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Park City

From its gritty days as a silver-mining town and then its arrival on the resort scene during the 2002 Winter Olympics, this mountain community has inherited a vibe that is both laid-back and lively. Just 30 miles from Salt Lake City, the destination ski scene includes three mountain resorts within an eight-mile stretch of road. On historic Main Street with its charming Victorian architecture, visitors can enjoy music and art, shop for designer threads, and pick from 100 restaurants. Or you can venture out to find hiking and biking trails, spring wildflowers, or even herds of elk bugling during rut season in the fall.

Aerial view of Park City on Main Street in Park City, Utah, USA.

Photo By Wangkun Jia/Shutterstock

Overview

When’s the best time to go to Park City?

Park City is known for 350 annual inches of the “Greatest Snow on Earth,” so winter sports enthusiasts enjoy skiing and snowboarding from about mid-December through early April. The local adage, though, is “I came for the winters but stayed for the summers.” This might have something to do with the many miles of trails for mountain biking, hiking, and horseback riding, temps in the comfortable 80s with no humidity, fly-fishing in nearby blue-ribbon streams, hero golf (the ball really flies here at 6,900 feet), and live music in parks and resorts most nights of the week. June through August is prime event and festival time.

How to get around Park City

Salt Lake City International Airport is 35 minutes away via Interstate 80. Four-wheel-drive rental cars are the way to go, or grab one of many airport shuttles for around $78 round-trip. Only movie celebs during the Sundance Film Festival feel the need to take taxis from Salt Lake City to the mountains of Park City.

A free public bus system—a lasting legacy of the Olympics—runs daily, with peak service from about 6:30 a.m. till midnight, from one end of town to the other and to all resorts. Taxis are also available, but you have to call; they don’t roam the streets here.

Can’t miss things to do in Park City

The summertime Flying Ace All-Star Show at Utah Olympic Park shows off the town’s natural beauty with its gorgeous setting high in the hills—not to mention athleticism and Olympic legacy. Freestylers-in-training glide down massive ski ramps and pull tricks like quadruple-twisting, triple-flipping somersaults into a 750,000-gallon splash pool with full ski gear on. The extremely entertaining show lasts a half-hour.

Food and drink to try in Park City

Local restaurants are as delightfully diverse as the people who settled this town, with as-fancy-as-it-gets locales in Deer Valley, like Apex at Montage, to cozy and cluttered pull-up-a-stool joints like the No Name Saloon (famous for its bison burgers) on Main Street. A must-stop is the High West Distillery, the first distillery allowed in Utah since Prohibition (take a tour, then enjoy drinks and dinner). Find pretty much anything you desire in any price range, from sushi to Mexican, Italian, French, Thai, and Indian. Main Street offers the largest cluster of walking-distance eateries, but nice choices exist at each of the resort villages and in the Newpark business neighborhood. Summer brings farmers’ markets (Wednesday at Canyons, and Sunday on Main Street) and food festivals like the Park City Food & Wine Classic, and the iconic Savor the Summit, with a dining table in town that runs the length of Main Street.

Culture in Park City

Two dozen galleries in this relatively small town speak to a local devotion to art. The Park City Museum highlights local history, with an old territorial jail you can step into. Also entertaining are the Alf Engen Ski Museum and the Eccles Museum up at Utah Olympic Park, where the bobsled, luge, skeleton, and Nordic jumping events were held during the 2002 Winter Games. And all year long, Park City Institute brings renowned international acts to the state-of-the-art Eccles Performing Arts Center adjacent to the local high school.

The granddaddy of Park City festivals is, of course, Robert Redford’s Sundance Film Festival in January. Other standouts are the summer Deer Valley Music Festival—with Utah Symphony performances on the resort’s lawn nearly every Saturday in July and August, as well as chamber music performances around town—and free weekly music at the local ski resorts. And the Park City Kimball Arts Festival, which started in 1969, now hosts more than 200 artists and craftspeople (as well as musicians, food trucks, and entertainment) on Main Street every August.

Local Resources

The Park Record Newspaper
Park City Magazine
Park City Live Music Calendar
KPCW Public Radio
Ski Utah

READ BEFORE YOU GO
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HOTELS
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RESOURCES TO HELP PLAN YOUR TRIP
Wahso
Wahso, part of the Bill White Enterprises family of restaurants in town, is the perfect example of White’s propensity to lavishly decorate his popular eateries. With Asian artifacts that White collected from around the world, and elegant touches like the velvet curtains encasing each booth, it doesn’t get more romantic than this. The food is excellent, and the prices reflect that. Try the green curry mussels, the watermelon and goat cheese salad with arugula, fennel, cherry tomatoes and lemon basil dressing, or the Miso Black Cod with aromatic rice, shiitake, bok choy and mushroom-ginger broth. By the way, “Wahso” is a phonetic play on the French word for bird, “oiseau.”
April 20, 2021 03:47 PM
 · 
Kristen Gould Case
Waldorf Astoria Park City
Sitting pretty on seven acres below Canyons Resort, the Waldorf Astoria is one of Park City’s preferred stays thanks to its elegant suites, sleek spa, and signature service. Opened in 2009, the stone-and-log lodge projects alpine grandeur. Interiors mix natural elements with posh details like a Baccarat crystal chandelier, an Italian marble fireplace, Oriental rugs, and leather furnishings. Outside, the hotel’s private gondola whisks skiers to the slopes and back, after which they can take a soak in the heated outdoor pool or indulge in a massage at the sunny, 16,000-square-foot spa—one of the finest in the Wasatch Mountains. Come dinnertime, guests head to onsite restaurant Powder, an antler-lined spot offering locavore fare and stunning mountain views.

The 174 guestrooms and suites all feature gas fireplaces; many also have balconies. Available with one to four bedrooms, the Bi-Level Suites even include fireplaces and gourmet kitchens outfitted with Viking appliances.
April 20, 2021 03:47 PM
 · 
Kristen Gould Case
Eating Establishment
One of the oldest restaurants in Park City, the “Double E,” as locals call it, opened in 1972. When I first lived in town in the mid-1980s, they’d have $1.95 breakfast specials of eggs and bacon. Can’t beat that. They serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but the stick-to-the-ribs breakfasts are what they’re really famous for. Try the signature Miner’s Dawn, seasoned potatoes with melted cheddar cheese, topped with basted eggs and served in a skillet with wheat toast.
April 20, 2021 03:47 PM
 · 
Kristen Gould Case
Butcher’s Chop House & Bar
Even though Butcher’s is a nice steak house (“elegance without arrogance” is the owner’s motto), with one of the most appealing bars in town (a full wall of gleaming bottles behind the bar, views of the Town Lift just outside the door), they double as a great place to go and watch the game. The late night menu is offered until midnight. Order the housemade potato chips topped with melted Monterey Jack and aged blue cheese.
April 20, 2021 03:47 PM
 · 
Kristen Gould Case
Vinto Pizzeria
Casual wood-fired pizzas are the specialty in this popular, contemporary-styled restaurant owned by longtime locals Deb and David Harries. This place is always busy, so expect a short wait. It’s worth it. The V salad, with arugula, prosciutto, olive oil, lemon and shaved Parmesan is to die for, as is the Tutabella pizza with housemade sausage, caramelized onion, fresh tomato, roasted pepper, fontina, and fior di latte mozzarella. Don’t skip the housemade gelato for dessert.
April 20, 2021 03:46 PM
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Kristen Gould Case
El Chubasco
This unassuming little restaurant in a small strip-mall in a commercial neighborhood consistently rates as a local favorite for both the Hispanic and Caucasian populations here. It’s no frills— your meal will be served on paper plates; they serve beer but no other alcohol— but service is quick and efficient. Serving lunch and dinner, El Chubbie’s (as locals call it due to the generous portions) specialties are the homemade salsa bar, the carnitas, tamales and street tacos. Park City is not zoned to allow food trucks—this is the closest you’ll get to those freshly concocted eats.
April 20, 2021 03:46 PM
 · 
Kristen Gould Case
Deer Valley Resort
Do you have a preference for Racoon, Bear, or perhaps Native American? Ski down the ‘Last Chance Run’ in Deer Valley and you’ll have your pick. Money will buy pretty much anything, and apparently that includes an entire theatrical production of wild creatures crawling about your million dollar ski chalet. Friendly or ostentatious competition? Who cares, it provides a little humor to the unsuspecting skier. A warm thank you for my Park City experience — courtesy of Park City Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau (http://www.visitparkcity.com/). #VisitParkCity
April 20, 2021 03:46 PM
 · 
Kristen Gould Case
Skywalker Balloon Company
An almost daily occurance in Park City: colorful hot air balloons dotting the big blue skies. The propane flame filling the balloons’ envelopes sounds like a dragon breathing his fiery breath. You might hear it from your condo or hotel room before you see it. Multiple balloon companies offer rides, all year long, which usually include a champagne finish (hot air ballooners traditionally carried champagne with them to appease farmers since they landed in their fields so often). The rides are a unique experience, the views of town unbeatable, but even if you only gaze at the color in the sky from below, it’s another beautiful element of the Park City landscape.
April 20, 2021 03:46 PM
 · 
Kristen Gould Case
High West Distillery and Saloon
When you’re ready to call it a day on the slopes, take Park City Mountain Resort’s Quittin’ Time run down to High West, the world’s only ski-in gastro-distillery. Tour the space, then try the 36th Vote Barreled Manhattan, made from a pre-Prohibition cocktail recipe that calls for aging the drink for 90 days in white oak barrels. The food goes down pretty easily, too: A bowl of elk chili will warm you right down to the toes of your ski socks. For lighter fare, the popcorn tossed with bacon, caramel, and cashews is sweet, salty, and a nice counterpoint to a glass of double rye.
April 20, 2021 03:30 PM
 · 
Jen Murphy
The Best Hotels in Park City, Utah
While Park City is known for glitz and glamour, its accommodations are decidedly more diverse. One can certainly find the big-name resorts with all their amenities, but those seeking a more laid-back stay can choose from several cozy B&Bs and inns.
December 16, 2020 01:21 PM
 · 
Staff
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