5 Surprising Reasons You’ll Love Park City, Utah

When you think of Park City, Utah you probably think of skiing. This is because Park City is arguably the best ski destination in the country in terms of ease and accessibility. Famous for powder skiing, Park City, Utah, features two world-class resorts just 35 minutes away from the Salt Lake City airport.

With 7,300 acres, over 330 trails, 43 lifts, 6 terrain parks and ski-in-ski-out access to historic Main Street, Park City Mountain offers endless adventures for every level of skier or snowboarder to enjoy.

However, I don’t ski and I visited in June. So, what else is there to do in Park City? Plenty. Even for a one-day visit.

What to Do in Park City Outside of Skiing

Park City has become a year-round recreational haven. It is a wonderful destination for golfing, horseback riding, fly-fishing, mountain biking, hiking, and rafting. Most importantly, I recommend visiting the Utah Olympic Park.

A Former Mining Town

Park City, Utah is a former mining town located in Utah’s Wasatch Mountains. More than 130 years ago, a rush of people flocked there seeking silver. The town’s residents enjoyed great prosperity for half a century. The mountains surrendered over $400 million in silver and established many fortunes.

Park City was one of the few Utah towns established by non-Mormons. During the mining boom, 27 saloons existed on Main Street. Today, it is home to over 100 bars and restaurants.

The Great Fire

The Great Fire of 1898 destroyed 200 of the 350 structures, homes, and businesses on Main Street. Not to be deterred, residents rebuilt the town within eighteen months. 

By the 1930s residents turned their attention from the treasure in the mountains to the snow on the surrounding slopes and ski jumpers from around the world started competing at Ecker Hill. 

In 1946, the town’s first ski area, Snow Park, opened and mining prices continued to drop leaving Park City to become a virtual ghost town until 1963 when Park City Mountain Resort opened in 1968. In 1982 Deer Valley Resort opened.

Historic Main Street and Old Town

Historic Main Street is in the center of the downtown area. It is a stretch of road that runs just over half of a mile, closely crowded with businesses, hotels, vacation homes, and the odd parking lot.

The street’s historic title is a result of the fact that Main has been one of Park City’s few constants. It was Main Street back when the city was a collection of wooden shacks and mining camps and it continues to be Main Street through every ski season and the Sundance Film Festival. It shows no signs of stopping now.

Is Park City Utah a good place to live?

The main reason people move to Park City is for “quality of life”. There are four seasons with plenty to do, excellent skiing, good schools and a strong sense of community.

What is Park City Utah famous for?

Besides skiing, Park City is known for the Sundance Film Festival, an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It takes place each January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and at the Sundance Resort, and is the largest independent film festival in the United States. 

Is Park City Utah expensive?

Out of 20 popular North American ski destinations, Park City is among the most expensive. 

The median household income for the Park City statistical area, which covers all of Summit County, is $91,470.

The average house cost in Park City is $798,000.

Is Park City, Utah mostly Mormon?

The people of Utah are primarily of the Mormon faith. About 62% of the state’s population belongs to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with Mormons making up 35% of Park City’s population.

Utah Olympic Park

The Utah Olympic Park is a winter sports park built for the 2002 Winter Olympics. It is located 28 miles east of Salt Lake City near Park City, Utah. During the 2002 games, the park hosted the bobsleigh, skeleton, luge, ski jumping, and Nordic combined events.

Training Center

The Utah Olympic Park still serves as a training center for Olympic and development level athletes. Other facilities in addition to the ski jumps and bobsled track are located on-site. They include a 2002 Winter Olympics and Ski Museum, a day lodge, summer aerial training splash pool, ziplines, and a mountain coaster.

USOC Training Site

The nearly 400-acre venue houses one of only four sliding tracks in North America, six Nordic ski jumps, a 2002 Winter Games museum, and a multitude of adventure activities.  Utah Olympic Park is a dynamic multi-use facility focused on developing and growing participation in winter sports in the state of Utah. It is an official USOC Training Site.

The $100 million profit from the 2002 Salt Lake Olympics paid for this practice facility for athletes from all over the world. That Olympic event was deemed the most successful Winter Olympics ever.

What can you do at Olympic Park Utah?

You could spend a whole day at Utah Olympic Park without spending a dime. It’s an Olympic training facility, so you’ll likely have the chance to watch Olympic athletes and hopefuls train. We did and were mesmerized watching athletes practice skiing into the pool.

The park still serves as a training center for Olympic and development level athletes, as well as a recreational highlight in the state. Other facilities in addition to the Nordic jumps and bobsled track located at the park include a 2002 Winter Olympics Museum and Ski Museum in the Joe Quinney Winter Sports Center, a day lodge, summer aerial training jumps, splash pool, ziplines and a mountain coaster.

The Alf Engen Ski Museum

The two museums in the Quinney Welcome Center are open year-round and complimentary – tour the Alf Engen Ski Museum and George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles 2002 Salt Lake Winter Olympic Games Museum.

Because our time was limited, we chose the Alf Engen Ski Museum.

Its written purpose is to serve as “a history of skiing in the intermountain west from alpine pioneers to modern extremists”

The Ski Museum contains more than 300 trophies, medals, uniforms, scrapbooks, skis, boots, photos, films and other collectibles that span some 70 years in the career of the Engen family. It also highlights Utah’s rich ski history and the Wasatch Range, along with efforts made by the U.S. Forest Service to help develop Utah’s ski resorts and an exhibit on Utah’s winter weather.

Olympic Museum

The 2002 Winter Olympic Museum, currently located on the second floor of the center, includes athletic equipment used during the games, Olympic medals (and a display on how they were created), costumes and puppets used during the ceremonies. It also has many of the officially licensed pins produced for the games and a photo op at an Olympic torch mounted in front of a large photo of the cauldron, along with video clips and other memorabilia.

Is Utah Olympic Park free?

There is no charge for admission or parking. You can purchase activities individually, or get unlimited activities with the Gold Pass for $65.

The Holiday Pass includes unlimited day use of the Extreme Zipline, Discovery Course, Canyon Course, and Summit Course.

And Finally

If you ski, Park City is the place for you. If you don’t ski it is a super place to visit even in the summer. The Old Town is great for walking, shopping and eating. The best part of a visit is the Utah Olympic Park. The entire family will enjoy it.