Park City (Utah)

Park City is a year-round resort town located on the Eastern (or Back) of the Wasatch Mountains, part of the Rocky Mountain Range in Utah. Altitude in town ranges from 6,720 to 8,460 ft. above sea level. The surrounding Wasatch Mountain rise over 10,000 ft. It is probably best known for its skiing and winter season with three world-class ski resorts: Park City Mountain Resort, The Canyons Resort and Deer Valley Resort - and for hosting the annual Sundance Film Festival.

Understand
Long before Park City became a world class mountain resort and venue for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games, it was famous as a silver mining town, and boasts a lively and colorful past. Founded by prospectors in the late 1860s, Park City continued to mine silver until the early 1970s.

From approximately 1850, when small settlements were forming, until the railroad lines were laid throughout the West in the 1890s, stagecoach travel was the main form of transportation. There was even a stagecoach business in Park City! William Kimball, a Park City resident, started his stagecoach business in 1858 competing with Brigham Young for United States mail contracts. He was sent to England on a Mormon church mission and when he returned, he started the Park City-Salt Lake City Route. The Kimball Brothers Stage Line operated from 1872 until 1890, when the railroad made its way into the West. Moving quicker as well as transporting more people and mail, the railroad easily put the stagecoach out of business.

Between 1880 and 1920 when Park City mines were the most organized, productive and active, they produced more than 20 million tons of ore including lead, zinc, copper, silver, and a small amount of gold. These were the years of Park City's mining renaissance. The mining company, Park City Consolidated Mines, started the ski business in 1963, when they built the first lifts on what was then called Treasure Mountain. The Park City area now has two world class resorts: Park City Mountain Resort, and the Deer Valley Resort.

In 2002 Park City was a major host site for the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics. 175 city volunteers contributed more than 6000 hours to the Games, or the equivalent of 750 workdays (and this doesn't even count the public safety volunteers).

Tourist information

Park City visitor information centers offer maps, brochures and other information.



By plane
The Salt Lake City International Airport is just 36 miles from Park City via interstate 80.

By car
Interstate 80 runs east from Salt Lake City through Parley's Canyon into Park City. Take the Kimball Junction exit (#145) onto SR-224. Park City is also accessible from US-40 to the east from Keetley Junction on SR-248.

By bus
High Valley Transit's bus 107 runs from Salt Lake Central via Utah State University to Jeremy Ranch and Kimball Junction.

Get around
Park City has a year-round free city-wide transit system. The bus routes connects historic Main Street, Kimball Junction, Prospector, Deer Valley, Park City Mountain Resort and The Canyons Resort. Traveling with skis or snowboards on public transit is not a problem.

Over 75% of public parking is free of charge in the historic area of Main Street. Most feasible parking is $1.50 an hour with a 3-hour time limit. There is also free parking in alley lots, China Bridge Garage Levels 1-3, and the Upper Level Gateway Garage.

Do
The Park City area has three world class resorts: Park City Mountain Resort, Deer Valley Resort, and Canyons Resort. The winter offers great opportunities for skiing, snowboarding, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, ice skating, snowmobiling, sleigh rides, tubing, shopping and dining. Summer activities include hiking, mountain biking, road biking, horseback riding, golfing, shopping and dining.


 * - in Park City
 * - in Park City

Buy
Resort shopping areas such as the Resort Center at Park City Mountain Resort, Silver Lake Village at Deer Valley Resort, and the Resort Village at The Canyons, make it easy to browse between runs.



Sleep
Expect hotel prices to be 2-3 times higher during ski season; shop around for bargains from June through September. During Sundance expect every hotel within thirty miles of town to be booked, so make plan far in advance. If visiting in the summer be aware that ski lodges and condo units will be operating with significantly less staff, meaning that you may be picking up your key from a lockbox rather than the front desk and may not be able to quickly resolve any problems with your room; hotels will not have this problem.

Go next

 * Salt Lake City - The state capital is about 35 miles away via interstate highway.