Park City: 5 Things to Know About the Largest Ski Resort in the U.S.
Utah is known for a lot of things: having 5 national parks, the Jazz and the Sundance Film Festival. But what actually draws in millions of visitors each year is having “The Greatest Snow on Earth.”
Another claim to fame for Utah is being home to the largest ski resort in the United States – Park City Mountain Resort.
Park City: 5 Things to Know About the Largest Ski Resort in the U.S.
1. A Snowy Union
How did Park City Mountain Resort become the biggest ski resort in the country? Vail Resorts merged Park City and the Canyons Resort – two ski resorts that were right next to each other – in 2015. Thanks to this sizeable union, skiers now have access to more than 7,300 skiable acres, 17 peaks, 348 trails, 41 lifts, 13 bowls, 8 terrain parks, a halfpipe and a mini pipe. It’s a snow-filled paradise for skiers of every level.
2. Powder Perfection
Grooming isn’t just for dogs. Park City has a grooming team for its resort. That’s right. The resort’s grooming team spreads out across the resort and grooms more than 115 snowy trails each night. The groomers pride themselves in what they call their own snowy art form. They create fresh, smooth lines that are even more satisfying to see than fresh vacuum lines on your carpet.
3. Pick a Side, But Not Just Any Side
Since the two ski resorts became one, the resort is divided into two base areas: Park City Mountain Village and Canyons Village. While there are trails and lifts connecting the two sides, going between them is more time-consuming than you may think, especially if you aren’t an expert skier or if you’re skiing with kids. So our advice is to learn the trails and terrain on each side, choose a base area that fits your skill and thrill level and then spend your day skiing there. If you’re there for more than one day, you can always bounce between the two on different days.
Speaking of time-consuming things, let us offer another piece of advice: skip the lines at a crowded ski rental shop. Park City offers a ski rental delivery service. You simply reserve your gear online, and they bring it to wherever you’re staying. Now doesn’t that sound like the perfect start to a stress-free ski vacation?
4. A Mountain Rich in History
Every place has a story to tell, and Park City Mountain’s story is pretty interesting. Park City used to be an old mining town, and the mountain was full of silver mines – which yielded $400 million in silver between the late 1800s and early 1900s. The resort offers a free, guided skiing tour for anyone who wants to hear the whole story while seeing historic mining buildings and relics in the area. Called Silver to Slopes, it’s an intermediate-level ski tour that’s offered on a first-come-first-serve basis and takes a maximum of 10 persons per group.
Park City Mountain also hosted events for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. Fun fact, 6 of the 10 medals the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team won were on Park City Mountain. So if visiting Park City Mountain Resort has been on your bucket list, it’s time to check it off. If it’s good enough for the Olympics, then you know it’s going to be rad.
5. More Than a Ski Resort
Skiing at the resort is epic, but there’s so much more to do on and off the mountain. A day on the mountain isn’t possible unless you’re fueled up, and Park City Resort has an assortment of tasty dining options. Miner’s Camp is a great and convenient sport for the whole family to eat between runs, while dinner for two at The Farm is the perfect way to eat, drink and unwind after a day on the slopes. Be sure to make time for a trip to their world-class spa as well.
One of the best things about Park City Mountain, though, is its ski-in-ski-out access to and from historic Main Street. It’s the only resort with lift access directly into town. With restaurants, bars, shopping and galleries, we know it’ll be hard to leave this magnificent resort, but we promise exploring the town is just as fun.
