Park City, Utah, known for some of the best skiing in the United States and arguably the world, is home to the second fastest bobsled and luge track and is a winter wonderland built for a foodie. With so many options, I have compiled a list of the best places to stay, ski, eat, and explore during your week in Park City.
Best Places to Stay in Park City
When staying in Park City, we opt to stay at the luxurious Canyons Village in the Hilton Grand Vacation Club – Sunrise Lodge. For us, this is our favorite place to stay as it is just a few feet from the main lifts in Canyon Village, and most rooms have their own fireplace and kitchen, so we don’t have to worry about finding a breakfast place that is open in time for us to hop on the first lift each morning. We also choose the Hilton because Canyons Village tends to be less busy during the day than Park City Village and has a plethora of blue slopes. If the Hilton is not your speed, there are many other accommodations in Canyons Village walkable to the main lift such as the Pendry or the Hyatt Centric.
For the those only looking to ski or those wanting luxury with a focus on the attention to details, the St. Regis in Deer Valley is for you. For us, we prefer to stop by the bar for a drink and the view from the mountain side and the Champagne sabrage during sunset.
Traveling to and from Park City
Unlike Breckenridge’s two-hour ride through winding roads from the nearest airport, Park City is a quick, easily navigated, 35-minute car ride from Salt Lake City International Airport. With a plethora of car rental companies all contained within the airport’s shelter from the cold, transportation to Park City is a breeze.
Now if you are flying in and trying to maximize your day, Salt Lake City Airport has many redeye flights which would allow you to ski the day you arrive and ski the day you depart. We took a red eye and partially regretted it after since we were tired from skiing all day and flying all night before our two-hour drive home after landing. Thankfully the flight was empty, and the flight attendants let us stretch out across entire rows on the flight so we could get a decent nights’ sleep on the less than 4-hour flight.
Now the question experienced skiers contemplate is flying with your gear. We have all heard the horror stories of broken boards and bindings, but our experience was great! Delta charges the boards and the boots as one item, so you only have to pay one checked bag charge per set and the Salt Lake City Airport has luggage pick up specifically for keeping the gear safe.
Gear Rentals and Lessons
If you’re like me and don’t own your own gear, you have the option to rent from a plethora of stores, such as Aloha Ski & Snowboard, Canyon Mountain Rentals, or Park City Mountain Rentals. Since I don’t own my gear, I went with Canyon Mountain Rental as their prices were great and they were close to the hotel.
When renting gear, they will check your size, and have you confirmed that the boots and skis (or snowboard) are comfortable and fit. They will then show you how to close them up and connect the boots to the skis or snowboard.
Since barreling down a hill at 20 to 30 miles an hour is quite dangerous, you also have the option to rent a helmet, but I suggest buying your own. Despite the cost, helmets are supposed to be replaced after one or two hits to ensure that it will protect your head in a fall, but in most ski shops do not seem to be replaced as frequently as necessary. You will also see that many ski shops will toss the helmets on the ground during the return process, so although it may be expensive up front, a hospital bill will cost more.
For many of the ski rental places, they will also let you pick up your gear the night before without an additional charge, so you do not need to scramble to be ready in the morning to make it to the first lift of the day or to get to your lessons. Most rental places will also hold rental return for a few hours after the lifts close, so you have time to change out of your snow gear or grab a quick bite before dropping everything off. For the days where you keep your gear overnight, most hotels have a valet service, or they can be kept in your room. We prefer to drop ours off with the valet at the hotel as ours was included with the rate of the room.
Now if you are renting gear, you may be new to skiing or have just recently started to learn. If you fall into either of those categories, the lessons offered by Park City Mountain are great. I took the adult half day lessons even though I have learned to ski in the past, and it was phenomenal. The ski school groups you by current skill so you will be with people close in age and you will not feel like you are holding others back. This allowed me to learn how to improve my technique and feel confident on the slopes for the remainder of the week.
A Foodie’s Paradise
Yes, the goal is to come to Park City for the snow sports, but the food scene is also great here. They have everything from casual Mexican restaurants to upscale Italian to contemporary Americana featuring varieties of wild game. Our original plan was to venture into Salt Lake City for an evening to dine at one of the many restaurants that feature tasting menus, but they were either all booked or closed to give the staff a break after the holidays, which gave us the opportunity to explore the local restaurants and cuisines.
The first night, we settled on Pine Cone Ridge as it is a moderately priced contemporary American restaurant that focused on fresh ingredients which was perfect after a day of airport food. Pine Cone Ridge really tailors the experience to highlight the flavors of the meats and vegetables instead of intense sauces and this can be experienced even at the start of the meal with their complementary hummus and crudité amuse bouche.
Instead of driving into Salt Lake City for our second night the way we had planned to, we ended up deciding to dine at Riverhorse on Main. Located right in the historic downtown Park City, Riverhorse is a high-end restaurant that has won many awards over the years for their eclectic American cuisine that focuses on unique wild game, unusual cheeses, and the most delicate, fluffy, fresh focaccia I have ever eaten.
For our last and more laid-back evening we decided to go to Sergios, which is typical Mexican food. We had the tacos and sopes which were phenomenal, along with way too many chips and varieties of salsa from their salsa bar. For us, this was a great dinner because we did not have to worry about being too cleaned up after a long day on the slopes.
Tips for the Best Ski Trip Itinerary
When in Park City, out ideal itinerary is 6 days spent in town and 2 half-days of traveling. My favorite itinerary is two days of skiing for every one day of exploring, so I have adequate time to rest up as I only ski on occasion.
If you do not normally ski frequently, I would suggest taking a skiing break every two days because your muscles will be sore and in need of some time to recover. On these off days, there is plenty to do. In the Park City area, you can spend the morning at the Olympic Park touring the museum and then make your way downtown to walk around the shops and art galleries or spend some time relaxing your tired muscles at one of the many spas in the area. If you are willing to drive further away, you have the option to explore Salt Lake City as well.
Ultimately, this is the best ski location for both the newbie and the experienced skier. The open winding slopes allow you to have the room to learn and the ability to take in the incredible views all at the same time. With three locations to ski at, you never have to worry about long lines for lifts and being overwhelmed on the slopes. From the incredible food scene to the vast Wasatch Mountain range, you will never go hungry for more to do, see, or eat during your trip.
