At Whitefish Mountain Resort, last winter's holiday parking rate is this winter's regular weekend rate. In 2025/26, Birch Lot cost $20 a day only during the Christmas week and Presidents' Day weekend. For 2026/27 it's $20 every day. Cedar and Dogwood work the same way: their weekend prices rose to last season's holiday prices. Dogwood went from $5 to $10, so its weekend fee doubled.
That makes the carpool rule worth more than it has ever been. Three or more people in one car still park free at Dogwood. That rule has been around since 2019. At $10 a weekend day, it now saves twice what it did last winter.
The resort opens Friday, Dec. 4, conditions permitting, and runs through Sunday, April 4. Most of the choices that set your winter costs come before then, and the next deadline is Nov. 15.
What Changed From Last Winter
Here are the regular and holiday rates on the resort's parking page next to the archived 2025/26 version:
| Lot | 2025/26 regular | 2025/26 holiday | 2026/27 listed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birch, daily | $15 | $20 | $20 |
| Birch, season | $340 | n/a | $360 |
| Cedar, Fri–Sun | $10 | $15 | $15 |
| Cedar, season | $120 | n/a | $125 |
| Dogwood, Fri–Sun | $5 | $10 | $10 |
| Dogwood, 3+ people | Free | Free | Free |
The 2026/27 page doesn't list holiday surcharges at all. Last winter's page did, with set dates of Dec. 26 to Jan. 1 and Feb. 14 to 16. The new page doesn't say whether holiday pricing is gone or just hasn't been posted yet. Until the resort says so, treat the figures in the table as the rates you know about, not the most you could pay.
Weekdays haven't changed much. Cedar is still free Monday through Thursday, as it has been since at least 2023/24. The current page also lists Dogwood as free Monday through Thursday. Older pages only described Dogwood as paid on weekends and holidays, so this is probably the same policy spelled out more clearly.
Day Rates Rose Faster Than Season Permits
Season parking permits have crept up slowly. Daily rates have jumped. Archived resort pages show the history:
- Birch season permit: $329 in 2023/24, $335 in 2024/25, $340 in 2025/26, $360 this winter
- Cedar season permit: $109, $115, $120, then $125
- Birch daily: $15 for three straight winters, now $20
- Cedar weekend daily: $10 for three straight winters, now $15
Since 2023/24, the Birch season permit is up about 9 percent and the Birch daily rate is up a third. Cedar shows the same pattern. If you park in a paid lot often, a season permit has lost little ground. If you pay day by day, you'll feel most of this year's increase.
The season permits come with conditions. Birch season permits go only to people who held one before. Everyone else can call 406-862-2900 to join the waitlist, and even a Birch permit doesn't guarantee a space in the lot. A Cedar season permit doesn't guarantee a space either.
Why Dogwood Has a Carpool Rule
The Dogwood carpool exemption came out of a congestion problem the resort described publicly. In November 2019, KPAX reported that Dogwood was becoming free on weekends for vehicles with at least three people, while smaller groups would pay $5. In KPAX's account, the resort hoped the change would encourage carpooling and ease early-morning congestion. The same report pointed to more than 11,000 season passes, a growing number of local skiers, and a single access road up the mountain.
For three winters of archived pricing, from 2023/24 through 2025/26, Dogwood's weekend fee stayed at $5. Now it's $10, and the free rate for three or more people hasn't moved. Say you drive up with one friend on 10 Saturdays this winter and park at Dogwood. That's $100, compared with $50 for the same days last season. With a third person in the car, those same 10 Saturdays cost nothing.
The resort hasn't said why it raised the fee. Still, the size of the increase on the lot with the carpool exemption fits the reason it gave for the exemption in 2019.
Pass Prices Jump Again After Nov. 15
Parking is the smaller line in the budget. The season pass page lists three price tiers, and today's date falls in the middle one.
| Pass | Through Sept. 30 | Oct. 1–Nov. 15 | After Nov. 15 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adults, 19–64 | $805 | $1,199 | $1,570 |
| Seniors, 65–69 | $685 | $1,065 | $1,325 |
| Super Seniors, 70+ | $190 | $269 | $765 |
| Teens, 13–18 | $465 | $669 | $910 |
| Juniors, 7–12 | $250 | $395 | $680 |
| Children, 6 and younger | Free | Free | Free |
After Nov. 15, an adult pass costs $371 more. The super senior pass more than doubles, from $269 to $765. Pass prices go by age on Dec. 1, 2026, so a teen who turns 19 before that date pays the adult rate. The college pass matches the senior price at every tier. To get it, a student shows a driver's license or state ID, a college ID, and proof of at least 12 credits for fall 2026. Both payment plans have closed. The six-payment plan ended June 30 and the two-payment plan ended Sept. 30.
The resort also published its own break-even math. In a Sept. 15 post comparing lift tickets, the frequent-skier card and the season pass, it said an adult pass paid for itself in seven ski days, and the frequent-skier card in three. The post went up while the adult pass was still $805. At today's $1,199, it takes more ski days to break even than seven.
For skinning up the mountain, the uphill pass is $170, or free for anyone with a ski season pass.
The Free Ways Up
You can still reach the lifts without paying to park. Every lot other than Birch, Cedar and Dogwood is free. Shuttles run from the Willow, Willow Tail and Fir lots to the Base Lodge, and from the Base Lodge to the village and the Lodging Front Desk.
From town, the resort runs the free S.N.O.W. Bus between the mountain and downtown Whitefish every day of its winter and summer seasons. As of today, the bus page offers a live tracker and a summer 2026 schedule, and no winter 2026/27 timetable has been posted yet. If you plan to ride it on weekends to skip the new $10 Dogwood fee, check back in November for the winter times.
Your October Checklist
- Decide on a pass by Nov. 15. The adult price goes from $1,199 to $1,570 after that date. Figure out each family member's tier by their age on Dec. 1, 2026.
- If you held a Birch permit before, renew it now. Renewals show up when you sign in to the resort's eStore. Everyone else goes on the waitlist by phone.
- Count your weekend days and compare. Ten weekend days in Cedar at $15 add up to more than a $125 Cedar season permit. A few weekend days don't.
- Find two carpool partners for weekends. Three people in one car park free at Dogwood, and a solo driver now pays $10 a day there.
- Check for holiday pricing again in December. The 2026/27 page lists no holiday surcharges, and last winter's did.
Winter costs on Big Mountain show up in the Whitefish housing questions I hear all the time, like how far a place is from the S.N.O.W. Bus route or how long the weekend drive up the access road takes. If you're weighing a move within the valley and want to talk through how ski season fits into it, Nelson Schwab is glad to help. Schedule a free consultation and we can work it out before Dec. 4.
