In the second week of September, a helicopter flew the last pieces of Hail Peak Express into place above the Jordanelle. The Park Record called it the final lift in Deer Valley's Expanded Excellence plan. After three years of lift work, the resort says it will now turn to finishing the East Village and Park Peak lodges. Neither lodge opens this season. Deer Valley's June update puts both in the 2027-28 winter.
If you live near Mayflower, Hideout, or anywhere else along US-40, that gap shapes your winter. The mountain on your side of the resort is essentially finished. The base village is still a construction site. Until the lodges open, coffee, lunch, and après on the east side come from a temporary structure by the gondola and the hotels that have opened around it.
Hail Peak is the last lift, and it starts near the lot
Deer Valley has set December 5 as its target opening day for 2026-27, conditions permitting. The big new piece this year is Hail Peak Express. It adds 200 skiable acres and seven new runs, bringing the resort to 4,500 acres, 209 runs, and 32 lifts. The lift runs 86 chairs and carries 2,400 riders per hour from East Village up to the easternmost terrain at the resort.
For anyone who drives in from the Jordanelle side, where the lift sits matters most. Garrett Lang, Deer Valley's senior director of mountain operations, told the Park Record that Hail Peak's spot next to the East Village lot makes it a natural first run or an early-morning lap before heading into the rest of the mountain. He compared its groomed beginner, intermediate, and advanced runs to Flagstaff Mountain on the resort's west side. Like the other expansion lifts, its chairs have higher backs and smoother suspension.
One of the seven new runs is named "Hill Yeah," after Hill Air Force Base in Northern Utah. It ties in with the resort's Salute to Service program.
Parking at the East Village day lot off US-40 is free all day, with 1,200 spaces. Lang said complimentary trams will run from the lot near Hail Peak to bring skiers closer to the hub. On the Park City side, UDOT's Wasatch Back recreation page says winter 2026-27 parking details for the Snow Park lots will come closer to the season.
Terrain from last winter that may finally open
Some of the most interesting terrain this season was technically added a year ago. Deer Valley's 2025-26 build brought 100 new runs, 10 new chairlifts, and the 10-passenger East Village Gondola up to Park Peak. A thin snow year kept part of that terrain near the Pioche and Neptune lifts closed. Riley Elliot, the resort's communications manager, said she hopes those areas will be skiable for the first time this winter.
Two projects from this summer are aimed at that problem and at families skiing the east side:
- A new snowmaking reservoir. It holds 10 million gallons in a drainage southwest of Park Peak Lodge and can feed every snow gun on the east side. Combined with Ventana, the east system can move 20,000 gallons per minute. Deer Valley says 80 to 90% of snowmaking water goes back to its source, either the Jordanelle Reservoir or the Provo River.
- A family snow-feature zone off Pioche Express. It's tentatively planned for the green run Pirate King, with rollers and berms for a mild ski-cross feel. Humbug is getting flowy rollers, and McHenry is getting a dedicated family area.
Senior snowmaking manager Brett Hawksford told the Park Record that the snowmaking window usually opens at the end of October. His ideal October is consistently cold and dry, with temperatures in the mid to low teens.
Lunch at the base is still the tent
With East Village Lodge a season away, the on-mountain restaurant at the east base is still the East Village Restaurant. It runs inside a Sprung structure at the base of the gondola. The Park Record described it as temperature-controlled, decorated with photos of the slopes, and set right where the shuttle drops off. A patio along the path to the gondola has high-top tables, lounge chairs, and Deer Valley bunting like the decorations at Silver Lake Lodge.
Last winter was its first, and executive chef Peter Menteer called it a "discovery year." The restaurant ran from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., serving Deer Valley turkey chili and a salad bar alongside sweet potato fries and a cold soba noodle bar. A Deer Valley Chicken Shack and a beer trailer handled lunch on the patio. Weekend specials included bánh mì and quesabirria tacos.
Menteer said the restaurant will be back this season, and possibly for a few more, while both lodges are finished. Part of his plan is to give skiers a reason to come down for lunch instead of crowding into Silver Lake Lodge. The hours and menu above are from last season, so this winter's may be different.
Rentals are available on this side too. Deer Valley lists an East Village Rental Shop on N Mayflower Mine Road as one of its three in-resort rental locations.
Four hotel kitchens that opened this fall
The biggest change on the east side since last winter isn't on the mountain. Canopy by Hilton has opened at East Village. The Park Record described it in June as a 180-room hotel. TownLift reported in late September that all four of its food and drink spots were open and are meant for locals as well as hotel guests.
Executive chef Scott Rackliff runs all four. He previously worked at Eleven Madison Park and Daniel in New York. Here's how they break down:
- Mountain Provisions is the all-day café, with coffee, house-made pastries, and grab-and-go food. The stromboli comes in an insulated sleeve so you can eat it on the chairlift.
- Tavolona is the flagship Italian trattoria, serving regional dishes for one or family style. The name comes from the Italian word for table.
- Fornetto is the casual one, with handmade pizzas, Venetian cicchetti, Utah craft beer, and live sports. Rackliff's favorite dish there is a meatball smash burger built on Tavolona's signature meatball recipe. Chef Daniele Uditi, co-founder of Pizzana in Los Angeles, wrote the original Italian menus and the pizza dough.
- Alpine Attic is the rooftop lounge, open since August 21, with cocktails and shareable plates. The Wagyu Salisbury steak comes on a plate shaped like a TV dinner tray. The Wagyu shepherd's pie uses beef from Wasatch Meats and arrives in a camping tray.
Rackliff told TownLift that his team buys from Wasatch Back and regional producers including Wasatch Meats, PaMaw Farms, and Heber Cheese. He said they picked those suppliers by returning several times to check consistency.
Grand Hyatt Deer Valley has been open since November 20, 2024, so it isn't new this year. It does add more options within walking distance. Hidden Ace is a 21-and-over bar and full restaurant with seasonal menus, outdoor dining, and live local music. The hotel's dining page also lists Remington Hall for breakfast and dinner, and The Lounge at Remington Hall for lunch and bar service.
With two hotels and a temporary tent, the east base has more places to sit down this winter than it did last winter, even without a permanent lodge.
What waits until 2027-28
Deer Valley's published schedule for the rest of the east side:
- Park Peak Lodge, at the top of the East Village Gondola, had its core and shell set to be finished by fall 2026. Its dining areas, restaurant, and bar will be built out through this winter, and it opens for 2027-28. It was originally planned to open partially this season.
- East Village Lodge, at the base, will house the ski school, rentals, and a food hall, and also opens for 2027-28.
For bus riders, High Valley Transit's winter 2025 route update had Route 106 stopping at "Deer Valley East (Hyatt Parking)" every 45 minutes. That schedule was for last winter, so check HVT for this season's service before counting on it. Beyond the hotels already open, East Village development keeps moving. In January, TownLift reported plans for a Waldorf Astoria hotel there.
On the calendar, the freestyle skiing World Cup returns to Deer Valley in January 2027.
Living near the Jordanelle while East Village takes shape raises practical questions. Which projects are finished, what's still years away, and how will the area feel once the lodges open in 2027-28? Nick and Kendall at The Berardi Team follow those changes closely and are glad to talk them through with you, whether you're staying put or planning your next move. Let's Get Started.
