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Park City

Utah, USA · North America · northern hemisphere

SkiingHikingFestivals & Events

Park City is at its best for hiking in June to September. Good but not prime in May and October. Crowds peak in January and bottom out in May.

JFMAMJJASOND
Skiing
90
90
90
49
15
14
14
14
14
14
35
67
Hiking
12
16
17
42
62
91
89
90
91
72
15
12
Festivals & Events
90
17
15
11
13
42
68
66
42
20
8
21
Crowds

Swipe the table sideways for the rest of the year.

primegoodpossibleoff-seasoncrowds, on this place’s own scale

The short version

Thirty-five minutes from Salt Lake City airport, which makes it the easiest major ski destination in America to reach — and its Januarys are its own again, with Sundance gone to Boulder after a final Park City edition

What the walking is like

Gentle mountain trails with lift access, at altitude. No guide needed.

When not to come

Nothing festival-related any more — Sundance has moved to Boulder, so January here is an ordinary ski month.

Busiest

Presidents Day week and Christmas — Sundance has left Park City for Colorado, so January is no longer a festival peak

With children

Very easy by ski-resort standards — short airport transfer, a walkable Main Street and gentle terrain at both resorts. The altitude (2,100m in town) still needs a day.

Where to stay

Old Town Park City is walkable and priced for it. Kimball Junction is ten minutes out for much less, and Salt Lake City is 35 minutes away — a genuine option if you do not mind the drive.

What can go wrong

Avalanche risk

Mostly a backcountry concern; the resorts themselves are heavily controlled.

Kept out of the score on purpose. Averaging a rare catastrophe into a monthly number would tell you something false; the warning is the honest form.

Dates that matter

  • Park Silly Sunday Market (early and late summer Sundays)
  • Aspen turn in the Wasatch (late Sep)

Walks

  • Mid Mountain Trail — a near-level traverse across the resort, mostly in aspens
  • Bloods Lake and Lackawaxen — alpine lakes from Guardsman Pass, whose road is shut Nov until May or June
  • Historic Union Pacific Rail Trail — 48km straight out of town, downhill out and a steady climb back

The lift-served mountain biking is arguably the bigger summer draw here. Afternoon thunderstorms build over the Wasatch in July and August, and the aspens turn in late September.

Crowds, month by month

10085475030444646253262

0 is this destination’s own quietest month and 100 its busiest. The scale never compares one destination to another. Source: Wikipedia — Park City, Utah

See everything else at its best in Jun

Elsewhere in North America

Napa & SonomaFinger LakesBig Sur & MontereyOlympic National ParkKenai FjordsLake TahoeWhistler BlackcombChurchill