The Overview
Michael Fulton
Melbourne-based skier and snowboarder with 50+ resorts across 5 continents. Specialises in Australian resorts and international resort comparisons.
Arizona Snowbowl's summit reaches 11,499 feet, dropping 2,300 vertical feet to a base at 9,199 feet across 55 runs spread over 777 acres on the San Francisco Peaks near Flagstaff. Terrain splits 43 per cent intermediate, 22 per cent beginner, 22 per cent advanced and 13 per cent expert. Average annual snowfall reaches roughly 260 inches. The resort carries no major multi-resort pass affiliation.
Snowbowl sits on the western slope of Mount Humphreys, Arizona's highest peak, giving it one of the highest base elevations of any US resort outside the Rockies. Eight lifts, including a gondola, a six-pack chair, two quads and a triple, serve the 55-run network. The resort's unusually long operating season, often extending into May, reflects both its high elevation and heavy investment in snowmaking. The 2,300-foot vertical drop is substantial for a resort in the desert Southwest.
Arizona Snowbowl has operated since 1938, when it began as a two-person rope tow powered by a car engine. The San Francisco Peaks are held sacred by thirteen Native American tribes in the region, including the Navajo, Hopi, Apache, Hualapai and Yavapai. A 1979 Forest Service approval for expanded facilities, including new lifts and additional trails, prompted lawsuits from Hopi and Navajo groups seeking to halt development on religious grounds; the tribes have not succeeded in any of the legal challenges filed over the decades. Since December 2012, the resort has used reclaimed wastewater from the City of Flagstaff for snowmaking under a contract first signed in 2002, a practice that remains contested by Indigenous and environmental groups on both cultural and water-quality grounds.
With no major pass affiliation, Snowbowl uses dynamic pricing, with adult day tickets ranging from roughly 19 to over 300 US dollars depending on demand, alongside a flat-rate season pass at 899 dollars. Kids 12 and under ski free. The resort suits Phoenix and northern Arizona skiers seeking high-desert skiing without travelling to the Rockies, roughly two hours from Phoenix and 14 miles from Flagstaff. Its history and ongoing tension over its sacred-mountain location and reclaimed-water snowmaking remain part of the resort's identity for many visitors and observers alike.
2,300ft
Vertical
55
Runs
777 acres
Skiable
22ft
Annual snow
The Terrain
55 runs across 777 acres skiable
Arizona Snowbowl spreads 55 runs across 777 acres skiable of terrain. It leans intermediate at 43%, with 12 beginner runs to find your feet and 19 advanced or expert runs when you want to push.
Terrain split
55
runs
55 runs across 4 grades
Beginner12 runs · 22%
Intermediate24 runs · 43%
Advanced12 runs · 22%
Expert7 runs · 13%
Time it right
When to visit Arizona Snowbowl
The 2025-26 season at Arizona Snowbowl ran from 7 November 2025 to 10 May 2026, an unusually long roughly twenty-six-week window for a Southwest resort. The mountain's high base elevation of 9,199 feet, close to Arizona's highest terrain, supports this extended season. Snowmaking, supplied by reclaimed wastewater since 2012, extends the season further at both ends. Season dates can shift based on early and late-season conditions.
Average annual snowfall of roughly 260 inches is high for the desert Southwest, a result of the San Francisco Peaks' elevation drawing moisture from passing storm systems. This natural snowfall, combined with reclaimed-water snowmaking, supports one of the longest operating seasons of any resort outside the traditional snowbelt regions. Base depth builds through midwinter and can persist into spring given the elevation. The reclaimed-water snowmaking programme remains contested by Indigenous and environmental groups, citing both cultural concerns and studies suggesting the water contains endocrine-disrupting compounds.
January and February typically offer the most reliable natural conditions, while snowmaking extends viable skiing well into spring given the exceptionally long season. Late-season visits in April and May are unusual for most US resorts but routine at Snowbowl given its elevation. Weekday visits are generally quieter than weekends, with the resort serving a large day-trip population from Phoenix as well as destination visitors. Family Friday afternoon discounted access reflects the resort's effort to spread demand across the week.
Snowbowl's season calendar operates within the ongoing context of its location on the San Francisco Peaks, sacred to thirteen regional tribes, and the continued use of reclaimed wastewater for snowmaking since 2012. Protests and legal challenges have recurred around season openings in past years, reflecting sustained opposition from some Indigenous and environmental groups. The resort's own programming otherwise centres on standard ski operations rather than major festivals. Its exceptionally long season remains its most distinctive seasonal feature nationally.
Season 2025 - 2026
7 Nov 2025
Opens
10 May 2026
Closes
184
Days open
22 ft
Annual snow
Getting there
Getting to Arizona Snowbowl, and where to stay
Arizona Snowbowl sits on the western slope of Mount Humphreys in the San Francisco Peaks, roughly 14 miles from Flagstaff, with a base elevation of 9,199 feet and a summit at 11,499 feet across a 2,300-foot vertical drop. This is within the Coconino National Forest in northern Arizona. The San Francisco Peaks are held sacred by thirteen Native American tribes in the region, including the Navajo, Hopi, Apache, Hualapai and Yavapai, a fact central to the mountain's identity and ongoing disputes over its development.
Flagstaff, Arizona, is the nearest city, a university and railroad town at roughly 7,000 feet elevation that serves as the resort's main service centre. The city sits along historic Route 66 and the modern Interstate 40 corridor. Flagstaff's own high elevation and forested setting distinguish it from the desert character of much of the rest of Arizona. Reclaimed wastewater from the City of Flagstaff has supplied the resort's snowmaking since 2012, linking the city and resort directly.
Highway 180 provides the main access route from Flagstaff to the ski area, climbing steadily into the San Francisco Peaks. The drive from Flagstaff takes roughly 30 minutes under normal conditions. Phoenix lies approximately two hours south by Interstate 17 and connecting roads, making Snowbowl a popular day-trip destination for the state's largest metropolitan area. Winter driving on Highway 180 can include snowpack given the elevation gain from Flagstaff to the resort.
Flagstaff Pulliam Airport offers limited regional commercial service, while Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, roughly two hours south, provides far more extensive flight options and is the more practical choice for most visitors. Most Snowbowl visitors drive up from Phoenix rather than flying into a smaller regional airport. No passenger rail connects directly to the resort, though Amtrak serves Flagstaff itself. A rental car from Phoenix or Flagstaff is the standard way to reach the resort.
Where to stay
Search all stays →Hotels and lodges near Arizona Snowbowl, powered by Stay22.
Latest News
From the SnowStash desk
Aspen Snowmass Marks 80th Anniversary With $3.75 Throwback Lift Tickets
Aspen Snowmass turns 80 this December, and it's marking the milestone with $3.75 lift tickets on the anniversary itself - the original 1946 price. A discounted long weekend, $19.46 dining specials, lodging deals up to 46 percent off, and a season of anniversary programming round out the celebration across all four mountains.
17 Sept 2026
Doppelmayr Group Posts 9.1% Revenue Growth in 2025/26, Passing 1.3 Billion Euros
Doppelmayr closed its 2025/26 business year with revenue up 9.1 percent to 1.3 billion euros, driven by projects including the Big Sky Explorer Gondola, Deer Valley's Mayflower East Village Gondola, and the first TRI-Line installation at Hoch-Ybrig. Headcount grew too, with the ropeway manufacturer now employing almost 4,000 people worldwide.
16 Sept 2026
Hintertux Glacier Replaces 40-Year-Old Gondola to Tuxer Fernerhaus
Hintertux Glacier is retiring its 40-year-old gondola to the Tuxer Fernerhaus. The replacement carries 10 people per cabin instead of four, with seat heating and nearly 40 percent more hourly capacity. Doppelmayr's new line opens at the end of October 2026, right as the glacier's high-altitude terrain becomes accessible again for the new season.
16 Sept 2026
FIS Weighs Holding World Championships in Almost Every Winter, Starting 2032
The International Ski and Snowboard Federation is looking at a major shake-up to its title events calendar. From 2032, World Championships could run not just in odd-numbered years but in every non-Olympic winter too, effectively putting a global title event on the calendar almost every season. The FIS Council has approved the concept following a feasibility study, though an accelerated rollout as early as 2028 is also under consideration.
4 Sept 2026
Mount Buller Becomes Latest Australian Resort to Call Time Early on 2026
Mount Buller closes out its 2026 season this Sunday, joining Falls Creek, Hotham and Charlotte Pass in a cluster of closures landing almost simultaneously and roughly a month ahead of schedule. The culprit is stark: Spencers Creek's benchmark snow depth hit 31.2cm on 3 September, just 18% of the 73-year average and an all-time low for this point in the season. Six of Victoria and NSW's best-known resorts will have shut their lifts early within a span of about two and a half weeks.
4 Sept 2026
Tremblant to Add New Timber Summit Ski Sector for 2027/28 Season
Tremblant has confirmed a major expansion of its Quebec ski area, with a new Timber Summit sector adding 62 acres of terrain, eight trails and a high-speed quad chairlift for winter 2027/28. It's part of a CAD 42.5 million investment that also includes a new beginner learning zone at Versant Soleil opening this coming season. The project has grown considerably since it was first announced back in 2020, when it carried a far smaller budget and an opening date that never eventuated.
2 Sept 2026
Mount Hotham to Close for the 2026 Season on Sunday, September 6
We knew when the Bird Bath Pond Skim showed up on Hotham's Instagram that the season was on its way out. It's been a rough one - I only managed two days on snow all year, at Falls Creek - and now Baw Baw, Selwyn and Hotham have all called it, possibly the worst Australian season I've seen in a decade. Hotham's last day of lift operations is Sunday, 6 September, with a Retro Day, Father's Day après and closing sales before the lifts stop turning for good.
1 Sept 2026
Thredbo to Replace Ageing Gunbarrel Quad With New Six-Seat Chairlift for 2028
Thredbo Alpine Resort has confirmed plans to replace its 37-year-old Gunbarrel quad chairlift with a new six-seat Doppelmayr D-Line, targeting winter 2028. The AUD 35 million project will keep travel time roughly the same but lift capacity from 2,800 to 3,000 skiers per hour. It's part of a broader investment push that also includes doubled snowmaking capacity at Friday Flat for 2027, with the ageing Kosciuszko Express now flagged as the resort's next major lift replacement after Gunbarrel.
31 Aug 2026
Arizona Snowbowl Webcams
2 live angles across the mountain. Tap any camera to go full-screen.
About Arizona Snowbowl's live webcams
Check live conditions across Arizona Snowbowl with 2 real-time webcams showing snow, weather, and lift operations, updated every 10 minutes. Check high-elevation cams for powder visibility and base-area cams for crowd levels before you head up.
Camera guide
- Snowbowl Gondola9,199ft
- Experience Arizona's premier alpine destination through this Arizona Snowbowl webcam positioned at the Snowbowl Gondola at 2804 meters elevation on the San Francisco Peaks. This Arizona Snowbowl live cam provides real-time views of gondola operations and snow conditions at the Southwest's highest ski resort. Monitor current mountain conditions through this live snow cam that captures the unique desert mountain skiing experience near Flagstaff.
- Grand Canyon Express11,401ft
- Capture commanding summit perspectives through this Arizona Snowbowl live cam stationed at Grand Canyon Express at 3475 meters, Arizona's highest lift-served terrain. This Arizona Snowbowl webcam delivers panoramic views across northern Arizona's volcanic landscape and reveals conditions on challenging upper mountain terrain. Essential for checking visibility and snow quality, this live snow cam showcases the spectacular high-altitude skiing on sacred Humphreys Peak.
Arizona Snowbowl snow cams FAQ
How often do Arizona Snowbowl snow cams update?
All Arizona Snowbowl snow cams and webcams update every 10 minutes with fresh images showing current mountain conditions. This frequent update schedule ensures you have access to near real-time conditions for planning your ski day at Arizona Snowbowl.
Which Arizona Snowbowl webcam shows the best powder conditions?
The high-elevation Grand Canyon Express webcam at 3,475m provides the clearest view of powder conditions and snowfall. These Arizona Snowbowl webcams capture fresh snow accumulation and visibility better than base area cameras.
Can I see Arizona Snowbowl lift queues on the webcams?
Yes. Multiple Arizona Snowbowl snow cams specifically show lift queue areas and chairlift operations, helping you time your arrival and avoid peak queue periods.
When is the best time to check Arizona Snowbowl snow cams?
Check Arizona Snowbowl webcams early morning (7-8am) for overnight snowfall assessment, and mid-afternoon for current crowd levels and weather. The live cams are most useful after storm events to assess fresh powder.
How can I check current conditions before buying Arizona Snowbowl lift tickets?
Use our Arizona Snowbowl webcams alongside the live snow report to assess conditions before purchasing lift tickets. The webcams show real-time visibility, snow quality, and operational status.
Do Arizona Snowbowl webcams work on mobile devices?
Yes. All Arizona Snowbowl snow cams and webcams are optimized for mobile viewing, so you can check live conditions from anywhere using your phone or tablet.
More Arizona Snowbowl intelligence: snow report, lift tickets, trail map, resort overview.