Resort Update

“I want to go to the playground,” I whined when I was 6 years old. Now I live in a giant playground with incredible views, where I can mountain bike and hike through aspen groves and fields of wildflowers without seeing another soul. On some days when there’s a moose sighting, Park City’s like the playground and the Wild Animal Park all rolled into one. It’s my own secret garden, and it’s right here in my backyard — only it’s not a secret anymore. Deer Valley Resort, Park City Mountain Resort and The Canyons Resort, well-known as winter destinations with thousands of acres of skiable terrain, are being justly celebrated for their summer seasons as well.

Summertime at Deer Valley Resort is a kaleidoscope of activities, from Kids’ Summer Adventure Camp, to bike rentals and mountain biking school, to Utah Symphony & Opera’s Deer Valley Music Festival, annual Fidelity Jazz Festival and other concerts at the Snow Park Lodge’s outdoor amphitheater. Deer Valley’s Royal Street Café offers a refreshing menu on the covered patio and is a perfect place to wile away the afternoon. www.deervalley.com.

Park City Mountain Resort is the ultimate family fun destination. In addition to their new Alpine Coaster, visitors can take a ride on the alpine slide or zip line, go horseback riding, play miniature golf, find their way out of the human maze or enjoy merry-go-rounds with smaller children. The Payday and Town lifts are available for chairlift rides for those who just want to relax and take in the view. www.parkcitymountain.com.

At The Canyons Resort, visitors can enjoy outdoor dining at Red Pine Lodge and gondola-served mountain biking or hiking Thursday-Sunday. On Wednesday afternoons, The Canyons hosts the Park City Farmer’s Market in their Cabriolet parking lot where vendors sell fresh fruits, flowers, vegetables, crafts, and farm-raised meats. Free Saturday night locals’ concerts in the forum are a great way to get together with friends. www.thecanyons.com.

If gearing up is your idea of winding down, 350+ miles of trails traverse and connect all three resorts and historic Main Street. For those who really like to speed it up, the Mid Mountain Marathon begins at Deer Valley’s Silver Lake trailhead and rolls along 26 miles through Park City Mountain Resort to the finish line at The Canyons Resort, where top finishers receive a custom-made pottery pie plate and a “fresh-from-the-oven” Windy Ridge pie. Real adrenaline junkies will opt for the “Triple Trail Challenge” that includes the Mid-Mountain Marathon, the Park City Marathon, and the Jupiter Peak Steeplechase, where participants run straight up the ski hill to Jupiter Peak and back.