Deer Valley lands Fox U.S. Open with trail upgrades for 2026 race
Deer Valley’s trail reroutes helped win the Fox U.S. Open, a three-day downhill finale expected to draw 10,000 visitors and $1.25 million in business.
Deer Valley Resort is turning trail work into a major tourism play. After Park City Council unanimously approved the resort’s request on June 4, the Fox US Open of Mountain Biking will bring the final stop of the Monster Energy Pro Downhill Series to Park City from Sept. 10-13, 2026, with an estimated 10,000 attendees and a projected $1.25 million in business.
The race is more than a marquee sporting event. Deer Valley is building an updated track for the 2026 competition, and series co-founder Clay Harper said the venue’s willingness to improve the course helped pull the event west after the energy of a 2025 stop at Solitude Mountain Resort. Harper pointed to Deer Valley’s NCS trail, saying the resort is making reroutes that will replace older, slower and tighter sections with faster, more flow-oriented race segments.
That matters for more than elite riders. Deer Valley said the event will keep the bike park open to the public rather than shutting down the whole mountain, which lowers the chance of a full-season disruption while still putting one of the resort’s signature trails in the spotlight. The resort also said the competition could support 237 Park City jobs, a concrete reminder that downhill racing can ripple through lodging, restaurants and other late-summer businesses across town.
The Fox US Open has been around since 2003 and has long been one of the most prestigious races in downhill mountain biking. In 2026, it will anchor the five-race Monster Energy Pro Downhill Series presented by Continental, following stops at Ride Rock Creek in North Carolina, Mountain Creek Bike Park in New Jersey, Solitude Mountain Resort in Utah and Big Bear Lake in California before finishing at Deer Valley.
For Park City, the event fits a broader strategy of using mountain biking as an economic engine. Local tourism materials describe the area as home to a 400-plus-mile trail network, and Deer Valley says its trails connect with Park City’s extensive 400-mile singletrack system. That connection gives the resort a stronger pitch to riders and event organizers looking for a destination with both terrain and infrastructure.
Deer Valley opened its summer mountain bike operations June 19, after a preview weekend for season passholders June 13-14. With the summer season underway and a national championship-caliber race on the calendar, the resort is betting that trail investment will pay off in visitor spending, brand visibility and a longer-term place in the mountain-bike economy.
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