The major eastward expansion of Deer Valley, Utah, adds a new chapter for winter 2026/27. Following the wave of openings over the previous two winters—which starting in December 2024 more than doubled the skiable acreage of the historic American resort—construction crews have focused on the new Hail Peak Express chairlift, designed to climb from the East Village base area to the summit of Hail Peak and unlock access to seven new trails. On the table are an additional 200 acres of skiable terrain, or roughly 81 hectares, bringing the resort’s total footprint to 4,500 acres, just over 1,820 hectares.
As with any mountain construction project, it is helpful to distinguish the resort’s general opening date from that of the individual lift under construction: Deer Valley has set Saturday, December 5, 2026 for the start of the resort season, while the official indication for the Hail Peak Express remains a debut during winter 2026/27, without a separate inaugural day announced in advance. For anyone who knew the resort prior to this expansion cycle, the change reshapes the very geography of a ski day: east of Bald Mountain, a network of trails and lifts has grown to open up new aspects and make Hail Peak the next destination to work into a day’s itinerary.
From the East Village portal to a ten-mountain ski domain
Along the line of the Hail Peak Express, which will measure roughly 1.2 kilometers with a 344-meter vertical rise, 86 chairs will operate with an uphill capacity of 2,400 passengers per hour. Summer construction reached a key milestone on September 9, when helicopters set the lift towers into place along the slope, finally making the profile of the new link visible on the mountain.
While the top terminal anchors the eastern edge of the ski area, the base station sits directly at East Village, an access hub that proves especially convenient for day skiers. Located along U.S. Route 40 and equipped with 1,200 parking spaces reserved for skiers, this portal makes it possible to reach the lifts without driving through downtown Park City. From here, skiers can choose whether to start their morning directly on the slopes of the eastern expansion or ski across the interconnecting trails leading back toward the classic faces of Bald Mountain, with all the new Hail Peak runs included on valid Deer Valley lift tickets and passes.
With the debut of the Hail Peak Express, the number of lifts added since December 2024 will rise to eleven. The trail map planned for the 2026/27 season will thus feature 209 trails and 32 aerial lifts spread across ten mountains, an expansion matched step by step by the growth of programmed snowmaking, whose coverage reaches 932 acres, or roughly 377 hectares, in the plan for the new winter. Even as it doubles its horizons, however, the Utah resort preserves the hallmark that has always set it apart: the entire ski area, including the seven new runs on Hail Peak, remains exclusively reserved for alpine skiing, with snowboards not permitted—a detail always worth keeping in mind when planning a group trip to the American West.
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