There is a slew of slopes to select from in our country and Deer Valley/Park City is surely a worthy selection for your next winter escape. From great mountains to awesome shopping to decadent dining, you'll find everything you need here to maximize your travel experience. Below is the ultimate guide to the area with everything you need to know about where to eat, ski, lodge, and play.
First, let's define the two towns that are often used interchangeably. Deer Valley is a smaller, more upscale neighborhood whose mountain only welcomes skiers (sorry snowboarders!). Park City is less than two miles away and has a lengthy pedestrian-friendly Main Street and a ski resort that encourages both skiing and snowboarding. In fact, you can literally ski onto Main Street from Park City Ski Mountain. They are so close to one another, you can't go wrong with planting yourself in either town while visiting the area.
Below is my list of the TOP TWELVE things to do while visiting the Park City area:
1. Ride the Funicular at The St. Regis Deer Valley for spectacular sunset views of Deer Valley. There is no fee to ride up the mountain and it is open to the public.
2. Hit the Slopes in Park City. Shredding the trails is an essential part of a visit here, this is a ski destination after all. There are 341 trails at this bustling mountain that draws thousands of people each day. Even though locals told us they were having a very quiet season, this was by far the busiest ski resort we visited. By 9:00 am hundreds of skiers marched towards the lifts to get an early start on the snow. Arrive early and don't worry, with over 7,300 acres there is enough room for everyone.
3. Meander the Paths of Park City Mountain Village
Besides being the center of the ski lifts, Park City Mountain Village offers many retail shops, cafes, restaurants, bars, fireside outdoor lounge areas, and a large ice-skating rink. For those opting for a ski-in/out lodging option, there are many to choose from that provide easy access to the lifts while also having the convenience of the village square at your doorstep. It's a nice size village for a ski resort with more shopping and dining options than most.
4. Stroll the Sidewalks of Park City's Main Street
Rumored to have more restaurants per capita than any other US city, Main Street is a top-rated destination. You can easily spend a couple of hours strolling through the streets that house over one hundred independent stores, fifty restaurants, and dozens of art galleries. Make sure to find the Banksy originals on the wall by Java Cow and at 537 Main Street (you'll want to turn into the alley around the corner from Aranof Jewelers and walk towards the hidden garage to find this piece). The strip is overflowing with shops and sites built in the kind of charming architecture you'd expect in a small town. At night, it's beautifully lit up making it a wonderful place to visit any time of day. You're sure to find yourself here more than once as there are too many wonderful offerings to absorb in just one visit.
Park City Fine Art is one of my favorite galleries on the main drag. They showcase a stimulating collection of traditional and contemporary western art with many pieces focusing on icons like Clint Eastwood and Marilyn Monroe. The bi-level space is inviting, colorful, and quite impressive.
Another unique store that really caught my eye is Tresor, a beautifully curated family-owned shop oozing with spectacular natural stones. The woman managing the space, Cyrous, is a warm and interesting woman who is fun to chat with. Don't miss the opportunity to see the gorgeous geodes that are extracted from magnificent mountains all over the world.
Prospect Gallery is another gallery you'll want to see. The interior space is a massive, rustic, barn-like interior with enormous pieces of art displayed throughout. The gallery features a lot of pieces by Ashley Collins who is celebrated as a top female contemporary artist and has a beautiful story of using her talent to transform her life of homelessness into a successful and philanthropic one. This gallery is a true visual extravagzanza filled with colorful work of leading contemporary and modern artists.
5. Play at Utah Olympic Park
The Utah Olympic Park was built for the 2002 winter Olympics and offers visitors thrilling bobsled rides, miles of cross-country ski trails, and the longest tubing trails in the state. The thirty-minute drive from Deer Valley will take you through breathtaking landscapes of farmland and mammoth mountain peaks. The drive alone is worth the trip but tubing at the park will make the adventure more thrilling. You'll have a blast sliding down the long paths at super speed! We had some great laughs and screams here as we held on to our tubes for dear life.
6. Enjoy Meals at the Many Delectable Dining Establishments
There are a plethora of dining options that deliver delicious dishes in Park City. Reservations are highly recommended as many places do not accept walk-ins. The food scene here is lively, creative, and never redundant. Below are some of my favorite dining destinations for you to check out during your visit.
Bartolo's in the Newpark Town Center of Park City prepares traditional Italian cuisine for its dinner guests and an all-day brunch menu that serves interesting twists on conventional dishes. For example, their avocado toast is served on freshly baked focaccia bread and is topped with mozzarella cheese and a drizzle of balsamic reduction. Um yum. Better yet, my savory quinoa/veggie waffle topped with greens, hollandaise sauce, and poached eggs was to die for. My husband ordered a chicken parmesan, which is also on their dinner menu. He didn't love it as much as we passionately cherished our brunch servings. Stick to the brunch menu, it's what they do really well here.
There are no words to describe how insanely fresh and delicious the food is here. Make your reservation asap at this sushi sensation located in the heart of Main Street. You cannot miss out on this menu. We ordered the lamb lollipops, the coconut curry crab, ramen noodles, miso cod, shishito peppers stuffed with goat cheese, crispy tuna tartare, and a selection of nigiri, rolls, and two special maki rolls (the executive and the green hornet). We were oohing and aahing as flavors burst in our mouths with each bite. Our younger two, who are vegetarians that don't particularly love Japanese cuisine, ordered two veggie rolls for the first time (I usually have to beg them to order just one). Even the edamame beans were so fantastic we ordered a few bowls. The food is truly phenomenal, you will not be disappointed. The only slight qualm we had with the restaurant is that they haven't mastered the fine balance of delivering good service without being overwhelming. We felt constantly interrupted by staff members clearing our plates or refilling our waters or bringing in new dishes. It was non-stop foot traffic at our booth and our conversations didn't last more than a couple of minutes before they were broken. Plan for a memorable meal and save the talking for later.
This is a wonderful option for farm-to-table dishes prepared with the freshest ingredients available. The menu is so vegetable-heavy you will leave feeling healthier and well-nourished. The roasted tomato soup will blow your socks off. I found it extremely difficult to resist the urge to lick the bowl. The crispy Brussels sprouts were perfectly broiled and achieved a beautifully soft texture that many chefs cannot master. I ordered the butternut shakshouka, which interestingly enough do not come with eggs. I got a kick out of this. It's kinda like ordering a burger without the meat patty. In any case, I splurged on the $4 surcharge for two eggs to be included in what is traditionally an egg-based dish. Make sure you do too. The golden yolk running into the well-seasoned squash-filled skillet was a divine experience, especially when soaked in the fresh bread served on the side.
With so many fantastic food options in Park City it's hard to pick a winner but if we had to, Handle is the champion of creative, captivating cuisine. You'll leave wanting to sign up for a culinary class wishing to recreate these incredible dishes in your own kitchen. Since there were so many enticing vegetarian options, we chose to go all veg and even the carnivores in our group had no regrets. We started with the buttermilk biscuits drenched in honey butter. You'll need to order a few of these as you can't get enough of the flavors in this dish. The honey crisp apple on sourdough with ricotta and candied hazelnuts is beyond delicious as are the curried eggplant tartare, quinoa and farro beet salad with cilantro puree, the bang bang cauliflower, the Brussels sprouts with pistachios and truffle powder, and the mushroom bolognese. Their cocktails are equally inventive; the carrot and ginger mezcal is essentially spiked juice. Handle is a destination in itself so make sure to make your way over to pay homage to the local and regional ingredients that will permanently leave a mark on your palate.
This is where the locals come for their take-out needs. Park City Provisions, on Main Street, has a menu filled with every kind of food you could crave for. They also have a small market you can shop from while waiting for your order to be prepared (although sadly it's not as exciting as their made-to-order dishes). From ramen (delicious!) to breakfast burritos or burgers to goat cheese pockets, the kitchen serves all the basics plus unexpected items on their menu. Everything we ordered was delicious, fresh, and well packaged ensuring all stayed hot and intact during the short drive home. We ordered the veggie ramen, fish tacos, their famous fries (sooo good!), avocado toast, a breakfast burrito, and an omelet with a toasted bagel. Such a variety of offerings for every palate and each one was a big success!
7. Satiate Your Sweetooth
Coffee, ice-cream, baked goods, stickers, novelty socks; it's all available at this quirky neighborhood institution. Java Cow will instantly place a smile on your face as soon as you enter and receive warm greetings from Java the cow. It's the ultimate place to get a sugar high and leave with a trinket you'll never need but couldn't resist purchasing. Oh, and the Banksy original I mentioned earlier, is right around the corner.
There are 360 Rockie Mountain Chocolate Factory locations throughout the USA and lucky for you, one is located on Main Street. Despite their massive production rates they are able to pull off really good chocolates. We couldn't resist a stop here every time we strolled around Main Street. My favorite is the dark chocolate pecan cluster - just the right amount of pecans in decadent dark chocolate.
