"Day pass" at a ski resort usually means a lift ticket, and a lift ticket is only part of what a day costs. Here is the whole day, line by line, with the ways to pay less on each.
Prices are from Winter Park Resort and Ikon Pass in September 2026. Resort ticket prices change through the season, so treat them as a guide.
The whole day, added up
| Line | Pay less | Pay more |
|---|---|---|
| Lift ticket | Ikon or season pass, or Thursday $89 | Walk-up, from $113 |
| Parking | Free lot (North Bench, G Lot, Old Town) | Village Parking Garage, $55 on weekends |
| Locker | None, or a token locker for boots | Seasonal locker |
| Lunch | Packed | On the mountain |
| Rentals | Your own gear | Rent at the base |
The lift ticket and the rental are the two lines that can double the day. The rest is small money, but it's the small money that decides whether the day felt easy.
Lift tickets: walk-up, advance, or a pass
Winter Park doesn't price its tickets as a single flat rate. What the resort advertised in September 2026 (lift tickets and passes):
- Single-day ticket
- From $113
- Book 48+ hours ahead
- Save up to 40%
- Thursday ticket
- $89
- Flex pack, 4-day adult
- From $105 / day
- Flex Midweek pack, 4-day adult
- From $85 / day
The resort noted that Flex pack prices rise on September 18.
If you ski more than about ten days, buy a pass. The 2026–27 Ikon Pass starts at $1,399 and the Ikon Base Pass at $949, both with unlimited days at Winter Park, and both now come with refundable options (Summit Daily).
Parking
Parking at Winter Park runs from free to $55 a day in winter, depending on how close you want to be and when you arrive. The full breakdown, lot by lot, is in parking at Winter Park.
The cheapest way to park is not to drive: The Lift bus is free, and the Winter Park Express runs from Denver on winter weekends. See taking the Winter Park Express.
Lockers
Daily lockers at Winter Park fit boots and bags, not skis. At the Mary Jane base they take $2 tokens, one per entry. Every locker option, and what fits.
Food
Lunch on the mountain is convenient and priced accordingly. The cheapest good lunch is a packed one eaten somewhere warm, which is harder to find at the base on a busy Saturday than it sounds.
Rentals
If you need skis, boots and a helmet, rentals are the second-biggest line of the day. Book online ahead of time, since many shops discount advance bookings, and get fitted the evening before if you can, so the morning isn't spent in a queue.
Upgrading the day
For a day where the logistics matter, like a birthday, visiting family or a day with young children, the U9200 Alpine Club sells day passes on the Corridor trail between the Winter Park and Mary Jane bases. They are priced per car, not per person:
- Day PassFull single-day access
- $299 / car
- Two-Day PassFull access for two consecutive days
- $499 / car
- Week PassFull access for seven consecutive days
- $999 / car
A day pass includes guaranteed slope-side parking, the clubhouse with its fireplaces and patio, the slope-side hot tub with towels, the coffee bar and kitchen, the workspace and showers. It doesn't include a lift ticket or a locker. The week pass is arranged through the club directly.
For a car of four, one pass covers the parking, a warm base for the day and a hot tub at the end of it. Whether that is worth it depends on the day, which is the honest answer.