the mommy avenger

We were up at Snowbird this weekend for one of the most intense weekends on our family calendar — Speedgoat, the brutal 50K trail race that sends runners straight up and over the mountain. Our son was one of the ones toeing the start line this year, and if you know anything about Speedgoat, you know it is not for the faint of heart. Thousands of feet of elevation gain, technical terrain, thin mountain air — it’s the kind of race that makes the rest of us mere mortals very grateful we just have to cheer.

Since we were already making the trip up the canyon, we decided to turn it into a full family getaway and book ourselves into The Cliff Lodge, Snowbird’s iconic on-mountain hotel. I’ll just say it now: this was one of the best staycation decisions we’ve made in a long time, and I’m already scheming how to make it an annual tradition.

Canyon Views and Total Quiet

We booked one of the canyon-facing rooms, and wow. From the second we opened the curtains, we were hooked. There is something about being tucked into the top of Little Cottonwood Canyon, surrounded by granite peaks on every side, that just resets your whole nervous system. The hotel itself is remarkably quiet — no city noise, no traffic, just mountain air and the occasional breeze moving through the pines. We sat on the edge of the bed for a solid ten minutes just staring out the window before we even unpacked. The views genuinely cannot be beat, and honestly, they’re worth the trip up the canyon on their own.

An Evening at The Cliff Spa

Once we settled in, we made our way up to The Cliff Spa, which sits on the top level of the lodge, and this is where the trip really turned into a full-blown luxury experience. We spent the evening alternating between the heated outdoor rooftop pool and the hot tub, both perched up on the 9th floor with the canyon walls rising up all around us. The air up there is so crisp and clean, and combined with those sweeping views, it felt like total serenity. We would soak for a while, cool off, then head inside to warm back up in the eucalyptus steam room and the sauna, and just kept cycling through that loop until we were thoroughly relaxed. It was bliss, plain and simple. If you’re looking for a reason to book The Cliff Lodge on its own merits — forget the race, forget the skiing — the spa alone is worth the stay.

Needless to say, after an evening like that, we slept like babies that night.

Fueling Up at The Forklift

The next morning, while our son was out there tackling his 50K in the crisp mountain sunshine, the rest of us headed down to The Forklift, the on-property restaurant, for breakfast. It did not disappoint. We sat with a view of the mountain and ate a genuinely delicious breakfast while we tracked our runner’s progress and got ourselves ready for a full day of exploring.

A Day of Adventure on the Mountain

Here’s the thing about Snowbird in the summer — there is so much more to it than just cheering on a race. We spent the rest of our day making full use of everything the resort had to offer, and honestly, we could have used another full day to do it all.

My all-time favorite Utah activity, and the one thing I tell every single person visiting Utah for the first time, is riding the Snowbird tram. This year we got to ride up top, on the rooftop of the tram car, and I am telling you — spectacular does not even cover it. Completely unobstructed views the entire ascent up to Hidden Peak, sitting at 11,000 feet. Seeing the state spread out below you from that vantage point is unlike anything else. If you’ve never done it, you need to.

From there, we spent our morning hiking the trails, riding the Peruvian lift, flying down the mountain coaster, and testing our nerve on the ropes course — and all of it was included in our activity pass. It’s genuinely one of the best values we’ve found for a family day out, because there’s truly something for every age and every comfort level, from the little ones to the adrenaline junkies.

Making It a Tradition

Between the canyon views, the rooftop pool and spa, breakfast at The Forklift, and an entire mountain’s worth of summer activities, this weekend hit every note we didn’t even know we needed. We came up to support our son through one of the hardest races he’ll run all year, and we left with a full family staycation we’re already talking about doing again. The Cliff Lodge made the rest of the weekend just as memorable for the rest of us.

We’ve officially decided: this is going to be our new summer family tradition. Speedgoat weekend at Snowbird, staycation at The Cliff Lodge, and a whole lot of mountain air in between. If you’re ever debating a summer trip up the canyon, do yourself a favor and book a canyon-facing room — you will not regret it.

^{*we were invited to facilitate a feature, all opinions are our own*}