Park City Vacation Blog

Archive for the ‘Park City Vacations’ Category

Best known for having the “greatest snow on Earth,” Park City’s snow-covered slopes have given way to wildflower covered hillsides and cool mountain breezes. Yet with miles of wooded trails for hiking and mountain biking, more than 100 restaurants, top attractions and a variety of world-class events, Park City remains a perfect summer destination.

Park City’s three major ski resorts convert their lifts and runs into some of the nation’s best hiking/biking trails or race down the slopes on Park City Mountain Resort’s thrilling alpine coaster - an elevated track that winds through nearly 4,000 feet of curves, bends and loops.

Nearby Utah Olympic Park was once a competition venue for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. Now those same courses for Nordic jumping, and the sliding sports of bobsleigh, luge and skeleton, still offer an incredible Olympic experience.

The 400-acre park hosted 14 Olympic medal events and now serves as a U.S. Olympic Training site. Visitors can watch athletes in training and visit the Alf Engen Ski History Museum and the 2002 Eccles Winter Olympic Museum. You can also race down the track in a bobsled, or learn to steer your own skeleton or luge.

Admission to the Olympic Park is free and daily guided tours of the Olympic competition sites are available. For example, you can head to the top of the world’s highest altitude ski jumps. Take a chair lift to the top at 7,130 feet elevation and look down from the start house.  

For additional thrills, try out the Xtreme Zip Zipline, offering a 435-foot vertical drop. Hop aboard the QuickSilver, the park’s stainless steel alpine slide. Or zoom down “The Comet,” a summer bobsled ride.

Of course, you’ll also find plenty of activities for the not-so-brave of heart in Park City, as well. Treat your cultural side to one of many entertaining arts and music festivals held throughout the summer. Or simply explore the eclectic shops, art galleries and restaurants along Park City’s historic Main Street.

What makes a classic ski town? According to the editors at National Geographic, it starts with skiing and snowboarding so good they attract people like youth-bestowing fountains. Then add an inviting mountain burg steeped in ski heritage, amenities and culture.

Those editors recently selected the world’s 25 best ski towns - a list that included Park City, Utah.

Home to the United States’ National Ski Team, Park City was cited for its three outstanding ski resorts andUtah’s feathery, desert-dry powder snow. One of the premiere ski towns in America, the 19^th century mining town has since established itself as a tourism boomtown, with a historic Main Street and a lineup of high-end restaurants, boutiques and art galleries. National Geographic also listed Park City for its vibrant and sophisticated bar scene and the annual Sundance Film Festival.

Just 45 minutes from the Salt Lake City airport, Park City also offers convenient and free bus service from the airport to the ski slopes.

The Park City listing offered this to say about the area’s three major ski destinations, each of which features more than 100 runs, ample high-speed lifts and nearly 3,000 feet of base-to-summit vertical skiing:

Park City Mountain Resort is the “right there” option, with access from town, four terrain parks for snowboarders and freestylers, night skiing, a cutting-edge ski school, and remarkably well-rounded terrain, from gentle beginner runs to powder-filled bowls.

Deer Valley, only one mile away, is unapologetically up-market. Its skier numbers are capped, grooming is scrupulous, on-mountain restaurants are gourmet, and snowboards are not allowed.

The Canyons, four miles from town, is the ever-expanding upstart that has quickly grown to become the largest ski area in Utah.

In addition to Park City, other Top 25 ski towns worldwide included Girdwood, Alaska; Fernie, British Columbia; Zermatt, Switzerland; Chamonix, France; Crested Butte, Colorado; Aspen, Colorado; Niseko, Japan; Kitzbuhel, Austria; Bend, Oregon; Mont Tremblant, Quebec; Taos, New Mexico; Truckee, California; Whistler, British Columbia; North Conway, New Hampshire; Banff, Canada; Steamboat Springs, Colorado; Telluride, Colorado; Jackson, Wyoming; Wanaka, New Zealand; Stowe, Vermont; Ketchum, Idaho; Whitefish, Montana; Bozeman, Montana; Cortina, Italy.

For information on discount accommodations in Park City, including Westgate Park City Resort & Spa, visit http://www.westgatereservations.com/. Westgate Park City Resort & Spa was recently named for having the Best Timeshare Unit in North America by Perspective Magazine.

The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21^st Winter Olympics will be held Feb. 12-28, 2010 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada with some events held in the nearby resort town of Whistler.

Nearly 100 nations from around the world have qualified at least one athlete or team for participation in the 2010 games. Sports included in this Olympics include bobsled, luge, skeleton, ice hockey, figure skating, speed skating, short track speed skating, curling, alpine skiing, freestyle skiing, snowboarding, biathlon, cross country skiing, ski jumping and the nordic combined event.

While the world watches the events in Vancouver, the snow will also be falling at the site of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah. www.vancouver2010.com

Salt Lake City and nearby Park City, Utah hosted the 2002 Winter Olympics and winter sports buffs can still enjoy the thrills associated with those Games. 

Skiers and snowboarders in particular will appreciate the benefits of staying at Westgate Park City Resort where they can find “the greatest snow on earth” as well as convenient ski in and out accommodations.

For information on discount Park City vacations packages and accommodations, visit www.westgatereservations.com today. 

Other reminders of the 2002 Winter Olympics are also visible throughout the Park City area. The Utah Olympic Oval was built to host speed skating competitions during the 2002 Games, but now serves as a legacy to the State of Utah for all to enjoy.

At the Utah Olympic Park you can watch or participate in Olympic-style events. The park hosts national and international competitions and training events including nordic jumping and the excitement of sliding sports like bobsled, luge and skeleton.

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In a place known for the “greatest snow on Earth, the mountainsides are still green as skiers and snowboarders patiently await the season’s first snowfall. Yet while Park City, Utah is known for its winter sports and recreational activities, there is plenty of adventure to be found any time of year.

Autumn in Park City offers up plenty of outdoor fun in the Wasatch Mountains, ranging from hot air ballooning and river rafting to championship golf and hair-raising alpine slides! There’s also spectacular hiking, mountain biking, or just plain exploring the historic and picturesque village of Park City with its many quaint inns, shops and diners.

For those looking to unwind after a day in the mountains, Westgate Park City offers Serenity Spa by Westgate, a full service spa providing massages, facials, body treatments and more.

As one of the nation’s premiere winter sports areas, Park City is home to the Utah Olympic Park where several 2002 Winter Olympic events were hosted. The Park still hosts national and international competitions and training events ranging from Nordic jumping to bobsled and luge. Even during summer months, you’ll find freestyle aerialists practicing twists and jumps before landing in a 750,000 gallon training pool. In season, you can take the ride of your life on a bobsled at 70 miles per hour.

A former silver mining town in its heyday, more than $400 million was extracted from the hills around Park City. And while 64 buildings are still listed on the National Register of Historic Places, today’s Park City is a bustling epicenter of fun and adventure.

Park City and its quaint Main Street now offer more than 100 different restaurants with a wide range of cuisines from Thai and Italian to French and Southwestern. You’ll also find dozens of bookstores, shops and boutiques carrying everything from clothing and ski gear to antiques and jewelry. And, of course, when the sun goes down, there are more than a few clubs and wine bars ready to guarantee a lively nightlife.