10 Reasons to Love Park City
Posted by Kerri Whipple on Friday, January 3rd, 2020 at 10:09pm.
The short answer to why I love Park City is because life here truly is the GOOD LIFE!
But more specifically, here are 10 really GOOD reasons:
2. So. Many. Activities.: Besides the infinite skiing and snowboard offerings, Park City is filled with nonstop activities and events. Outdoor concerts (in summer and snow!). Cross country skiing with Park City Nordic Betties. WAO Yurt dinners in Wasatch Mountain State Park. Snowmobiling at Thousand Peaks. Boating on the Jordanelle. Utah is also home to five of the premier National Parks: Zion, Bryce Canyon, Arches, Canyonlands, and Capital Reef — all within a few hours drive time. I also love some unique traditions my family looks forward to every year like chopping down our own Christmas tree in the Uinta Mountains. It’s easy to stay busy in Park City year round.
3. Education: As a former board member of the PC Education Foundation, I can attest to the public school system being the best in the state, and Park City High School ranks in the top 2% nationally. Park City public schools let out at 12:30pm on Fridays so students can go skiing or participate in other sports. There is also Winter Sports School, a charter high school that operates on a reverse schedule to accommodate winter competition and travel. I also love the communities involvement in education, with the popular (and super fun!) community event Running with ED that is a fundraising party to support Park City Education Foundation’s mission to inspire all Park City students to reach their academic and life-long potential.
4. Convenience: Salt Lake City International Airport is a 30- to 45-minute drive from town (no traffic!). And a flight to LA or San Francisco is about 1.5 hours, so the coast isn’t far away either! Our accessibility is also why many of our restaurants like tupelo, RIME, Blind Dog, and Freshies have the FRESHEST seafood because it is flown in DAILY! Not every ski town can say that!
5. The Summers!: For many of us (myself included), the summers are even better than winters. With perfect temperatures of 80 degrees and low humidity, outdoor activities are always enjoyable (and the sun sets after 9:00 pm on the summer solstice!). There are free outdoor concerts everywhere you look, farmers markets, and a fun Park Silly Market every Sunday on Main Street. And if you golf, Park City is home to seven golf courses.
6. Hiking & Biking: While you will only see me hiking, Park City holds the distinction of being the very first Gold Level Ride Center, deemed as such by the International Mountain Bike Association (IMBA). The network of mountain biking trails includes nearly 500 miles of singletrack trails that appeal to all ability levels. Plus, Deer Valley runs the lifts for mountain biking and is continually building trails to expand its world-class bike park. But the hiking is endless for those of us who prefer to explore the mountains on our feet!
7. Sip, sip, hooray!: There are so many amazing places in Park City to meet for drinks. For a coffee meet-up Enjoy Atticus, Harvest, five5eeds, and PC Coffee Roasters are all great to meet up for great coffee. Park City is also home to amazing breweries and distilleries: Park City Brewery, Alpine Distilling, and the world-famous High West Distillery are all made here and you can go to the source for a sip or just choose to enjoy something local at all of the bars around town. And, there’s aways all the Utah craft breweries – too many to name!
8. Let’s Eat!: Park City has a growing culinary community and an increasingly diverse population of chefs and award-winning restaurants. From amazing sushi to late night pizza spots, Park City has something to feed everyone’s appetite. In addition, the on-mountain food scene is worth noting with possibly the world’s first ski in raw bar with RIME at Deer Valley Resort as well as eateries serving pho, bison burgers, and other cuisine as exceptional as the skiing. And if you want to keep it low profile, we have that too! Popular local watering holes like No Name Saloon and The Spur are great spots to hang with friends and watch sports while offerings elevated bar food.
9. The Hostess with the Mostest: I love all the truly incredible events our small town hosts. From Savor the Summit, the dinner party down Main Street, to Hollywood taking over during the Sundance Film Festival, we really know how to throw a party! With our Olympic history, I love all the amazing sports and qualifying events that come through town and use the same terrain and facilities of the 2002 Winter Olympics including the FIS World Cup. In the summer, the Tour de Utah speeds through Park City. During holidays you’re sure to see parades, parties, and fireworks, and have you ever seen Santa Clause and his sled come to town on a chair lift?
10. Community: But most of all, I love the strong community in Park City. When you meet other locals, you all already know why you moved here (a lot of us are transplants!) and know why we call Park City home. If you are lucky enough to live in Park City – you are lucky enough!
Here’s to the GOOD LIFE!
