Last Updated on 11/13/25 by Rose Palmer
Though we travel quite a bit, my husband’s favorite holiday each year is his annual winter ski trip. Over the years, he has skied most of the major resorts out west; however, in the last few years, the one he keeps going back to is Park City, Utah.
The first year we went to Park City, we ended up going during the Sundance Film Festival. Sundance was started in 1978 to showcase independent American film producers in the US. In the intervening years, it has grown to become the premier film festival in the US. For a couple of weeks every January, tens of thousands of film buffs descend on the small town of Park City to watch movies.
My initial instinct was that skiing during Sundance was not a good idea, as I expected it to be very crowded. After all, over 100,000 people go to Park City, UT, over the course of the two-week film festival. I figured that they would also want to go skiing.
It turned out my assumptions were wrong, and we learned that skiing Park City during the Sundance Film Festival was actually one of the best times to go because everyone was in town watching movies and not many were on the slopes.
Skiing Park City
One of the nicest things about skiing in Park City is its easy accessibility from a major airport. It’s a very easy 40-minute drive from the Salt Lake City International Airport. This is much quicker than any of the major resorts in Colorado, which always required a few hours’ drive from the Denver airport.
The years that we have gone to Park City during the Sundance film festival, the mountain was surprisingly uncrowded. During his four days of skiing across all the mountains covered by the Park City lift pass, my husband said it was remarkably empty, even on Sunday or in the afternoons when it is a little warmer and usually gets busier. He never had to wait in line for a lift; in fact, the lifts I saw at the base seemed quite empty.
I go on these trips with my husband, but I no longer ski – my husband does the skiing, and I do après skiing. I think I have the better end of the deal – no painful boots, no cold bum sitting on the chair lifts, and no falling and trying to get up on slippery slopes. But I still get to enjoy the hot chocolate or the hot buttered rum at the end of the day in front of a hot fire.
The Park City lift pass covers three large mountain areas, all of which are interconnected by lifts or gondolas. Note that you need a different lift pass for the Deer Valley Resort next door, which appears to be connected to Park City but is not. Also, there is a fee to use the lift just for sightseeing, so unfortunately, no free joy rides to the top to take in the views or meet up for lunch.
Travel Tip: To save some money on what are quite expensive lift tickets, we purchased them ahead of time online.
This year we went to Park City the first week of February, so we missed the Sundance Film Festival by a few days. We arrived on a Sunday and left the following Saturday. My husband said that the slopes and lifts were definitely busier, but still not that bad because he was skiing midweek. By Friday, though, he said the lift lines were definitely getting longer (the fresh snowfall also brought out more skiers).
Where To Stay in Park City
Over the years, we’ve stayed at a few different spots, all within an easy walk to the lifts at the base of the mountain. I always look for a condo with at least one bedroom and kitchen facilities so we can prep nice breakfasts and occasional lunches.
Shadow Ridge
Our first time at Park City, we settled on the Shadow Ridge Resort Hotel, which was across the street from the Park City Mountain Resort. While the condo was not ski-in/ski-out, it was the next best thing – it was only about a five-minute (uphill) walk to access five different lifts.
Our one-bedroom condo was adequate for the two of us. While not luxurious, it appeared to have been updated recently. The kitchen had all that we needed for the short time we were there. One nice feature was the two full bathrooms. Of course, we did not each need our own bathroom, but it was a pleasant little extra.
The only disappointment was the wood-burning fireplace. We like having a wood-burning fireplace at home, but at the condo, it was a hassle having to buy and carry wood, kindling, and matches in order to have a fire. In this case, a gas fireplace would have been much more convenient.
Lofts at Mountain Village
We stayed here one year in one of the 1-bedroom condos, and it was fine. The balcony looked out over the lifts, which made it a bit noisy during the day. But you certainly couldn’t beat the convenience of being so close to the lifts.
The Lowell Condominiums
These condos are extremely conveniently located, looking out over the ice rink and just a few minutes walk to the ski lift. The first year we stayed here, the 1-bedroom condo was ok. It was a little dated and could have used a refresh, but it was fine for the easy access to the lifts.
The second time we booked here, the condo (a different one) was awful. Not just outdated, but dirty and had maintenance issues. Despite the convenient location, we won’t be staying here again, and I can’t recommend it.
Lift Park City Condominiums
This new condo complex is in the Canyons Village ski area and is also very convenient to the Sunrise lift. The condo was new, clean, and beautifully appointed. We really enjoyed our stay here, though my husband preferred the mountain access from the Park City lifts.
Where to Eat in Park City
One of the recent disappointments about Park City is the lack of good restaurants for dinner at the base of the mountain. When we first skied there, there were quite a few choices for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. On our most recent trips, most of the eateries closed by 5 or 6 PM, and there was not much open for breakfast. Hopefully, this gets remedied in preparation for the 2034 Olympics, and more choices will become available.
After a day of skiing, we don’t necessarily want to get into a car and drive to a restaurant. It’s much more convenient to be able to walk to an eatery in the Park City Mountain Resort area, especially during Sundance. We did walk into the center of town one night and quickly decided we would not do that again. The town was extremely crowded with all the Sundance Film Festival goers.
Baja Cantina
This restaurant has managed to survive and serves decent Tex-Mex . Since it is open late, it gets busy as one of the few slopeside dinner options.
Legends Bar and Grill
We’ve eaten dinner here before, but now they close at 6 PM, so it’s really only good for lunch or some after-ski snacks and drinks. Legends describes itself as a gastro-pub. The servings were huge, the food was good, and my husband enjoyed the microbrew selections.
Butcher’s Chop House
We walked into the center of town one night for dinner but had not made any reservations. With the town full of Sundance Film Festival goers, the restaurants and bars were packed.
We were fortunate to be able to get a table in the lower-level bar area of Butcher’s Chop House. This steakhouse offered the expected variety of meat cuts and seafood. Considering how packed the place was, the service was quite efficient, and the steak and chicken dishes we got were tasty.
We indulged in dinner at the Viking Yurt one year to celebrate my birthday. This was not just a dinner, but a four hour evening experience. A sled pulled by a snow cat took us 1800 feet up the mountain to a real yurt.
There, we enjoyed a six course Norwegian inspired dinner. The most interesting course was the sorbet palate cleanser that was served in a hollowed-out rock brought over from Norway. The food was delicious, the service was extremely attentive, and the evening was one of the most unique and memorable dining experiences I have ever had.
Each evening’s dinner only seats 40 guests, so we were very fortunate to be able to get last-minute reservations. I suggest booking way in advance if you want to do this experience.
Kuchu Shabu
The Canyons Village ski area offered a lot more restaurant choices within walking distance of our condo. We really enjoyed Kuchu Shabu, where we each created our own hot pot.
What We Liked about skiing in Park City
- One of the things that we really liked about going to Park City was its proximity to the Salt Lake City airport. We reached our condo from the airport in less than 45 minutes, even during rush hour.
- My husband appreciated being able to easily walk to the ski lifts from the condos in his ski boots, especially at the end of the day when he was tired.
- As the one skiing, my husband really enjoys skiing in Park City. He felt he had a lot of options and variety because the mountain ski terrain was so large. He also really liked how uncrowded the trails were and that he did not have to wait in any lift lines (during Sundance, that is).
Travel tips for the best skiing in Park City, Utah
- For an uncrowded skiing experience, go midweek and avoid holidays. We usually go in January, the week before the Martin Luther King holiday, or at the beginning of February.
- Purchase lift tickets online before you go – they are less expensive when purchased early in the fall.
- Pick up groceries at one of the grocery stores in town. The few things we bought (eggs, milk, cheese, butter, and bread) were obscenely expensive at the little market in the Park City Mountain Village.
- Make dinner reservations in town before you leave home, especially during the Sundance Film Festival. The restaurants were packed with all the Sundance film goers, and getting a walk-in table was a challenge.
- Book accommodations before October so that you have a better selection for the (slightly) less expensive options near the mountain.
- We usually rent a car, but you could probably get away without renting a car and just getting a shuttle to and from the airport. It was an easy walk into the center of town from our condo. I would not recommend driving into town-the streets were clogged with traffic and film festival goers.
We both enjoy our trips to Park City very much. For my husband, it’s become one of his top three favorite skiing destinations in North America (along with Whistler and Beaver Creek). As for me, I enjoyed the downtime with views of the snow-covered mountains.
Thanks for visiting.
Rose
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