the Wildcat, Collins and Germania, lifts will take you to another set of intermediate and advanced runs. Because Alta has no snowboarders, you won't find as many crowds as you do at other combined ski areas.

If you are a snowboarder you can always take advantage of the combined Alta and Snowbird ski pass, enabling skiers to access the two resorts' combined terrain.

Alta Lodge

Alta has several slope-side lodges where you can ski in and ski out. A family favorite is the Alta Lodge, which is part of a rare tradition of ski lodges where the personal attention and warmth of a family-run hotel is combined with the pleasures of excellent dining and comfortable surroundings. For over six decades the Alta Lodge has played host to families from around the world, many of them returning to the lodge year after year.

Family owned and operated, the lodge offers a social and friendly atmosphere where you can sit by the fire in the cozy lobby-turned-family-room, strike up a conversation, and make new ski friends. The lodge's 57 rooms range from large slope-facing corner rooms to family-style dormitories. The historic main building has restored the original guestrooms with charming wood panels. The newer steel and glass additions have larger rooms and full views of the mountains through expansive windows. For those who love fireplaces, there are several corner rooms with balconies and a great view of the mountains to the east.

After a day of skiing, come relax in the two saunas and hot pools, partake in the afternoon tea accompanied by freshly baked goodies, or enjoy an après ski drink at the Sitzmark Club lounge. In a separate room next to the lobby, there is a wide screen television with cable to catch the latest news, sports, or just watch your favorite programs and videos. For children, there is a kid's room equipped with toys, games, numerous videos, and a television. According to one employee, this lodge is a place where you can let your kids roam around freely and know that they are safe.

Our well-appointed room featured sleeping arrangements for up to six people and had a spacious sitting area with wall-to-wall windows and an unobstructed view of the ski slopes. Our accommodation package included the Modified American Plan, which included lodging, full breakfast and dinner. It was refreshing not to have the added hassle of figuring out where to eat—not to mention the fact that Alta Lodge Restaurant is renowned for its food and friendly atmosphere. Chef Paul Raddon has been preparing delectable meals here for 34 years. Guests are served a four-course dinner of soup, salad, a choice of three entrees, and dessert. I tried the venison (my first time), and it was delicious! Breakfast includes all of the traditional breakfast items with special orders available upon request. Lunch is also offered, though not included in your lodging package.