A Wintertime Escape to Historic Park City

Perched at an elevation of 7,000 feet, Park City is bordered by the ski mountains of Park City Mountain Resort (the largest ski resort in the country) and Deer Valley, with the beautiful Uintas beyond.

But long before people flocked here to ski these beautiful mountains and enjoy all the area has to offer, the Transcontinental Railroad was constructed in 1870, and miners were drawn to these mountains to mine silver. Many made their fortunes here, including George Hearst (the father of newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst), who purchased the famed Ontario Mine, which produced over $50 million during its operation.

In 1884, Park City was incorporated. It grew as a silver mining town, with miner’s cottages, and places of business popping up as the population steadily grew. Many of the old miner houses remain today in the town’s historic center. I’m renovating one at the moment!

In the 1930’s-40’s there was a drop in mineral prices and the silver industry began to wane. At about the same time, there was an increased interest in winter recreation, particularly skiing.  A ski lift was finally constructed in the late 1940’s, around the same time as the mining industry had mostly shut down.

The Park City Museum is an interesting place to learn more about this history of this intriguing town. They offer interesting tours around town as well.

Winter outdoor activities are plentiful, including alpine and cross country skiing, snowboarding, sledding, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, and dogsledding. Utah Olympic Park, which was built for the Utah Olympic Games (held in 2002), serves as an Olympic training site.

Every year at the end of January people swarm to Park City to attend the Sundance Film Festival.

In February, Deer Valley hosts freestyle ski events (world championships or world cup events).

Soldier Hollow, another Olympic venue, situated in Midway, hosts a variety of winter Nordic ski races and other activities. There are approximately 20 miles of cross country ski trails open to the public.

For the full Park City guide (my favorite shops, galleries, restaurants and more) in the Winter 2020 issue of The Loaded Trunk, click here to subscribe and gain access to the entire TLT library!