400 miles of trails, free buses, and a Main Street built by 1860s miners

Utah’s old boomtown reinvented itself

Park City sits at 7,000 feet in Utah’s Wasatch Mountains, just 35 minutes from Salt Lake City.

What started as a silver mining boomtown in the 1860s now draws skiers, hikers, and mountain bikers from across the country.

You get the largest ski resort in America, a free public transit system, over 400 miles of trails, and a historic Main Street lined with buildings from the mining days.

The 2034 Winter Olympics are coming here, too, and the town is already gearing up.

Soldiers found silver and a boomtown followed

Soldiers from Fort Douglas discovered silver ore in the late 1860s, and the rush was on. George Hearst bought the Ontario Mine in 1872 for $27,000.

It went on to produce over $50 million in silver. Miners poured in from China, Ireland, Scotland, and Scandinavia, and Park City was incorporated in 1884.

A fire on June 19, 1898, destroyed three-quarters of the town, but residents rebuilt quickly. Mining faded after World War II, and by the 1950s, Park City nearly emptied out.

The first ski resort, Treasure Mountains, opened in December 1963 and brought the town back to life.

Over 7,300 acres of ski runs at one resort

Park City Mountain covers more than 7,300 acres, making it the largest ski resort in the country. You get over 330 trails, 41 lifts, and six terrain parks spread across the mountain.

It’s also the only resort in Utah where you can ski straight down to Historic Main Street on the Town Lift.

When the snow melts, the mountain opens for hiking, mountain biking, an alpine coaster, scenic lift rides, mini golf, and rock climbing.

Park City Mountain will host snowboarding and freestyle skiing events for the 2034 Winter Olympics.

Deer Valley caps skier numbers every single day

Deer Valley is one of only three ski resorts in America that ban snowboarding, and it limits the number of skiers on the mountain each day. That means shorter lift lines and more open runs.

The resort expanded in 2026 to over 4,300 skiable acres, adding 10 new lifts and nearly 100 new runs in the largest ski resort expansion in history. TIME named it one of the World’s Greatest Places in 2026.

Founded in 1981, Deer Valley has won the United States’ Best Ski Resort award from the World Ski Awards for 13 years running. It will host freestyle moguls and aerials for the 2034 Games on the same runs used in 2002.

Ride the Olympic bobsled at four times gravity

Utah Olympic Park sits on nearly 400 acres near Kimball Junction, built for the 2002 Winter Games. You can ride the actual Olympic bobsled track here, and the forces hit four to five times gravity.

The park has one of only four sliding tracks in North America and six Nordic ski jumps. In summer, zip lines, ropes courses, extreme tubing, an alpine slide, and chairlift rides keep the place busy.

The Flying Ace All-Stars Freestyle Show puts Olympians and national team athletes in the air, landing jumps in a 1.25-million-gallon training pool.

Two free museums, the Alf Engen Ski Museum and the Eccles 2002 Olympic Winter Games Museum, stay open year-round.

Step inside the old jail on Main Street

Historic Main Street runs up a steep hill lined with Victorian-era buildings on the National Register of Historic Places since 1978.

Galleries, shops, and restaurants fill restored mining-era structures, and at the bottom of the hill, the Town Lift connects directly to Park City Mountain’s ski runs.

The Park City Museum sits in the old City Hall and jail building.

Inside, you can step into a preserved historic jail cell and walk through exhibits that trace the town’s mining past.

The world’s first Gold-Level mountain bike destination

Park City has over 400 miles of trails for hiking, biking, and horseback riding.

The International Mountain Bicycling Association named it the world’s first Gold-Level Ride Center.

The Historic Union Pacific Rail Trail follows the old railroad route for 28 miles from Park City to Echo Reservoir, passing through wetlands where you might spot moose, deer, bald eagles, and herons.

Round Valley has over 30 miles of high-desert trails, perfect for beginner mountain bikers.

Elevations range from about 6,800 feet to over 10,000 feet, taking you through aspen groves, pine forests, and open meadows.

Summer temps in the 70s with zero humidity

Summer days in Park City run from the 70s to 80s with low humidity and cool mountain air. You can ride scenic chairlifts at both Park City Mountain and Deer Valley for panoramic views without the hiking.

Fly fishing, horseback riding, and kayaking are all within reach. Jordanelle State Park, just east of town, puts you on a large reservoir for water activities.

The alpine coaster at Park City Mountain sends you through more than a mile of loops and curves at speeds up to 30 mph.

Three venues are locked in for the 2034 Games

Park City pulled heavy duty during the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics.

Snowboarding and giant slalom ran at Park City Mountain, freestyle moguls and aerials at Deer Valley, and bobsled, luge, and ski jumping at Utah Olympic Park.

The IOC confirmed in July 2024 that Salt Lake City, Utah, will host the 2034 Winter Games, and all three Park City venues are confirmed competition sites again.

U.S. Ski and Snowboard is headquartered here, and Olympic athletes train at these venues year-round. You can catch free international competitions throughout the year, including Deer Valley’s annual Freestyle World Cup.

Sundance called this town home for 40 years

The Sundance Film Festival ran in Park City for over 40 years, with its final Park City edition in January 2026 before moving to Boulder, Colo., in 2027.

The Egyptian Theatre on Main Street still hosts live performances, film screenings, and community events year-round. Every Labor Day, Miner’s Day takes over the street.

The highlight is the Running of the Balls, where thousands of golf balls race down Main Street to raise money for local nonprofits through the Park City Rotary Club.

Outdoor concerts run all summer, including shows at the Snow Park Amphitheater.

A thousand miles of tunnels still run under the mountains

More than a dozen preserved mining structures sit scattered across the slopes at Park City Mountain and Deer Valley. In Old Town, original mining-era homes stand next to modern vacation retreats on the same hillside.

The McPolin Barn, a restored early-1900s farmstead at the entrance to Park City, is open to the public with interpretive signs that tell the family’s story.

Over 1,000 miles of old silver mine tunnels still snake beneath the mountains.

The Park City Museum runs guided summer walking tours of Main Street’s historic buildings and a popular September cemetery tour with costumed re-enactors.

Free buses run all year to every corner of town

Park City runs a free public transit system year-round, with routes connecting the resorts, Main Street, Kimball Junction, and surrounding neighborhoods.

Salt Lake City International Airport sits about 35 miles away, roughly a 35- to 45-minute drive on I-80.

The city’s Transit to Trails program gives you free rides to trailheads, so you can leave the car parked and still reach the backcountry.

Park City Mountain has free daily parking at both its Mountain Village and Canyons Village base areas.

Explore Park City in Utah’s Wasatch Mountains

You can reach Park City in about 35 to 45 minutes from Salt Lake City International Airport, heading east on I-80 into the Wasatch Mountains.

The town sits at roughly 7,000 feet, with peaks climbing past 10,000 feet around you. A free public transit system runs year-round, so getting around without a car is easy.

Check the official website for trip planning, event calendars, and up-to-date trail maps before you go.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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