The room might be a bit crowded and there may not be much privacy, but the Alta Lodge in the snow-blessed Wasatch Mountains of Utah has a great end-of-season deal for families.

From April 1-13, two children ages 18 and younger stay free in the same room with their parents, and there's no charge for their breakfast or dinner. The cost for a minimum four-night stay is $887 per parent, double occupancy, and includes breakfast, dinner, taxes and service charges. The single parent rate is $1,136.

Lift tickets are $54 for adults and $25 for children 12 and younger. Alta is for skiers only; snowboarding is not allowed. As of last week, the resort had received 534 inches -- 44 feet, 6 inches -- of snow.

The ski-in, ski-out lodge has a free kids program that includes a ski school shuttle in the morning, a variety of apres ski activities and a special kids dinner. Although designed for youngsters 4 to 10, the program welcomes children of all ages as long as one-on-one adult supervision isn't required. Children may attend as many or as few activities as they wish.

The lodge, opened in 1939 by the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, has been owned and operated by the same family since 1959. It is Alta's first ski lodge and sits in a legendary canyon carved by glaciers and faced with granite. It is known for gourmet cuisine and friendly ambience with a convenient ski-in, ski-out location at the base of the Alta ski area.

Ski magazine last year described the lodge as "Alta's most august and celebrated accommodations." Skiing magazine considers it to be "the quintessential Alta accommodation."

The lodge is along the Little Cottonwood Canyon Road, about an hour from the Salt Lake City airport, depending on traffic and road conditions.

For more information on the ski area, go to www.alta.com, e-mail info@alta.com or call 1-801-359-1078. For more information on the lodge, go to www.altalodge.com, e-mail info@altalodge.com, or call 1-800-707-2582.