In the mid-1960s, a journey from Salt Lake City to the burgeoning ski slopes of Park City, Utah, typically meant a straightforward drive. But for six winter seasons, Union Pacific offered an alternative that turned a simple commute into a legendary, rolling celebration. Known as the “Snowball Express,” this special ski train operated between 1965 and 1971, capturing a distinct era when Utah ski culture and railroad history collided in a flurry of live music, winter sports promotion, and surprisingly loose liquor service.
The roots of the Snowball Express trace back to December 4, 1965, with an excursion originally dubbed the “Hootspa Special.” Organized in part to support Salt Lake City’s bid for the 1972 Winter Olympics, the train was a deliberate nod to a regional tradition of winter excursion trains that dated back to 1936. The promotional run was a success, and Union Pacific subsequently rebranded the service as the Snowball Express, running the special excursion usually once a year.
While intended to transport winter sports enthusiasts to Park City’s slopes, the journey itself quickly became the main attraction. The train followed a circuitous mainline route, departing Salt Lake City and heading north to stop in Ogden before winding through Weber Canyon and eventually arriving in Park City. Because this rail route took several hours—far longer than a direct drive—the onboard environment evolved to keep passengers entertained.
According to historical records from the Park City Museum, the Snowball Express earned a reputation as a raucous party train. Union Pacific modified cars specifically to accommodate music and dancing, featuring live performances from local jazz bands. Most notably, the train’s bar cars managed to bypass Utah’s notoriously strict local liquor laws because Union Pacific operated under federal railroad jurisdiction. Since the interstate rail network was subject to federal regulations rather than state rules, the Snowball Express was entirely exempt from local statutes on the ground, allowing alcohol to flow freely—including liberal serving of liquor-by-the-drink, which was otherwise illegal in Utah at the time. This unique regulatory loophole created a festive atmosphere that proved highly popular, with local history noting that passenger numbers eventually swelled to more than 500 people per trip.
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The era of the Snowball Express then came to an abrupt halt in 1971 due to sweeping changes in the American railroad industry. The creation of Amtrak required participating passenger railroads, including Union Pacific, to surrender their independent public passenger services and special excursions. As a result, the Snowball Express made its final journey on February 27, 1971, marking the last passenger train service to reach Park City.
Even though the Snowball Express only ran for a handful of winters, it left a massive mark on Western ski lore. It captured this wonderfully chaotic, social side of Utah’s early ski scene that you just don’t see as much anymore. People still talk about those trips today, remembering them just as much for the wild onboard party as for the actual skiing.
That legendary spirit hasn’t completely faded, either. If you head up to Park City today, you’ll find that the local bus system, High Valley Transit, actually revived the “Snowball Express” name for one of its routes. It’s a thoughtful, modern nod to a piece of local history, even if a standard transit bus doesn’t quite match the law-defying, jazz-fueled energy of the original 1960s train.
The Snowball Express sits at the MORGAN station