Wyoming, Usa
Pine Creek
One quad chair, 32 runs, 640 acres near Cokeville. Weekend public skiing, weekday private mountain rental.
Season 2025 - 2026
Opens
6 Dec 2025
Closes
29 Mar 2026
Days open
113
Annual snow
29ft
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.
Latest News
From the SnowStash desk
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
Aerial Tram Collides With Crane at Alpe d'Huez: 23 Injured
An aerial tram carrying around fifty passengers struck the boom of a construction crane on the route to Pic Blanc at Alpe d'Huez on Wednesday morning, injuring 23 people, three seriously. The cabin tipped on impact before the operator reversed it to right the car. Most of the injured were treated on site, with five taken to hospital in Grenoble, including a pregnant woman assessed as a precaution.
28 Aug 2026
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.
27 Aug 2026
Pitztal Glacier Set to Reopen for the 2026/27 Ski Season on 26 September
Tyrol's highest ski area is gearing up to open a full month ahead of most of the Alps. The Pitztal Glacier is scheduled to start its 2026/27 season on Saturday 26 September, running through to 2 May 2027, with the lower-altitude Rifflsee area following in December. High-altitude terrain up to 3,440 metres gives the glacier a head start on snow, though as always, the actual opening extent will depend on how September's weather plays out. Early online ski pass bookings can save up to 30%.
26 Aug 2026
Unstable Glacier Above Randa Puts Zermatt-Area Village on Alert
A hanging glacier above the Swiss village of Randa, just south of Zermatt, has been shedding large chunks of ice for weeks, with authorities warning more break-offs are likely. A danger zone has been closed off since June, though officials say the village's 479 residents aren't at risk. It's a familiar pattern for this glacier - it's done this before, in 1819, 1972 and 1973 - but a reminder of how closely Alpine authorities now watch terrain once considered stable.
26 Aug 2026
Thredbo Is 'On the Table' as EVT Reviews Its Whole Business
Thredbo is officially 'on the table.' EVT Limited, owner of Australia's most decorated ski resort, has hired Rothschild & Co to review its entire corporate structure - and confirmed Thredbo isn't off limits, even as it books a stronger year of earnings. The resort's own valuation has nearly halved after a brutal 2026 season, and speculation is already running toward Vail Resorts, Alterra, or a New Zealand operator picking it up. Here's what EVT actually said, and who could buy it.
25 Aug 2026
Ski-E-O! Is the Ski Resort Tycoon Game We Didn't Know We Needed
I'm not a gamer. I'm a skier and snowboarder who happens to have a laptop. So when a ski resort management game called Ski-E-O! landed on Steam, I wasn't expecting to lose an afternoon to it - but here we are. Real mountain terrain, a full weather system, storms that roll in and wreck your snow base, avalanche danger, and enough depth to make RollerCoaster Tycoon feel simple by comparison. Early access lands in November. Here's what a few hours in the free demo actually looks like.
23 Aug 2026
Sugar Bowl, California, Rebuilds Its Historic Village Gondola
The rumours are true: Sugar Bowl is tearing out its Emerald gondola, in place since 1983, and replacing it with a new 8-person Doppelmayr system - nearly doubling uphill capacity to 1,800 people an hour. It's the fourth generation of a gondola line that dates back to 1953, when Sugar Bowl became the first resort on the West Coast to run one at all, and it's just one piece of a $100 million overhaul touching lodges, parking and snowmaking. Here's what's changing, and what's staying the same.
23 Aug 2026
Pine Creek Lift Tickets
Pine Creek lift tickets & passes
The 2025 - 2026 season at Pine Creek closed on Mar 29, 2026. Check back for next season's opening date and ticket pricing.
Day passes start from US$30, with peak rates up to US$3,000.
7 pass options
Single-day passes
Adult 18–64
Ski School Day Ticket
US$40
Special $40 lift ticket on designated ski school days at Pine Creek Wyoming. Open to the public on select dates with limited 10am-3pm operations in scenic mountain setting.
Buy passYouth 13–17
Youth Ski School Day
US$35
Youth ticket for Pine Creek ski school days. Perfect for young skiers to experience Wyoming mountain skiing on designated public access days near the Utah border.
Buy passChild 7–12
Child Ski School Day
US$30
Children's ticket for Pine Creek ski school days. Family-friendly Wyoming skiing on select public days with beginner-friendly terrain and instruction programs.
Buy passChild 0–6
Child (6 & Under)
Free
Free skiing for children 6 and under at Pine Creek on designated ski school days. Small Wyoming resort welcomes families with gentle terrain perfect for learning.
Buy passSenior 65–99
Senior Ski School Day
US$35
Senior discount for Pine Creek ski school days. Limited Wyoming mountain skiing experience on select public dates with scenic views and uncrowded slopes.
Buy passAdult 18–64
Private Mountain Rental
US$3,000
Rent the entire Pine Creek mountain for a full day of private skiing. Includes lodge, chairlift, and mountain guides for your exclusive Wyoming ski party experience.
Buy passSeason passes
Adult 18–64
Season Pass
US$299
Unlimited access to Pine Creek for designated operating days throughout the season. Limited schedule resort perfect for locals seeking authentic Wyoming mountain skiing.
Buy passLift tickets FAQ
How much does a Pine Creek day pass cost?
Pine Creek day passes range from US$30 to US$3,000 depending on the date and advance booking.
Can I buy Pine Creek lift tickets online?
Yes, you can purchase tickets directly from the resort website or at the resort ticket office.
Are there discounts for multi-day passes?
Yes, multi-day packages typically offer significant savings compared to individual day passes. The per-day cost decreases with longer stays.
What is included with a Pine Creek lift ticket?
Full access to all lifts and trails at Pine Creek, including mountain safety and patrol services.
What is the difference between Pine Creek lift tickets and ski passes?
"Lift tickets" and "ski passes" refer to the same thing at Pine Creek - your access to the mountain's lifts and trails for your chosen duration.
When should I buy Pine Creek lift tickets for the best price?
Purchase tickets at least 7 days in advance for the best rates, and consider weekday visits for further savings over weekend rates.
Does Pine Creek offer group discounts on lift tickets?
Group discounts are typically available for parties of 10 or more. Contact Pine Creek directly for group booking information and rates.
How can I check current conditions before buying tickets?
Before purchasing, check the live snow report and mountain webcams to see current weather, snow conditions, and lift operations at Pine Creek.
More Pine Creek intelligence: snow report, webcams, resort overview.