Park City Vacation Blog

More than 130 years ago, people flocked to the mountains around Park City, UT in search of silver. The abundant precious metal attracted adventurers from around the world in the late 1860s.

Area mines yielded $400 million in silver and created 23 millionaires, including famed newspaper publisher, William Randolph Hearst. And in the process, Park City was born, being incorporated as a city in 1884.

As the silver boom faded in the 1930s, area residents soon discovered how precious their mountains could be when covered with “the greatest snow on earth.”

A total of 64 of Park City’s buildings are listed on the National Historic Register of Historic Places and more than 1,200 miles of tunnels still wind through the mountains as remnants of the great mining era. But today, those historic buildings also mix with spectacular ski resorts and modern day wonders.

In 2002, the world returned to Park City for 17 days in search of Silver medals, as well as Gold and Bronze. The area’s ski runs were filled with hundreds of thousands of visitors as part of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games.

Park City remains the home to the Utah Olympic Park, a U.S. Olympic Training site. The Olympic Park serves as a year-round competition and training ground for recreational and high-performance athletes.

Visitors can watch athletes in training, visit the Alf Engen Ski History Museum or check out the 2002 Eccles Winter Olympic Museum. For more thrills, you can race down a bobsled track, or learn how to steer your own skeleton or luge by taking an special introductory camp.

Admission to Utah Olympic Park is free and the site offers something for everyone including bobsled rides, Quicksilver Alpine Slide, two Ziplines and the Flying Ace All Stars Freestyle Aerial shows.

For information on year-round adventures in Park City or discount Park City resort accommodations, visit www.westgatereservations.com.

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