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Park City is like a snow-covered playground for the whole family. Picture this: you clip into your skis, hop on the lift, and ride up to the ridge, and then you’re like, “Oh hey, best snow on Earth, I’m coming for ya!”
Families looking for a high-altitude winter vacation that’s part extreme sports and part family-friendly fun, can look no further than a snow-capped vacation in Park City, Utah. Home to the Sundance Film Festival and the 2002 (and now 2034) Winter Olympic Games, this quintessential ski town knows all about being a good host to visitors during the winter season!
You don’t have to love bombing down mountains on a pair of sticks to love this ski town. Park City in winter is also a great place without all the vert. Non-skiing activities like snow tubing, ice skating, and snowshoeing are just as majestic and worth the family trip! Historic Main Street is filled with boutique shops and eateries. Art Galleries and the Kimball Arts Center display local, national, and international exhibits and hold classes for visitors.
Outdoor activities are where it’s at in Park City, from carving turns on corduroy runs to cruising down the tubing hill; Park City in winter promises a magical experience for kids and adults. Here are 8 not-to-miss family activities during your visit, plus some bonus fun!
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Hit the Slopes: Skiing
Park City boasts world-class skiing at the largest ski resort in the United States and luxury hotels, like St. Regis Deer Valley, with easy access to Deer Valley Resort, surrounding ski areas, and downtown.
Park City Mountain Resort offers guests every convenience to make a ski day effortless. The Mountain Village is set up to make the logistics of skiing with young kids an absolute dream, and every adult and teen ski vacation stress-free and, dare we say, FUN! All around the plaza, families will find ticket windows for lift tickets and ski lessons, rental shops for skis, boots, and boards, restaurants, corner markets, shops, and even an outdoor ski lawn to sit and spectate. Skiing is one of those sports where even falling flat on your face is part of the fun and definitely makes the best stories around the fire.
Nothing beats skiing at Park City Mountain Resort. Weave through trees, or catch air at this snowy playground.
Find the Yeti: Snowshoeing
Get ready to strap on those snowshoes and trek through the winter wonderland of Park City. Not only is it a great workout, it’s also fun even for the littlest of trekkers and an easy and economical winter sport to get into. You can rent a snowshoe set up (with trekking poles) for as low as $18 a day from local retailers, like White Pine Touring, then set out with your crew to the trails at Round Valley. If you don’t want to do the planning, no worries. Multiple outfitters offer snowshoe tours with guides through the many routes maintained by the Mountain Trails Foundation.
There are also family-friendly excursions across the local wetlands with the Swaner Preserve & EcoCenter. While you’re out, catch snowflakes on your tongue like a true winter warrior. Just try not to accidentally eat yellow snow–that’s a rookie mistake.
Take a Twirl: Ice Skating
No ski town would be complete without ice skating options. Whether you’re gracefully gliding across the ice or clutching onto the rink’s edge for dear life, it’s a surefire way to create hilarious family memories. For a unique experience, check out the cozy Resort Center Ice Rink in the middle of Park City Mountain’s base area. While small, this outdoor oval is bustling with fun. Outfitted with lights for night skating, big speakers, music, and hot chocolate for sale—because, let’s face it, winter sports are just an excuse to drink copious amounts of hot cocoa, great times and unforgettable memories are waiting to be had. All-day admission includes complimentary skate walkers for beginners… hint, hint.
The Resort rink is the only outdoor ice skating rink in town, glide or wobble your way to a good time.
Over the River and Through the Woods: Sleigh Rides
Now, for the pièce de résistance – horse-drawn sleigh rides! Take your family on a magical journey through the wintry wonderland of Park City. Just be prepared for some serious “Jingle Bells” singalongs and maybe a rogue snowball fight—because why not?
You could hardly ask for a more “Hallmark Moment” than sliding into the sleigh, bundled up in blankets, and gliding across the snow. Whether you’re looking for a one-horse open sleigh or one large enough to accommodate the entire family, local sleighing companies have your back. This is just one of those unique activities you really can’t get back in the city.
After the lifts close for the day at Park City Mountain Resort, the sleighs come out! Local companies, like Snowed Inn Sleigh Company, offer horse-drawn sleigh rides up the snowy slopes. Plan a day trip for $20 per person, where your group simply rides up and down the mountain (a 30-minute excursion), or for about $100 for adults and $65 for kids, you can book a sleigh ride plus a western-style meal next to the fire at the Snowed Inn Lodge. It doesn’t get much closer to living in a snow globe than this!
Dashing through the snow on a sleigh ride is an unforgettable Park City adventure.
Lead the Pack: Dog Sledding
But wait, there’s more! How about some dog sledding? That’s right, you can zip along snowy trails pulled by a team of champion dogs. Just be sure to wear your warmest, most fashionable cold-weather gear – because nobody wants frozen snot on their face. Trust me, I speak from experience.
Plan an epic winter experience and book a trip to Rancho Luna Lobos. You’ll not only be zipping along the snowy trails pulled by a world-championship team of dogs, you’ll also get to meet the dogs.
You heard that right, Park City is home to Team USA Dogs – these furry athletes recently competed in France. You will have the chance to tour the Ranch, which is a rescue and rehabilitation facility for the four-legged variety, and learn about the art of dog sledding from the sleigh handler, a.k.a. musher. This is a perfect activity, especially for families with younger kids (ages 3+), and we guarantee you’ll leave with a wet dog kiss on your cheek and a smile on your face. Warm, insulated cold-weather clothing and face protection are advised. Trust me, snot everywhere = bad.
Whoosh and Ride: Snow Tubing
You have the chance to relive those childhood days sans the exhausting trudge uphill when you hit up local tubing areas like those at Woodward Park City. Woodward does it right. Glide down and be towed back up to the top, thanks to the magic of tow ropes. Woodward offers lower hills and wider tubing lanes for younger children and longer, higher hills for older kids and adventurous adults. Tubing (offered day and night) is one of the biggest draws to this sports park, but you can also take advantage of the lift-service ski and snowboard terrain or indoor activities.
There are several tubing hills at Woodward. It’s totally tubular!
Woodward’s terrain and park area mean your kids will safely learn how to extreme ski, starting from beginners on the magic carpet to soaring high and poppin’ off through the halfpipe. Inside their Action Sports Hub, you’ll find trampolines, a skate park, a parkour area, and ramps for kids to play on—just book time in advance.
Live a Fairytale: Ice Castles
The Ice Castles is a magical, straight-out-of-Frozen experience in nearby Midway and will be one that the kids remember. Located near the Soldier Hollow Nordic Center, this award-winning frozen attraction is built by professional ice artists who place hundreds of thousands of icicles by hand.
Walk through a frozen paradise with igloo-like crawl spaces, ice caverns illuminated with color-changing lights, and ice-carved slides. Ice sculptures and colorful icicle installations are also on display throughout the castles. Plus, more sleigh rides and entertainment for adults and kids alike! Just be sure to book your tickets in advance – because nobody wants to be left out in the cold.
Slide on a Sled: Bobsledding
The Utah Olympic Park has the bobsled track from the 2002 Winter Olympics, which is still in use by athletes for training and by guests like you! If you’re feeling the need for some serious G’s and want to know how it feels to be a part of Team USA Bobsled, hop in the chute and take a bobsled ride at the park.
DON’T MISS: More Than the Slopes: A Visitor’s Guide to Salt Lake City in Winter
Off Mountain Fun
When not on the slopes, courses, or terrain parks, Park City winters have plenty to offer families of all ages. Check out museums, like the Alf Engen Ski Museum at the Utah Olympic Park, which gives visitors the cool history of skiing in the Wasatch Mountains. Or, pop into the Park City Museum on Main Street and learn about Park City’s rich mining history and how it re-invented itself as a popular ski destination. There are tons of things to do in Park City, Utah!
Shopping on Main Street is always a delight. Check out Dolly’s Bookstore, for a lot more than just books, resident cats stroll with you through the shop or hop on your lap in one of the wing back chairs, and it’s connected to Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. Books, cats, chocolate and kind cashiers…need I say more?
Whether skiing, snowshoeing, snowman building, or hot cocoa sipping, your entire family of adventurers will have plenty of snow and ice time to test the extremes of your abilities and capacities for unbridled fun in Park City.
When You Go
How to Get To Park City From LA
Spirit, Delta, and Southwest have non-stop flights from LAX to Salt Lake City International Airport. Flight time is just under two hours. Park City is a short 35-minute drive from the airport. From the airport, take a rideshare, a shuttle, or a private transfer to Park City. If you prefer to rent a car, you can do that right at the airport. Park City is accessible via Interstate 80.
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Where to Stay Near Park City
Hotel Park City is tucked into the beautiful Wasatch Mountains with proximity to downtown and Park City Mountain Resort. This hotel is a luxurious place to stay that offers beautiful rooms, hot tubs, spa services, and exceptional cuisine at the Ruth Chris Steakhouse, surrounded by stunning mountain views.
Another great lodging option is Peaks Park City. This hotel brings an at-home vibe to family vacation. All the rooms have a spacious, modern mountain aesthetic. Peaks is the perfect base camp for your adventures, with a bus stop right outside the front lobby and free transportation to anywhere around Park City.
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