Alpine Slide and Mountain Coaster Park City: Summer Thrills for Kids

If you grew up in the 80s or 90s, you have a deep nostalgic memory of an alpine slide somewhere - the smooth concrete trough, the sled with a hand brake, the bee sting at the bottom. Park City still has one of those. It also has something newer and frankly more terrifying: the Park City Mountain Coaster, which clings to the side of the mountain like a Wild Mouse roller coaster except you control the speed.

For families, you can do both in a half day. Here is everything I wish I had known the first summer we tried.

Quick Comparison

Park City Alpine Slide

This is the classic. Take the chairlift up, slide down a winding concrete chute on a small wheeled sled, control the speed yourself with a hand brake. Three parallel tracks let you race siblings. It is a vintage mountain experience and kids love it.

Park City Mountain Coaster

Newer, longer, and faster. You sit in a single-rail cart that is mechanically attached to a track winding 4,000 feet down the mountain through aspen groves. You still control speed with two hand levers, but you cannot fall off. It runs in light rain and even some snow.

Age and Height Requirements

This is the part that trips up most families on arrival. Print this on your phone before you drive up:

Mountain Coaster

• Must be at least 3 years old AND at least 38 inches tall to ride at all (with a driver)
• Single riders must be 54 inches tall
• Drivers (kids 38-53 inches with an adult) must be at least 16 years old and 54 inches

Alpine Slide

• Kids 35-47 inches can ride with someone over 48 inches who is at least 16 years old
• Anyone over 48 inches must be the driver of their own sled

Translation: a five-year-old who is 42 inches tall can ride both with a parent, but cannot ride alone on either. A nine-year-old who is 56 inches can ride either solo. Measure your kid at home before you drive up the canyon.

Hours and Season

The Park City Mountain Coaster runs daily from June 7 through September 1, generally 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., weather permitting. The Alpine Slide runs weekends in shoulder season and daily during peak summer. Both are at the base area of Park City Mountain Resort, near the Town Lift.

Pricing in 2026

Single-ride tickets run roughly $25-30 for the coaster, $20-25 for the slide. Multi-ride packages and the Adventure Pass (which bundles the alpine adventures with the climbing wall and mini golf) save real money if you have a half day. For a family of four planning to ride both attractions a few times each, the Adventure Pass usually wins.

Which One First, and How Many Times

Start with the Alpine Slide. It is gentler, the chairlift up is part of the fun, and your kids will be psyched up for the coaster after warming up. Two slides, then walk over to the coaster, then maybe one more slide before you leave.

If you have a kid who is already a roller coaster veteran, flip it - coaster first, slide as the cooldown.

What to Wear

Closed-toe shoes are required on both rides. KEEN water sandals count. Flip flops do not. Kids should wear long shorts or pants - the sled seats can pinch the back of bare thighs on the slide.

Bring layers. The chairlift ride up at 7,200 feet of elevation is meaningfully colder than the parking lot. A light fleece for the kids stays in your daypack.

Sun and Hydration at Altitude

Park City summer sun is intense. The base area sits at 6,900 feet, the top of the slide is around 7,800 feet, and you have a thinner atmosphere. Mineral SPF 50 sunscreen on every kid before you leave the car. A wide-brim sun hat for ride-line waiting. Refill your water bottle at the base lodge fountain - hydration is the difference between a fun day and a meltdown.

The Lines Reality

Lines are longest 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on summer Saturdays. If you can swing it, arrive at 10 a.m. for the first chair on the slide and you will get four laps before the crowds. Tuesday and Wednesday are the calmest days of the week.

Worth Combining With

The base area at Park City Mountain has a full Adventure Park: zipline, climbing wall, mini golf, gem-sifting, the works. Consider tagging on:

• Lunch at the base lodge cafeteria (decent burgers, kid menu, big patio)
• The Town Lift up to Town Mountain - you can ride up, walk down through wildflower meadows, and get pictures of Old Town from above
• An ice cream walk on Main Street afterward

For the Phone-Camera Question

You cannot hold a phone on the coaster - both hands are on the brake. Most families leave the phone in the car or buy the official ride photo. The chairlift up the slide is fair game for handheld photos and the views are gorgeous.

Bring an extra phone battery if you are doing the full Adventure Park - your phone will die from photos and altitude cold faster than you expect.

Packing List

• Closed-toe shoes for everyone
• Long shorts or light pants
• Sunscreen, sun hat, sunglasses
• Water bottle per person
• A light fleece in the daypack
• Small first-aid kit (bandaids - the slide grabs scraped knees)
• Cash for ride photos
• Backup phone battery

Budget for a Family of Four

Adventure Pass for two adults and two kids runs about $250-300. A simple two-rides-each plan (alpine slide and coaster) is closer to $200. Lunch at the base lodge is $60-80 for four. Total for a memorable half day: $260-380. It is not cheap, but it is the kind of summer day kids talk about all year.

The Honest Take

The Alpine Slide is the nostalgia ride - my husband still talks about racing his brother in 1989 - and the Mountain Coaster is the new memory. Doing both in one morning, with a chairlift ride in between to catch your breath and look at the wildflowers, is a top-five Park City summer experience for kids. Just measure them before you go.