Deer Valley opens summer biking season, revives community ritual
Deer Valley reopened its Bike Park on June 19, with the Childress family among the first riders as summer passes, clinics and chairlifts returned.
Deer Valley Resort welcomed riders back to its Bike Park on June 19, and the first day looked more like a family outing than a soft opening. The Childress family arrived ready to ride together as the resort launched a summer season that runs through Sept. 20. A preview weekend for season-pass holders ran June 13 and 14.
Alli Childress said downhill biking has become part of the family’s summer routine, with the chairlift carrying riders up the mountain so they can descend again and again on the trails. Rachel Seibert said the sport is both challenging and calming, and said it has helped her build friendships and a community that is harder to find during the winter months.
Deer Valley remains a summer employer, recreation hub and tourism driver, with biking, hiking and food-and-beverage activity helping fill the calendar beyond ski season. Kevin Kirksey, the resort’s vice president of marketing, said the goal is to create strong stories about the mountain and then deliver memorable experiences once people arrive.
Riders without a lift ticket or season pass need a Deer Valley Pedal Pass and signed waiver to enter the Bike Park. The pass costs $12 per day or $50 for the season, and the revenue helps pay for trail maintenance, bike patrol, operations and guest safety. The Bike Park operates daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., including Twilight Wednesdays.
The resort runs Silver Lake Express, Sterling Express and Homestake Express in summer, and kids 12 and under receive one free scenic lift ticket per paying adult. Its bike network covers six mountains and nearly 60 miles of mountain bike trails with as much as 3,000 vertical feet of elevation change. The broader trail network tops 100 miles of professionally maintained trails. The 2026 lineup includes an expanded Women’s Ride Series, a three-part clinic for female riders ages 16 and older, and Kids Gravity Camp for ages 10 to 14 on July 10, July 24 and Aug. 7, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with a 4-to-1 student-to-instructor ratio.
Last summer, mountain biking on Bald Mountain and access via Sterling Express were closed and only about half the bike trails stayed open.
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