Category: Staff Picks

As the snow begins to melt with a crisp average in the mid-’60s throughout May, this sets the tone for a perfect outdoor amble through Park City’s greenery. Pack your best hiking shoes and plan for some exploration; the Spring Creek Trail Head officially reopens this month, just a quick 15-minute walk across the street.

The Spring Creek Trail Head is popular amongst hikers, mountain bikers, and trail runners. This loop is part of a network of trails about 25 miles in total. Start your journey at markable points like Spring Creek Trailhead, where you can access a bathroom and water fountain. Other trails along Rasmussen Road include Bad Apple Trailhead and East Canyon Creek Trailhead; starting at Bad Apple or East Canyon is an easy way to finish at Park City Brewery. Flying Dog Trail is also found within this network, with some points of the trail being a safe space for dogs to be off-leash, enjoying their walk just as much!

Book your reservations now to start planning your week of explorations.

Springtime is here! An April trip to Park City means celebrating Earth Day bundled up and exploring the outdoor beauty Utah has to offer. Earth Day is April 22nd, and we have your full itinerary for a great way to spend it.

Start your morning walking off your slumber, and head across the street to the new Hill’s Kitchen for a bakery breakfast. Then, make your way over to your shared or private reservation at Bigfoot Balloons for an unforgettable experience. What better way to appreciate our Earth than from up above, soaring over the Wasatch Mountains with the perfect bird’s eye view? After taking in all of that beauty, unwind at Park City’s Earth Day Celebration at Wasatch Brew Pub, presented by Recycle Utah. From 5-8 pm, this 21+ fundraising event brings guests together for an evening of delicious food, drinks, live music, and a silent auction. Tickets sell out fast! Finish the night with some hot chocolate on your townhome’s patio looking out and taking in the views of the gorgeous Swaner Nature Preserve.

Celebrate our Earth by reveling in Park City’s nature!

Take a break from the slopes and immerse yourself in the wildlife that calls Utah home. We highly encourage penciling in a day at Swaner Preserve & EcoCenter into your Park City vacation notes. 

The snow doesn’t officially leave until around April, so this 1,200-acre nature preserve will feel like a winter wonderland after a fresh snowfall. With up to 10 miles of trails, embark on a group snowshoeing adventure, with rentals available online. The center offers weekly private nature tours, wildlife viewing, and you’re not going to want to miss the gift shop! Head inside the 10,000 sqft. LEED Platinum EcoCenter; home to interactive exhibits about the surrounding environment. From now until May 29th, enjoy Decisions Downstream; an exhibit displaying artwork in the form of large-scale images, original paintings, and 3D projections to shine a light on past and future water development choices in the city, and how they affect the citizens and environment. 

February is one of the best months of winter to come out to Park City; the holiday rush has officially settled down and the mountains are a powdered paradise! Hitting the slopes on skis or a snowboard can be quite intimidating, especially for first-timers. Whether you’re seeing snow for the first time or teaching your kids how to shred, Woodward Park City is the place to be for beginners!

From 10 am to 5 pm, every hour on the hour, start your three-hour ski session. The slopes are designed wide enough to give riders space as they learn in their respective groups and sessions. The park is open year-round, where guests can participate in single-day lessons for action sports including BMX, skateboarding, parkour, and more. Woodward Park also offers an Indoor Hub to accommodate bad weather.

Woodward Park City is also home to Utah’s longest tubing lanes. To ensure you get the most out of your experience, slip, slide and speed down the hills in 2-hour sessions open and ready for you and your party. Children must be ages 4 and up, and reservations are highly encouraged!

Every year, film lovers and filmmakers, about 40,000 to be exact, head to Park City for Sundance Film Festival 2022. Newpark Resort is your home away from home for the easiest Sundance experience. From January 20th-30th, festival-goers can catch award-winning screenings and get that real Hollywood feel.

Guests will be exposed to new filmmakers on the rise, being amongst the first to watch films within categories like Premiers, a showcase of fiction & non-fiction world premieres. Or catch a screening from the Indie Episodic category, or Midnight; a category dedicated to horror, comedy, and anything in-between that will be sure to keep you awake and glued to the screen. Instructions on how to get around, as well as a list of theaters in the city where you can find screenings can be found online. We highly encourage travelers to purchase the Single Film Passes available starting January 6th for only $20! Aside from screenings, certain festival packages also include access to talks like The Big Conversation, Cinema Cafe, and Daily Artis Meet Ups where you can network with these artists and storytellers.

You see it all the time; “Sundance Film Festival Award Winner” plastered on the front of a movie poster. Create memories of a lifetime this January on your visit to Newpark. 

Dating back to the 19th century, bobsledding (or bobsleighing) is a sport of strength and speed; the more you bob back and forth, the faster you go! The sport debuted at the Winter Olympics in 1924, and in 2002, made its way right here to Salt Lake City. These bobsledders can zoom on by with speeds up to 100 mph, depending on if it’s a 2-person or 4-person event. 

Just 5 minutes down the road from Newpark, a Winter Bobsled Experience awaits at Utah Olympic Park. Embrace yourself for a ride of a lifetime, as professional pilots guide you along the Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Winter Games Sliding Track. Dress warmly for the windy air and be wary of the age and weight requirements; 16+ years and 100+ lbs for maximum safety. Book online now for your specific day and time slot. 

Speaking of Olympians, on December 17th, take a ride into the surrounding city of Kearns, where the Utah Olympic Oval will be hosting U.S Olympic Team Trials- Short Track Speed Skating. Watch the U.S Speedskating athletes compete and form the Beijing 2022 USA Olympic Team right before your eyes.

Just about 10 minutes down the street, the Kimball Art Center welcomes you to attend The Yard’s three temporary exhibits, showcasing now until January 2022. Claire Sherman, David Hartt, and Cara Despain all invite you to live in their work, as it showcases our landscapes, environments and social climate.

Recurring daily, Claire Sherman’s exhibition Here Now beautifully addresses our relationship with nature and the contemporary media, through a series of imaginary scenic areas including forests, caves, rocks, and grasses. These paintings are inspired by imagery she has synthesized from her photos or actual imagery that she collected over time. Tune into Art Talk: Claire Sherman, a free zoom call where Sherman herself will go in-depth with her art. 

In Memorium: Carbon Paintings by Cara Despain explores the collective gatherings of burnt debris from the fires occurring over the last 3 years across the west coast. According to Cara, the art “serve(s) as markers of a changing climate and exist in memoriam of the consequences of human habitation on the planet.”

Enjoy a change of pace and head to the city of Watts in  David Hartt: On Exactitude in Science (Watts), an artistic film urging you to question the built environment you live in and the cultural factors that play into empowerment and subjugation.

A full list of events, educational programs, classes, workshops, and more can be found online.

Every year, the breathtaking mountains and scenery of Park City become a backdrop for over 20 hot air balloons that take flight in a stunning portrait of aviation. The Autumn Aloft is a Park City tradition that will be taking place September 18-19, 2021. 

The day begins before the sun rises, as each balloonist carefully inflates their chosen craft on the ground. From uniquely decorated mosaics of color to animals and characters like dragons, owls and jack-o-lanterns, each of the hot air balloons are unique and distinguishable. And once the clock hits 8 AM, it’s time for them to take flight. 

After the Morning Launch, the rest of Park City is your playground—head into town for brunch and a day of sightseeing before heading back to Historic Main Street for the evening candlestick event. 

The Autumn Aloft will take place on the North 40 Fields and is FREE for all spectators.

The summer sport events at Utah Olympic Park are a perfect end-of-season activity for those that crave thrilling outdoor adventures—as well as those that simply like to watch them happen.

Catch the Flying Ace Freestyle Pool show where Olympians and National Team skiers and snowboarders perform acrobatic choreography up to 60 feet in the air in a fun-filled performance that’s perfect for the whole family. If you’re feeling adventurous yourself, enjoy some of the most popular activities the park has to offer—from Extreme Tubing and Ziplining to the Bobsled, Drop Tower and Alpine Slide.

For Park City’s adventure-seekers and risk-takers, there’s never been a better time to get out there and enjoy the summer fun.

One of the most amazing things about spending the summer months in Park City is the chance to get outside and encounter Utah’s vibrant fauna. When observing from a safe and respectful distance, you can discover some of the most extraordinary animals around our scenic mountain setting. Here is a guide to just a few of the special creatures you might encounter during your time here.

Elk

Rocky Mountain elk can grow to weigh about 500 pounds and stand as tall as five feet at the shoulder. During the warm summer months, elk migrate up to higher mountain elevations due to their large size and heavy coat. If you’re lucky, you can often find a herd of elk migrating at dusk from the farm by the iconic White Barn in Park City, crossing 224 and making their way to Round Valley.

Moose

Moose can be spotted year-round throughout the Park City area. The state of Utah is home to over 2,500 of them, and they are particularly common in the Wasatch Range. They are the largest members of the deer family, growing as big as 1,500 pounds and standing as tall as seven feet high.

Yellow-Bellied Marmots

These furry little fellows hibernate underground during the winter months. Once it becomes warmer out and the snow melts away, they can be seen popping out of their burrows to explore once again, so summer offers the best time frame to see them for yourself. They’re quite vocal as well, so you might hear them chirping during a hike or bike ride!

Golden Eagle

With its dark brown plumage and keen eyesight, the Golden Eagle is one of the largest and fastest birds of prey in all of North America. Growing up to three feet in length with a wingspan of six to seven feet, the Golden Eagle is so powerful that it’s been seen attacking large mammals like bears and coyotes.