If you read our post about skiing and snowboarding Salt Lake City, Utah you know our go to spots are in Big and Little Cottonwood Canyon; however, skiing Park City is definitely a great time. Also, keep in mind Christian’s dad lived in Park City at the time – we would ski for a few hours then go back to his house to get in the hot tub and hang with family. It was a dream of a lifestyle.
Here are my top 5 suggestions to helping you have the best experience at Park City Mountain Resort.
PARKING
If you want a good parking spot either get there first thing in the morning before anyone gets there (or) early afternoon when all the early-bird locals are leaving. Parking at Park City is much better compared to so many other big name ski resorts. It’s free and we honestly have never gotten a bad parking spot. We usually parked in the lot at the base of the First Time Lift, would ride it up, do a very small run over to Pay Day and hit the mountain. We have parked in other lots, the top lot usually has a fee for parking, as well as the parking garage.
Another option, which we never did because we lived there, is to stay on Main Street. This is a more expensive option, but if you plan on only skiing Park City and enjoying Main Street in the afternoon/evening you honestly do not need a car. There are shuttles and Ubers/Lyfts from Salt Lake City International Airport to Park City and you can take the town lift when you want to hit the slopes!
There is also a free Park City transit bus incase you are not staying on or near Main Street and do not want to drive.
FOOD
There are many places to eat in Park City Village and expect to pay Park City prices in most of the restaurants. However, our favorite go to is The Corner Store Pub & Grill. The food is great, the drinks are even better, and it is the only place on the mountain not owned by Vail Resorts which means much more reasonable prices. We also have enjoyed Legends Bar & Grill and Baja Cantina.
PARK CITY OR CANYONS
Park City Mountain Resort and Canyons Resort merged to become the largest ski resort in The United States; however, DO NOT try to visit both resorts in one day. You will end up spending most of the time on a lift and lets be real, you are not going skiing to sit on a lift all day. This part is biased, I know, but Park City is 1000000% better than Canyons. In order to ski Canyons you have to take so many lifts just to get to where you are going and I personally never really enjoyed Canyons, but that’s my opinion. Christian may tell you otherwise because of the fun terrain on powder days BUT you have to know where to go.
TERRAIN
I can honestly say Park City is an amazing mountain to learn on, and is also challenging for advanced skiers/snowboarders. I watched Christian’s siblings progress in skiing and snowboarding all over Park City. Part of it is because there are so many great runs for kids, but also Christian and I pushed them to keep up on runs that are definitely challenging. There are also fantastic terrain parks, if you are into that. One thing I do need to mention, Park City is at it’s best on a groomer blue bird day! Yes, it has amazing powder days and great runs, but it gets TORN UP before 11AM and is so extremely busy. Honestly, you have to know the hidden gems to make the most of it. Just keep this in mind if you are trying to plan on when to get to the mountain on a certain day. Overall, Park City Mountain Resort has something for every age and level.
HOLIDAYS
Don’t do it. Just don’t. Trust me. You can look on Epic’s website to see what is considered a holiday and all I have to say – DO NOT GO. The lines will be insane, you will be stuck behind people and possibly run over by people who have no idea what they are doing. (If you are reading this and have no idea what you are doing definitely do not go on a holiday BUT 100% YAY for you wanting to try out skiing/snowboarding. We all remember being beginners and it is so much fun. Learn the rules of the mountain, and please do not be the person weaving around on a cat track).
We love Park City on family/friend days. Since we lived in Salt Lake City and were spoiled with many days of snowboarding, this has a different meaning to us than most who travel to ski/snowboard once or twice a year. Park City is a great spot for people visiting and on vacation. Snowboarding Park City were full of days on the mountain where there were lots of breaks to drink, eat, and mostly drink. Not really our go to on a huge powder day and to quickly get in a few runs before work, if that makes sense. Although Park City is not our go to, we have had some of our most memorable, fun days at Park City Mountain Resort.
We hope this helps in planning your Park City winter vacation.
All the love,
