Park City, Utah

Park City re-invented from a mining town

Park City, Utah located halfway between Salt Lake City and Provo, Utah. The town is at an elevation of 7000 feet in the Wasatch Mountain Range which runs about 160 miles from the Utah-Idaho border south to central Utah. To the west side of the range is the Rocky Mountains and the eastern edge butts up to the Great Basin region. Years ago, Park City was once a silver mining town but re-invented itself in the 1980s and 1990s to expand on tourism. Today it is a premier destination – the city contributes an $500 million to the Utah economy – 15% of that is attributed to the Su ndance Film Festival.

In 1930, Emmett “Bud” Wright made his living skiing, but not as a ski patrolman or ski racer. Bud worked as a lineman for the local telephone company traveling the mountains surrounding Park City on his 10 foot-long handmade skis repairing the phone lines. When Bud broke one of his skis, he was forced to use skis of two different lengths because unlike today, no ski shops existed to purchase a new pair.

Park City Historical Main Street

Historical Main Street is 19th-century buildings built during the silver mining boom. Today, a variety of businesses flourish here: coffee houses, restaurants, art galleries, museums. It is a shopping mecca with some well-know clothing stores here: LLBean, Lululemon, Athleta, Roots, North Face, Marmot and Kuhl Clothing to name a few. Parking is sometimes hard to find, so see the parking map here. There are a few golfcourses in the area – public golf course Park City Golf Course, close to Canyon Golf Course. We had lunch at the ski lift of Silver Star at Silver Star Restaurant – great menu and views, patio seating which allows dogs.

Park City Silver Star Cafe — Silver Star Cafe

Art Galleries

As an artists, I always look on each of our road trip stops for art galleries and museum. It is interesting to see local artists interpretations of the local area. I especially like the contemporary galleries, as these artist are creative in how to bring the local area into their abstract art. I pick out one of two galleries that do an exception job of their store presentation, website and social media content. Art sells well online these days, but most clients still need to see it person. I discovered Gallery Mar located in historical downtown Park City and they had one of the best online websites and social media presence I have seen in an art gallery to date. I wish they were taking new artists as I would love to be in their galley – very “today”(not dated), upbeat, fresh. Make sure to visit them when in Park City.

Two major ski resorts for winter fun

Two major ski resorts are located here: Deer Valley Resort and Park City Mountain Resort. Both resorts were featured in the 2002 Winter Olympics and the Utah Olympic Park is now a training facility. Each resort offers year-round activities – summer activities are just as packed as winter’s snowboarding and skiing. With over 400 miles of maintained trails, there is a lot to explore. Summer activities include gondola rides, breath-taking hikes, mountain biking, horseback tours, adventure camps summer concerts, art, and festivals.

The acclaimed annual Sundance Film Festival every January is one of the most attended events of the year.

Summer Activities are endless

Summer activities in Park City are abundant: whether it is the annual Deer Valley Symphony Music Festival throughout the summer, Street Market Kimball Arts Festival, world-class theater, performing arts, outdoor concerts, film festival. There is also endless fly-fishing, mountain biking, hot air ballooning, alpine slides, gondola rides, horseback riding, river rafting and golf to keep visitors busy. See the Calendar of Events here.

Park City Scenic Drives

Some of the most breathtaking views in the West are these scenic view drives near Park City:

Guardsman Pass (14 miles from Park City)
Provo Canyon (20 minutes from Park City)
Mirror Lake Highway (16 miles from Park City in the town of Kamas)
Alpine Scenic Loop (27-miles thru beautiful mountain landscapes-the most scenic drives in Utah)