Every couple of years my family takes a big ski trip to a new place. This year was Park City, Utah, the biggest ski resort in the U.S. and only second to Whistler for the entirety of North America. What I’ve always loved about ski trips are excellent views, outdoor activity and family time. It’s an active activity and there’s lots of time to chat on the lifts and gondolas. There’s always something to laugh about and at the end of a long day of skiing we all curl up around a fire, drinking whiskey and wine and talking about our favorite runs of the day.
Park City is known for the quality of snow and the expansive resort. We came during ski week, the busiest time of year for them. During the weekend, it was difficult to get a reservation and at the base of the mountain, the wait times were about 30 minutes long between 9:30-11 am. Other than those hiccups though, it’s truly a great place.
Convenience
Park City is only a 30-40 minute Uber/Lyft ride away from SLC airport. This is one of the biggest perks of this mountain, as with may resorts you have to drive several more hours to get to your final destination after you land.
A great thing about staying around the resort are all the shuttles that take you to the bases of the mountains. We primarily launched from Canyon Village, where a free shuttle can be called through an app to take you and your great to the lift. There are also city buses that take you from the Canyons to Downtown Park City so that you can ski that side of the resort without having to take several lifts/gondolas across the mountain.
The first time we ordered the shuttle was a bust because it was the Sunday of President’s day weekend and demand was high. I will say the time estimate is all over the place with this app making it somewhat frustrating to use. There were a couple of times, however, where the shuttle saw my group walking with our gear and pulled over so we could climb in without ordering the shuttle.
The resort has some genuinely nice workers. On our last day, my husband and I were walking home with our gear and one of the workers driving a golf cart asked us if we wanted a ride. He said he was heading to based and didn’t mind taking “the scenic route” and saved us a 10-minute walk. Little things like that happened a lot during our 4 days there so it felt like it was part of the culture on the mountain. Coming from the DC area, we aren’t used to those types of niceties so frequently.
The Epic Mix app
A lot of resorts now accept the Epic pass which is the way to go if you’re an avid skier. This is the first time I’ve used it and it’s amazing and fun to use. The lifts have scanners that connect to the Epic Pass that you keep in your pocket (no lift tags required) so it helps keep track of where you and how much you’ve done.
This app is really cool. I primarily use the Maps and Stats portion but you can also check wait times at lifts, weather conditions and check your exact location on the mountain. There’s an emergency call feature as well for peace of mind on such a large mountain.
The Downtown Area
My brothers, husband and I went to check out the downtown area the Tuesday after President’s Day. By that day, most people were back at work so the town returned to normal.
Our first stop was High West Distillery & Saloon. It was a 10 minute Uber Ride from Canyon Village, where we were staying. If you stay in Downtown Park, City, you can ski to this distillery.
The vibe inside was appropriate for a western ski town. Filled with lots of wood accents, people dressed in cozy sweaters, and bartenders with enthusiasm for the whiskey they served. The four of us opted to do flights for our pre-dinner drinks.
My favorite was the American Prairie Bourbon. The Rendezvous Rye had an excellent finish and the taste of the Double Rye was equally good. Campfire was my least favorite. It was a mix of scotch, bourbon and rye whiskey so it was more suited for scotch enthusiasts. We also tried the Yippee Ki-Yay separately which was delicious as well.
We briefly explored the downtown area as we walked to dinner. We stopped in a typical souvenir shop for t-shirts and knick-knacks for some people back home. The downtown area has a small-town feel with lots of non-franchised restaurants but also with big-name outdoorsy shops, like LL Bean. It was actually difficult to find a generic souvenir shop that sold magnets to add to our fridge collection.
For dinner, we headed to No Name Saloon and had the best meal of our trip. If you enjoy dive bars, you’ll enjoy the unfinished wood floors, the eclectic wall decorations and the relaxed vibe of No Name Saloon. I ordered the steak sandwich with chimichurri sauce and it was truly fantastic. It was a good way to end the night.
Whether you are an expert skier or snow bunny, there’s something about the mountains that just invigorate your soul. Perhaps it’s the fresh air or the breathtaking scenery, or even just the towering mountains reminding you there’s so much to explore in this world. If you can spare an afternoon, a day or a weekend, I recommend standing on to of a mountain for a brief recharge.