The Overview
Michael Fulton
Melbourne-based skier and snowboarder with 50+ resorts across 5 continents. Specialises in Australian resorts and international resort comparisons.
Pine Creek's summit reaches 8,225 feet, dropping 1,424 vertical feet to a base at 6,801 feet across 32 runs spread over 640 acres in Lincoln County, Wyoming. Terrain splits 40 per cent advanced, 30 per cent intermediate and 30 per cent beginner, with no expert-rated runs. A single quad chair serves the entire mountain. Average annual snowfall reaches roughly 350 inches, though the resort carries no major multi-resort pass affiliation.
The advanced-heavy terrain split reflects Pine Creek's steep pitches relative to its modest 1,424-foot vertical drop. With only one lift serving 32 runs, skier traffic concentrates on whichever routes the single quad chair accesses each day. There is no terrain park or groomed beginner-specific zone beyond the general 30 per cent beginner share. The mountain's small scale keeps lift lines minimal even on the busiest weekends.
Pine Creek operates as a community ski hill rather than a commercial resort, co-owned by Lincoln County and longtime operator Paul Etcheverry, who has run the area for close to 50 years. The base lodge began life as a Union Pacific train depot, donated and moved from Cokeville to the ski hill in one piece. Public skiing runs on weekends, with the entire mountain available for private weekday rental at a flat rate. This weekday rental model is unusual among Wyoming ski areas of any size.
Ski School Day Tickets, priced for public access alongside instructional programming, form the core of Pine Creek's public offering rather than a standard lift ticket structure. A full-mountain private weekday rental costs 3,000 US dollars, while a season pass runs 299 dollars. The resort suits local Lincoln County families and weekday groups seeking exclusive mountain access over destination skiers, given its distance from Wyoming's larger resort towns. Its cooperative structure with the Wyoming Division of Tourism and the Bureau of Land Management keeps the operation community-focused rather than commercially driven.
1,424ft
Vertical
32
Runs
640 acres
Skiable
29ft
Annual snow
The Terrain
32 runs across 640 acres skiable
Pine Creek spreads 32 runs across 640 acres skiable of terrain. It leans advanced at 40%, with 10 beginner runs to find your feet and 13 advanced or expert runs when you want to push.
Terrain split
32
runs
32 runs across 4 grades
Beginner10 runs · 30%
Intermediate10 runs · 30%
Advanced13 runs · 40%
Expert0 runs · 0%
Time it right
When to visit Pine Creek
The 2025-26 season at Pine Creek ran from 6 December 2025 to 29 March 2026, a roughly sixteen-week window. The resort's public operating schedule concentrates on weekends, with weekdays available for private group rental rather than general public skiing. This structure means the effective public ski season is shorter than the full open-to-close window suggests. Season dates shift year to year based on snowpack and the operator's scheduling.
Average annual snowfall of roughly 350 inches supports the mountain's 640 acres of advanced-leaning terrain, though live season snowfall tracking is not available in current resort data. Lincoln County's position in western Wyoming places it in a moderate snowbelt compared with the heavier totals seen further north in the Tetons. Base depth and conditions are typically reported informally given the ski area's small, community-run scale. Snowmaking coverage has not been documented for this area.
Weekends through the core winter months of January and February typically offer the most consistent public skiing access at Pine Creek. Weekday visits require booking the mountain as a private rental rather than showing up for standard lift access. Late-season conditions in March can be inconsistent, with the area's 29 March close date reflecting typical spring snowpack decline at this elevation. The weekend-only public model makes advance planning more important here than at resorts with daily public access.
Pine Creek does not offer night skiing or a dedicated events calendar, consistent with its role as a community and rental ski hill rather than a destination resort. Ski school programming operates alongside public weekend access as a core part of the mountain's offering. The full-mountain weekday rental option effectively functions as private event hosting for groups willing to book the entire hill. As a Lincoln County and Etcheverry-operated area, the calendar centres on serving local skiers over hosting a resort-style event programme.
Season 2025 - 2026
6 Dec 2025
Opens
29 Mar 2026
Closes
113
Days open
29 ft
Annual snow
Getting there
Getting to Pine Creek, and where to stay
Pine Creek sits seven miles east of Cokeville, in Lincoln County in southwestern Wyoming, with a base elevation of 6,801 feet. The ski area's summit reaches 8,225 feet, a 1,424-foot vertical drop across 640 acres. This is a working ranching and small-town region rather than a resort corridor, with Pine Creek serving as the area's local ski hill. The surrounding landscape is open range and forest rather than a built-up mountain village.
Cokeville, Wyoming, is the nearest town, a small community that originally donated the train depot now serving as Pine Creek's base lodge. The area was built by local cowboys seeking winter recreation, a history that still shapes its community, non-resort character. Larger service towns like Kemmerer and Afton sit further away, providing additional lodging and supplies beyond what Cokeville itself offers. The wider Lincoln County region carries a ranching identity rather than a ski-tourism one.
Local county roads provide access to Pine Creek from Cokeville, without the state highway infrastructure that serves Wyoming's larger resorts. The drive from Cokeville takes a short time given the seven-mile distance, though winter conditions on rural roads can include snowpack and ice. No major highway runs directly to the ski area, consistent with its role as a local rather than destination attraction. No public transport service reaches Pine Creek, making a car essential for access.
The nearest airport with scheduled commercial service is not confirmed in available resort information, given Pine Creek's remote Lincoln County location. Salt Lake City International Airport, roughly two to three hours south by road, offers the nearest major hub with extensive flight options. Jackson Hole Airport sits considerably further north and east, making it a less practical option for Pine Creek visitors specifically. Rental cars from either airport are the standard way to reach this part of southwestern Wyoming.
Where to stay
Search all stays →Hotels and lodges near Pine Creek, powered by Stay22.
Good to know
Frequently asked
When is Pine Creek's ski season?
Pine Creek's 2025 - 2026 season typically runs from December 6 through March 29. That window is roughly 113 calendar days, though daily operations depend on snow cover, weather, and lift maintenance.
Resorts in Wyoming, Usa often announce firm dates closer to winter; check the live snow report before you travel if you are planning around opening weekend or spring closure.
How much skiable terrain does Pine Creek have?
Pine Creek lists about 640 acres skiable of marked terrain spread across 32 named runs (259 hectares alongside 640 acres skiable). That footprint is what most riders experience on a lift-served day. Side-country or hike-to terrain may sit outside these published numbers.
Use the trail map to see how the mountain is laid out and where the longest fall-line runs connect back to base.
What is the terrain like at Pine Creek?
Trail grading at Pine Creek breaks down roughly as 30% beginner, 30% intermediate, 40% advanced. The advanced and expert share is substantial, so confident skiers and riders will find plenty of steeper fall-line options once they leave the nursery slopes.
Percentages describe the resort's published piste mix, not vertical feet. A mountain with modest "expert" stats can still feel demanding if the steep terrain is long or exposed. Read the trail map alongside these numbers when planning your route.
How many lifts does Pine Creek have?
Pine Creek operates 1 lifts. The fleet includes 1 quad chair.
Lift mix affects how quickly you can lap your favourite zones. Gondolas and trams move big crowds to mid-mountain, while shorter chairs and surface lifts often serve learning areas or local pods. Check the live snow report on ski days for real-time open/closed status.
What is the elevation and vertical drop at Pine Creek?
Base elevation at Pine Creek is about 6,801 ft (2,073 m), with the summit around 8,225 ft (2,507 m), giving roughly 1,424 ft (434 m) of vertical from base to top.
Higher start heights usually mean colder, drier snow holding longer into spring, but also thinner air and faster weather changes. Pack layers if you are riding from village level to summit lifts in one day.
How much snow does Pine Creek get each season?
Pine Creek averages about 350 inches (889 cm) of natural snowfall per season. That is a long-term climate figure. Any single winter can run well above or below it depending on storm track and temperature.
For trip planning, pair this baseline with the live snow report and webcams: fresh cycles show up in overnight totals and summit cameras long before season averages tell you much about today's surface.
Where can I buy Pine Creek lift tickets and how much do they cost?
Published single-day adult pricing on SnowStash currently spans US$30 to US$3,000, depending on date band and whether you are buying peak or regular windows. Multi-day products (season passes) usually lower the per-day cost if you are staying several days. Tickets can be bought online through the resort's official checkout (linked from our lift tickets page) or at on-mountain ticket windows, subject to availability.
Buying ahead of peak holidays and weekends generally saves money and guarantees access on sold-out days. Before you commit, scan the snow report and webcams so you are paying for conditions that match your expectations.
How can I check snow and mountain conditions at Pine Creek before I go?
SnowStash pulls together 2 live mountain webcams, a downloadable piste map, and the daily snow report for Pine Creek so you can plan from home. Webcams refresh on a short interval and are the fastest way to judge visibility, wind exposure, and whether storm snow is still falling.
The snow report adds structured totals, base depth where available, and lift/trail status when the resort publishes it. Use both together: cameras show what it looks like right now, and the report summarises numbers your group can compare day to day.
Does Pine Creek have a trail map?
Yes. The downloadable PDF/image map is better for offline planning, marking meeting points, and understanding the full mountain layout at a glance.
Both versions are on the trail map page for Pine Creek. If you are navigating with kids or meeting friends across separate lifts, screenshot or print the static map and keep the live map open on your phone for operational updates.
Where is Pine Creek located?
Pine Creek sits in Wyoming, Usa. That regional context matters for travel planning: airport transfers, snow tyres, and typical storm patterns all follow geography as much as resort marketing.
Browse nearby accommodation from the resort page if you are comparing village-base vs valley-base stays; where you sleep changes your first lift of the day more than most trail stats do.
Latest News
From the SnowStash desk
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Thredbo to Replace Ageing Gunbarrel Quad With New Six-Seat Chairlift for 2028
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Why Glaciers Are Collapsing - And What Happens When They Do
A deadly flood on the Nepal-China border, a decade-old tragedy on Italy's Marmolada, and an unstable glacier right now above a village near Zermatt - three very different mountain ranges, the same underlying story. Warming ice is destabilising terrain that was considered settled for generations, and the results range from catastrophic floods to slow-motion monitoring situations that could go either way.
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26 Aug 2026