Recreation and Activities
Welcome to the Wasatch, Park City and Deer Valley!
Silver Lake Village:
Silver Lake Village is a short walk from Aspen Hollow 4. It is the mid-mountain base lodge for skiing and mountain biking at Deer Valley Resort (there are two other lodges at Snow Park and Empire Pass). Dining is available at Silver Lake Lodge, Glitretind at the Stein Eriksen, The Goldener Hirsch, The Mariposa, Cena Ristorante and Royal Street Cafe. There are several ski shops, including Cole Sport and Christy’s, for purchasing or renting ski equipment. There is a very good “cash only” coffee stand at the Silver Lake Lodge and very good Apres Ski drinks and snacks can be had at “The Beach” on the snow just outside the Lodge or at the Goldener Hirsch. Complimentary ski storage is available at Silver Lake Lodge.
Historic Main Street:
“Historic Park City is the gem among riches. Nestled in the valley flanked by Park City Mountain Resort on one side, and Deer Valley on the other, it is the heart and soul of our mountain town and the epicenter of all that is fun and wild. Since silver was discovered in the hills, there have been booms, busts, fires, and freezes, but the town’s adventurous spirit has never dimmed. Historic Park City’s has a rich and storied past: it began as a raucous silver town, nearly faded into history as a ghost town, and then re-invented itself as a ski town that grew into a world-class destination and host to global events such as the 2002 Winter Olympics and the Sundance Film Festival.
“At the center of Historic Park City is Main Street--home to over 200 unique businesses and the trailhead to your mountain town adventure. Visitors can shop among over 100 independent boutiques, dine at 50 one-of-a-kind restaurants, relax at a restorative spa, ride the town lift to play in the mountains, stay in style within a short walk of everything, revel in our spirited nightlife, discover something to treasure from our lively art community, connect with someone who can help you start a life in Park City, or meet within the heart of a mountain town. In today’s Park City the riches lie above ground and the prospects are looking good.” -from Historic Park City’s website.
Historic Main Street is the hub for all activity in Park City, including the Sundance Film Festival, the Christmas Parade and the July 4 Festival. Many of the buildings are on the National Register of Historic Sites and you can find excellent shopping, art galleries, performance halls and restaurants. For more information on what is happening in Park City and on Main Street, check out historicparkcityutah.com. There you will find all you need to know, including a fairly detailed calendar of events, as well as a guide to shops, restaurants and galleries. Also check out visitparkcity.com.
Alpine Skiing (winter):
Deer Valley Resort is consistently rated as one of the top overall ski resorts in the country and is especially noted for its customer service and family-centered approach. Ski School is primarily located at Snow Park Lodge (accessible by car or by free shuttle). Or you can ski straight to Snow Park from the ski trail (experienced skiers only) and can ski directly from Silver Lake Lodge (where private lessons are available to meet). Lift tickets at Deer Valley Resort are limited each day and so should be purchased in advance or as early in the day as possible (especially during peak periods like Christmas and Presidents weeks). Deer Valley Skier Services (Lift Tickets and Ski School Reservations) is available at deervalley.com. Or call 888-754-8477 or 435-645-6648. Deer Valley is a SKI-ONLY resort (so, sadly, NO SNOWBOARDS). Those wishing to snowboard will need to head over to Park City Mountain Resort or one of the many other Wasatch ski resorts (other than Alta, which is also ski-only).
Park City Mountain Resort (which includes Park City and the former Canyons resorts) is just a short ride from the Silver Lake area and is accessible from the main base or the Town Lift area (both accessible by car or by shuttle). See parkcitymountain.com for more information. Other premiere world class Utah ski resorts within a 45-60 minute drive from Aspen Hollow include Snowbird, Alta, Solitude, Brighton, Sundance Resort, Snowbasin and Powder Mountain. See skiutah.com for more information about the many Utah ski resorts in the Wasatch Mountains.
Nordic Skiing (winter): Cross-country skiing is available at the White Pine Touring Nordic Center (whitepinetouring.com), which includes over 20km of groomed tracks. White Pine Touring has a fully-equipped retail shop and can provide rentals, lessons and tours. You can also make your way down to Soldier Hollow in Midway (about 30 mins from Aspen Hollow), which hosted the 2002 Winter Olympics. Information is available at utaholympiclegacy.org.
Sleigh Rides (winter): Horse-drawn sleigh rides can be booked through the Boulder Mountain Ranch, which located within 5 minutes of Silver Lake Village and picks up at Silver Lake Lodge or the Stein Erikson Lodge (bouldermountainranch.com). Rides are about $125 for a five-person sleigh. Other options include Rocky Mountain Outfitters (based in Midway -- about a 30 minute drive from Aspen Hollow) which offers sleigh ride tours of the Homestead Resort, the Heber Valley and the Wasatch Mountains (rockymtnoutfitters.com). For a sleigh ride combined with dinner, try the Park City Viking Yurt (vikingyurt.com) or the Snowed Inn Sleigh Company (snowedinnsleigh.com), which takes you to a yurt at the top of Park City Mountain (in the case of the former) and includes a live music hoedown (in the case of the latter).
Snowmobiling and Dog Sledding (winter): A guided dog sled or snowmobile tour can be a great way to see the Wasatch Mountains in and around Park City. Information and booking options can be found at northfortyescapes.com.
Snow Tubing (winter): Starting in winter 2019, Gorgoza Park will offer lift-served lighted snow tubing lanes as well as indoor trampolines and foam pits. For now, you can sled in the lawn adjacent to the Library in town or at Soldier Hollow in Midway.
Utah Olympic Park: During of the 2002 Winter Olympics, Utah Olympic Park (utaholympiclegacy.org) was home to several competitions, including the bobsledding, luge, ski jumping, and Nordic combined. The facility hosts Olympic qualifying and training activities year-round for all of the events noted above. For the free-spirited, you can ride on the Comet bobsled. A professional pilot takes three riders at a time down the Olympic track at full speed, and you can see for yourself just what it’s like to participate in this exhilarating sport. There is also a ropes and zip-line course, and there are two free museums about the Olympic experience and skiing history.
Outdoor Ice Skating (winter): An outdoor ice skating rink is located at the base of Park City Mountain. Hockey and figure-skating skates are available for rent. Information available online at parkcityicerink.com.