What Riders Now Pay To Climb

Deer Valley is now charging mountain bikers to access downhill flow trails on Bald and Bald Eagle mountains, even if they pedal up under their own power. The new Pedal Pass costs $12 per day or $50 per season, a move the resort attributes to the high cost of maintaining machine-built trails, according to KPCW.

How much does the Deer Valley Pedal Pass cost?

Riders who avoid the chairlifts but want to use downhill flow trails must now pay $12 for a daily pass or $50 for a season-long Pedal Pass. This creates a new fee structure for those who “earn their turns” by climbing the mountain manually.

This fee is separate from the Deer Valley Summer Access Pass. That higher-tier pass costs $329 for unlimited lift-served biking, hiking, and scenic rides. Ikon Pass and Utah Limited pass holders, or eligible military personnel, can purchase the Summer Access Pass for a discounted rate of $247.

Why is Deer Valley charging riders who pedal up?

The resort says the decision is based on the financial burden of trail upkeep. Doug Gormley, Deer Valley’s lead mountain bike coach, told KPCW that many riders use buses to reach the resort and then pedal into specific areas of the bike park.

According to resort data provided to KPCW, Deer Valley spends roughly $150,000 annually on summer trail maintenance. The costs are driven by the complexity of modern flow trails, which can cost up to $100,000 per mile to construct. With more than 100 riders daily accessing these downhill trails without a lift ticket, the resort is now formalizing payment for those using the berms and jumps.

Which trails remain free to the public?

The Pedal Pass doesn’t apply to the entire resort. The Mountain Trails Foundation notes that the fee only targets lift-served downhill terrain on Bald and Bald Eagle mountains.

Riders can still access trails on Flagstaff Mountain for free. Additionally, multi-directional routes like Mid Mountain remain open to the public without a fee. These are part of a broader 400-mile network of public, multi-use cross-country trails in the region that remain free of charge.

Will more resorts move toward “Pay-to-Pedal” models?

For years, the unspoken rule in the Wasatch Mountains was that riders who climbed using leg power rode for free. Deer Valley’s shift suggests a move toward a “maintenance-based” pricing model rather than an “access-based” one.

As resorts invest more in machine-built “flow” trails—which require more frequent grooming and repair than natural singletrack—the cost of upkeep rises. This creates a tension between traditional mountain biking culture and the operational costs of high-end bike parks. If other resorts follow Deer Valley’s lead, the distinction between “public land” and “resort-managed” trails will become the primary driver of cost for riders.

The local community is already split. Some riders argue that the physical effort of climbing should exempt them from fees, while others view the $12 daily rate as a fair contribution to the upkeep of world-class infrastructure.

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