The Mountain Town That Offers the Most

Park City is our customers' top choice to stay when skiing in Utah (mine too!), and below you’ll find out why this cool mountain town is a big hit on and off the slopes.

If you like what you see and want to speak to someone who has first-hand experience staying in Park City, enquire online or call our friendly, knowledgeable team on 01273 224060.

By Rupert Hatfield, USA Product Manager

Nestled in the Wasatch Mountains, Park City boasts an unbeatable location just 35 minutes from Salt Lake City International Airport. This makes the transfer one of the shortest and most convenient in the USA, North America and possibly even the world.

The old mining town of Park City is a relaxed and slow-paced place during the day, but once the sun goes down, the bars and restaurants fill with friendly locals generating heaps of atmosphere. The town's traditional Main Street is a shopaholic's dream and has all the amenities you would expect from a year-round destination including a theatre, art galleries and museums.

The 4* Park City Peaks Hotel is my top recommendation for where to stay, striking the perfect balance between location and value. In a quiet spot on the edge of town, Main Street and the two ski areas are a few minutes away via the free shuttle bus. The hotel is great value for money and boasts excellent on-site facilities including ski rentals, a restaurant and bar, and a fantastic indoor/outdoor pool and hot tub. Plus, you can save up to 10% at the 4* Park City Peaks Hotel on selected dates this winter.

Behind the hustle and bustle of Main Street is Park City Mountain - one of the biggest and best all-round ski resorts in North America - and Deer Valley Resort - a ski-only resort which has been voted the best in America consecutively for the last ten years. However, I think the accolade they should both be most proud of is featuring on my list of the Best Ski Resorts in the USA!

Boasting 348 runs, this behemoth of a resort has terrain suitable for every ability, mostly beneath the tree line and spread across 17 peaks and 13 bowls. The 7,300-acre ski area is the largest in the USA and extends across tree-clad canyons, with four gondolas and multiple high-speed quads spanning the gaps between them.

Park City Mountain is in a league of its own when it comes to variety for intermediate and advanced skiers and snowboarders - over 90% of the terrain is graded intermediate or above! The glade skiing is a dream and the resort is so vast with a huge amount of easily accessible off-piste that you'll nearly always find untracked powder, even well into the afternoon. The resort is also particularly good for snowboarding with six natural half-pipes, gullies and superb terrain parks.

Beginners - the First Time lift is perfect for beginners - tucked away so that nobody witnesses that first attempt at using a chair lift and then lovely green runs to get you moving. Red Pine Lodge and High Meadow are also home to dedicated beginner areas, but my pick for building confidence would be the gentle, long greens off the Eagle chair and blues like Kokopelli off of Saddleback chair.

Intermediates - the King Con area is blue run bliss and you can happily play on the pristine corduroy slopes all day. Confident intermediates will also enjoy the blue and black runs off the Motherlode and Thaynes chairs. Prepare for a challenge and some serious thigh burn tackling those moguls!

Advanced - Jupiter Bowl is considered the best part of the mountain for advanced and expert skiers. Hardly any crowds, heaps of powder and it’s super lappable courtesy of the trusty two-seater Jupiter lift. There's a range of great trails between the trees and the ones off Thaynes are excellent. Our advice for the copious amount of gladed runs: have fun and explore. Dream Peak is always quiet and with more testing mogul runs if that is your thing. The most challenging terrain is found off the legendary Ninety-Nine 90 Express Chairlift as there's nothing but double black diamond runs until you reach the bottom.

Park City has recently experienced two exceptional years of snowfall, with over 1,010 inches smothering the resort’s ski area in winter 2022/23 (a record-breaking snowfall season) and 2023/24. It’s also worth noting that the quality of the snow is incredible. Because of the inland, continental climate, Park City’s snow has a wonderfully light and fluffy texture dubbed as ‘The Greatest Snow on Earth®’.

Park City Mountain is featured on the Epic Pass and there are several different Epic Pass products to suit your preference depending on how long you plan to ski at Park City Mountain and what time of winter you're skiing.

• Epic Pass - unlimited access to Park City Mountain with no blackout dates
• Epic Local Pass - unlimited access outside of peak dates
• Epic Day Pass (Off-Peak) - choose from 1-7 day passes. The most affordable option if skiing up to 7 days off-peak
• Epic Day Pass (Peak) - required for skiing peak dates - 29 to 30 Nov, 26 to 31 Dec 2024, 18 Jan, 15 to 16 Feb 2025

Deer Valley is a destination that every skier should tick off their bucket list. This ski-only resort (sorry, snowboarders!) is home to 2,026 acres of the finest corduroy and fall line runs in the USA, and with even more acreage on the way! While smaller in size than Park City, the resort caps the number of skiers each day so even on a weekend powder day, you won’t be fighting for space on the mountain.

It's only going to get better this winter with the first round of the "Expanded Excellence" updates on course to be completed; in winter 2024/25, you can enjoy an additional 316 acres of new terrain, 21 new runs and three new chairlifts, and in the winter 2025/26 season, Deer Valley Resort will expand their terrain even more with 2,900 acres of new terrain.

All of these updates are only going to enhance your experience at Deer Valley, but ultimately we know the skiing is superb and every ability will have a blast here. With six mountains to pick and choose from, you’re bound to find your new favourite run.

Beginners - first-timers will appreciate the separate beginner area known as Wide West, accessed by two chairlifts, Burns and Snowflake. Nervous skiers won’t need to worry about people hurtling down the mountain at one million miles an hour thanks to the “slow skiing” zones on the beginner runs. Homeward Bound is my pick of the beginner trails. The winding, playful run starts from the top of the Sterling Express lift and snakes around to the right revealing a simply stunning view which can be enjoyed in peace.

Once you've settled into your ski boots, five out of the six peaks across Deer Valley become accessible because there'll be at least one beginner-friendly run to cruise down.

Intermediate - one of the overarching factors as to why this destination has been voted the number one resort in the USA for so many years is its intermediate terrain. Those who have recently graduated to intermediate runs, or are just finding their ski legs again, need to try the Little Baldy zone. Here you’ll find broad intermediate runs leading into gentle greens - perfect for giving your legs a break! For an easy introduction to bowl skiing, be sure to head down Stein’s Way, which provides easy access to Perseverance Bowl. Empire Bowl is another sensational place to start venturing off-piste.

To ensure you're finding the best runs in the ski area, I would highly recommend taking part in a complimentary mountain tour hosted by the locals at Deer Valley. There's no one better to sniff out secret powder stashes and show you lesser-known runs than someone who has lived and breathed the resort for a number of years. These tours run daily from the top of the Carpenter Lift.

Advanced - as hosts of the 2002 Winter Games, Deer Valley knows a thing or two about catering for skilled and expert skiers: chutes, steep groomers and glades galore. With limited crowds and most of Deer Valley’s skier population being intermediates, experts will feel like they have the mountain to themselves. I love all 65 acres of gladed expert terrain to the north of the top terminal on Lady Morgan. You’re guaranteed to find deep stashes of Utah's famous powder and steep terrain there.

It's not every skiing holiday you get the chance to carve your way down the slopes with an Olympic snowsports athlete, but you can at Deer Valley. Tackling challenging terrain, advanced skiers will benefit the most from the Ski with a Champion experience, which runs daily throughout the season.

Unsurprisingly considering the proximity of the two resorts, Deer Valley has also had two stellar years of snowfall. In the 2022/23 season, the resort received a record amount of premium powder - 606 inches. This was then followed by 348 last winter. A healthy amount considering 484 inches was the previous record.

Deer Valley is featured on Ikon Pass and there are a number of different Ikon products to suit your preference depending on how long you plan to ski at Deer Valley and what time of year you're skiing.

• Ikon Pass - provides seven day access to Deer Valley with no blackout dates
• Ikon Base Pass Plus - provides access to Deer Valley’s legendary ski area for up to five days, excluding blackout dates

Alternatively, you can purchase day passes from Deer Valley directly - we recommend this if you’re planning to ski here for three days or fewer.

The two outstanding ski areas in Park City are sure to keep you entertained for weeks. However, if you’re keen for thrills off the slopes, this fun town has you covered with almost every winter activity you can think of and some you may have never heard of!

Snowmobiling - this is a rip-roaring way to experience the sweeping bowls in the Wasatch and neighbouring Uinta mountains, and explore more terrain beyond the ski areas.

Snowshoeing - Park City is home to many miles of winter trails, perfect for snowshoeing. It’s a fantastic social workout in the peace and serenity of the snow-capped Rocky Mountain peaks.

Cross-country skiing - take your pick from groomed trails with classic tracks or more rustic touring routes. Either way, you’ll have a wonderful time gliding along and taking in the spectacular mountain scenery.

Fat biking - a very popular way to experience Park City’s beautiful landscape. The trail that runs along the Swaner Nature Preserve to the Historic McPolin Farm is our top pick.

Dog sledding - your furry team of huskies will be having just as much fun as you as they pull your sled through Utah’s tranquil backcountry.

Sleigh rides - this is tremendous fun for all the family! Bundle up under the provided blankets in the back of a horse-drawn sleigh and enjoy the most peaceful journey of your life.

Alpine Coaster - hop on and wind through over a mile of loops and curves down Park City's slopes on this exhilarating mountain coaster - Utah’s longest!

Tubing at Woodward Park City - enjoy the seven tubing lanes day or night. These are some of the longest in Utah, and the two conveyor lifts provide easy access for you to slide down the slopes again and again... and again!

Stand up paddleboard yoga in a crater - a truly unique chance to do yoga in the oldest studio in the world, a geothermal hot spring. Find your balance on a stand-up paddle board with an instructor as you float on top of the Caribbean-blue water. Don’t worry, the water’s warm as you’re bound to find out!

Utah Olympic Park - site of 14 events during the 2002 Olympic Winter Games, Utah Olympic Park is now set to host the Winter Games in 2034! Whilst the park is currently running as an active training facility, it's also open to the public for tours and activities including a bobsled experience on tracks suitable for Olympians. Additionally, the Alf Engen Museum and Eccles 2002 Winter Olympic Games Museum are fascinating places to learn all about Park City's magnificent sporting heritage and Utah's world-famous snow -  ‘The Greatest Snow on Earth®’.

The main hub of Park City is its historic Main Street, which is lined with art galleries, boutiques, and award-winning restaurants and bars. The buzz along the strip creates a vibrant atmosphere, perfect for après or a leisurely stroll.

With a packed calendar of events, including the famous Sundance Film Festival in January, there’s always something happening in this exciting section of Park City.

Shopping - Park City is the shopping mecca of the Rocky Mountains. The colourful town limits the number of chain stores on Main Street to ensure there are plenty of boutique shops and galleries which are unique to Park City. Along the strip, you'll find everything from clothing and furnishings to jewellery and books.

Beyond Main Street, you'll find some serious bargains at a wide selection of outlets, plus other big name shops, at Kimball Junction. Accessible via the free shuttle bus network.

Restaurants - from sushi to Mexican, seafood to steakhouses, whichever cuisine you’ve got a hankering for, there are over 50 restaurants for you to choose from on Main Street. The bourbon burger at Park City Roadhouse Grill is a family favourite or for something more adventurous, try the Korean BBQ tacos from Shabu - they’re bound to hit the spot!

Bars - Main Street’s bars are largely responsible for Park City’s vibrant reputation. If sipping a double-malt scotch whilst listening to live piano music is your preference, head to Prime Steak House and Piano Bar. The High West Saloon is the world’s only ski-in distillery and hosts a lively après. Alternatively, for a rootin' tootin' all-American bar, you can’t go wrong with No Name Saloon.

Call our friendly, knowledgeable team on 01273 224060 (Monday to Friday) or request a quotation online and we'll help you plan and book your perfect ski holiday in Park City.

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