Kelly Canyon Resort is often considered one of Idaho’s hidden gems. With 640 acres of skiable terrain, extensive night skiing, plenty of beginner terrain, and a family-friendly atmosphere, Kelly Canyon offers a low-stress skiing experience without the chaos of major destination mega-resorts.
This upcoming season at Kelly Canyon will be an exciting one for Idaho skiers and snowboarders. The resort recently announced several major upgrades across multiple areas of the resort to give guests the best possible experience. From snowmaking upgrades to new parking lots, here’s what’s new at Kelly Canyon this season.
Increased Snowmaking
After a poor 2025-26 season, Kelly Canyon is doing everything it can to make sure history does not repeat itself. Over the summer, the resort underwent major upgrades to its snowmaking system in an effort to cover more trails and increase snowmaking output. It extended its snowmaking infrastructure to the top of Goldrush, significantly improving coverage on the trail.
With snowmaking upgrades, Kelly Canyon will look to deliver better snow conditions and longer seasons for its guests. When temperatures drop at Kelly Canyon, the resort will be able to make more snow in the Goldrush area, allowing it to open its terrain earlier in the season.
Trending on SnowBrains
.sb-trending-widget {
background: #f8f8f8;
border-top: 2px solid #e0e0e0;
border-left: 4px solid #ea2e49;
border-radius: 0 4px 4px 0;
margin: 28px 0;
padding: 14px 14px 6px;
width: 100%;
box-sizing: border-box;
}
.sb-trending-header {
display: flex;
align-items: center;
gap: 8px;
margin-bottom: 12px;
padding-bottom: 10px;
border-bottom: 1px solid #e0e0e0;
}
.sb-trending-icon {
font-size: 18px;
line-height: 1;
flex-shrink: 0;
}
.sb-trending-label {
font-size: 15px;
font-weight: 700;
color: #1a1a1a;
line-height: 1.3;
text-transform: uppercase;
letter-spacing: 0.04em;
}
.sb-trending-list {
list-style: none;
margin: 0;
padding: 0;
}
.sb-trending-item {
border-bottom: 1px solid #e8e8e8;
padding: 9px 0;
border-radius: 3px;
transition: background 0.1s;
}
.sb-trending-item:last-child {
border-bottom: none;
padding-bottom: 4px;
}
.sb-trending-item:active {
background: #fef0f2;
}
.sb-trending-link {
display: flex;
align-items: center;
gap: 10px;
text-decoration: none;
color: inherit;
padding: 2px 4px;
}
.sb-trending-thumb {
flex-shrink: 0;
}
.sb-trending-thumb img {
display: block;
width: 80px;
height: 64px;
object-fit: cover;
border-radius: 3px;
}
.sb-trending-text {
display: flex;
align-items: center;
gap: 8px;
flex: 1;
min-width: 0;
}
.sb-trending-num {
font-size: 22px;
font-weight: 700;
color: #ea2e49;
line-height: 1;
min-width: 22px;
flex-shrink: 0;
}
.sb-trending-right {
flex: 1;
min-width: 0;
}
.sb-trending-title {
font-size: 14px;
font-weight: 500;
color: #1a1a1a;
line-height: 1.45;
text-align: left;
transition: color 0.15s;
display: inline;
}
.sb-trending-arrow {
font-size: 14px;
color: #ea2e49;
font-weight: 700;
white-space: nowrap;
display: inline;
}
.sb-trending-link:hover .sb-trending-title {
color: #ea2e49;
}
.sb-trending-link:active .sb-trending-title {
color: #ea2e49;
}
document.addEventListener(‘DOMContentLoaded’, function() {
var trendingLinks = document.querySelectorAll(‘.sb-trending-link’);
trendingLinks.forEach(function(link) {
link.addEventListener(‘click’, function(e) {
e.preventDefault(); // Prevent immediate navigation
var title = this.getAttribute(‘data-trending-title’);
var position = this.getAttribute(‘data-trending-position’);
var url = this.getAttribute(‘href’);
// Fire GA4 event
if (typeof gtag !== ‘undefined’) {
gtag(‘event’, ‘trending_widget_click’, {
‘event_category’: ‘engagement’,
‘event_label’: title,
‘trending_position’: position,
‘trending_item’: title
});
} else if (window.dataLayer) {
// Fallback for GTM dataLayer if gtag is not available
window.dataLayer.push({
‘event’: ‘trending_widget_click’,
‘event_category’: ‘engagement’,
‘event_label’: title,
‘trending_position’: position,
‘trending_item’: title
});
}
// Navigate after a brief delay to ensure event is sent
setTimeout(function() {
window.location.href = url;
}, 100);
});
});
});
Increased Grooming
Kelly Canyon also announced an increase in its grooming operations for the 2026-27 season. With increased grooming, the resort can prepare more runs in a shorter amount of time, making them smooth and predictable when turning.
While the resort did not get into the details of its increased grooming, skiers and snowboarders at Kelly Canyon will enjoy more fresh corduroy than ever this season.
“More groomed runs, more consistently — better corduroy from first chair to last,” the resort wrote.
Massive Terrain Park Expansion
The most significant upgrade at Kelly Canyon this season is its terrain park. The resort is doubling the size of its terrain park, making room for more features and new lines for its guests to enjoy. To go along with a bigger park, Kelly Canyon is also adding a brand new stereo system. When lapping the park, skiers and riders can enjoy their favorite music to keep them excited and learning new tricks. Stereo systems in terrain parks are a rare offering, with many opting for headphones and their own music. By playing music for the whole park to enjoy, Kelly Canyon is creating a more community-oriented and party atmosphere for its park riders.
To round out its park upgrades, Kelly Canyon is also adding new lights and a snack shack right in the park to keep its guests enjoying laps all day long.
This year’s upgrades follow a major upgrade from last year, when the resort added tow ropes to its parks for the first time. With a tow rope, skiers and snowboarders can take hundreds of laps in a day. Riding tow ropes for hours at a time is definitely tiring, but Kelly Canyon will have music and food to keep its riders going.
A New Parking Lot
Rounding out Kelly Canyon’s upgrades for the 2026-27 season is an expanded guest parking lot. Nicknamed “The Biggest, Little Ski Hill in the USA,” an expanded parking lot means easier access, faster arrivals, and more time on the mountain for the resort’s guests.
With snowmaking, grooming, terrain park, and parking upgrades, skiers at Kelly Canyon will have plenty to enjoy this season once the resort opens up its slopes. Kelly Canyon’s projected opening date is December 4 if conditions allow, and when that date finally comes, it’s the best time of the year at Kelly Canyon.
