As an avid Hallmark Christmas movie lover, I knew we had to take a day trip to Park City, Utah while we were in Salt Lake City in December!
We were going to take an Uber, but thankfully one of my local friends offered to drive us instead, which definitely made visiting Park City easier.
But no matter how you get there, it is worth a visit! Home to world class skiing, the 2002 (and future 2034!) Winter Olympics, the famous Sundance Film Festival (until 2027), and an adorable downtown filled with shops, restaurants and museums, there is so much to see and do here!
So let me give you all the information you need, so that you too can plan a day trip (or a longer trip!) to Park City from Salt Lake City.
Year visited: 2024
Time of year: December
What’s in this Article:
- About Park City, Utah
- How to Get to Park City
- How to Get Around
- Things to Do
- Places to Eat
- Christmas in Park City
- What to Watch
About Park City, Utah
Park City is just a 30 minute drive from Salt Lake City, Utah. It’s a small town with a population of about 8,400.
It began as a mining town in the 1860s, when soldiers discovered silver in the mountains. The town boomed for a while, but declining mineral prices turned Park City into a ghost town until 1938. That was when some businessmen had the idea to turn an old mine tram into Utah’s first chairlift! The town boomed once again as an elite ski destination.
What is Park City Known For:
- Skiing: Park City is home to several ski resorts, and is one of the best places to ski in the US. Utah claims it has the “greatest snow on earth,” and for sciencey reasons that I don’t care to figure out… the snow there really is ideal for skiing!
- Winter Olympics: Much of the 2002 Winter Olympics took place in Park City, Utah. You can tour the Olympic Park to see the museum and ride the bobsled track. They are also busy planning the 2034 Winter Olympics.
- Sundance Film Festival: The popular film festival has been taking place in Park City since 1981. Except… they have finally outgrown the small town, so the festival will be moving to Boulder, Colorado, starting in 2027.
- Movie Filming Locations: A lot of movies film in Utah, including in picturesque Park City. It is a popular spot for Christmas movies.
Best Time of Year to Visit
December is one of the best times to visit Park City, Utah! There are holiday decorations and activities, plus ski season is in full swing.
January is a good month for skiing, and is also the Sundance Film Festival (until 2027). But it will also be crowded. If your main reason for visiting is skiing, February is the best month.
But Park City is a year round destination, and is a great place to go hiking in the summer! So really, there is no bad time to come.
How to Get to Park City
It is a stunning 30 minute drive through to mountains to visit Park City from Salt Lake City. There are several different ways to get there.
- Pro Tip: If you are prone to motion sickness, you might want to ride up front, or bring some Dramamine.
Drive Yourself
I think the best way to get to Park City is to drive yourself; especially if you’re just coming on a day trip to Park City, having your own car can maximize your time. You can pick up a rental car at the airport, or in the city, if you were spending a few days in Salt Lake City first.
It’s the easiest way to get around to different attractions in Park City, plus other places like the Great Salt Lake or one of Utah’s national parks. Plus ride share services can be pricey!
Shuttle from the Airport
You can get a shuttle directly from Salt Lake City Airport to Park City. This is the easiest way, if you aren’t planning to visit the city at all.
There are multiple companies that offer shuttles to Park City from the airport, so be sure to do some research to see which is best for you. If you are staying at a hotel in Park City, some hotels do offer free airport shuttles.
Bus from Salt Lake City
If you don’t want to drive, you can get a bus from downtown Salt Lake City to Kimball Junction in Park City, which is about a 15 minute drive from downtown Park City (and close to the Utah Olympic Park). You can get another bus from there around to all the area attractions.
Use a Ride Share Service
Our original plan was to take an Uber to Park City, but thankfully our local friend was able to drive us up (and around!) for the day instead. In Decemeber 2024 it cost about $50 one way for an Uber to Park City, and then you still will have to walk or ride the bus to all the sights, so it is not the best option.
How to Get Around Park City
While downtown Park City is a cute little town area that’s easily walkable, not everything is within walking distance. You will either need a car or to use the free trolley service to get around to the Utah Olympic Park and the ski resorts.
Drive Yourself
The best way to get around Park City is to drive yourself. That way you don’t have to wait for the bus, and you can maximize your time. We drove with my local friend for our Park City day trip.
- Good to Know: There is street parking, and also quite a few public parking lots available. We parked behind 5th St. and Swede Alley. There is a kiosk to pay for parking, but it was free before 5 pm on Sundays (when we visited)!
Take the Free Shuttle
It is possible to get around Park City using public transportation. There are several different bus routes that go through downtown, to the ski resorts, and other points of interest, including Kimball Junction (where you get a bus to SLC).
This rider’s guide shows all the routes that go around Park City. The shuttles are free to use!
Things to Do on a Day Trip to Park City
Park City has no lack of things to do. But be aware that things are spread out.
We never made it to any of the ski resorts, because after exploring downtown, we went to Utah Olympic Park. I didn’t realize that the ski resorts would be back the opposite direction, while the Olympic Park was on the way to Salt Lake City, so it didn’t make sense for us to drive back through Park City to the ski resorts, and then back again to SLC.
I tell you this so that you can learn from my mistakes and plan out your day trip better than I did!
Map of things to do in Park City:
Shop Downtown
The first thing to do on a day trip to Park City is to walk around the cute downtown area and explore all the local shops. There is a large variety of boutiques, from fancy art galleries, to bookstore/coffee shops, to a store dedicated just to socks!
- Good to Know: It is good to be aware that Park City is not for the frugal. It is a tourist destination, so expect to pay “tourist prices” on most things.
The Egyptian Theater
Opened in 1926 (on Christmas day!), the Egyptian Theater is a landmark in downtown Park City, and a fun place to spend a few hours during your visit. They have comedy shows, touring bands, and classic theater performances, not to mention the ever popular Christmas sing-along.
Most showtimes will be in the evening, but you can sometimes find afternoon matinees as well.
Park City Museum
It’s so easy to visit the Park City Museum, because it’s right on Main Street! They have unique exhibits from Park City’s past as a mining town, through its transition to a world famous ski destination.
- Pro Tip: The museum keeps the galleries cold, to help preserve the historic artifacts, so it’s a good idea to wear a coat or sweater inside.
Enjoy a Coffee Shop
There are a lot of coffee shops in the Park City area (I guess skiing requires a lot of caffeine…). Which is great for me, because my ideal vacation is sitting in a coffee shop (that’s also a bookstore) in a cute small town, eating pastries (and not skiing).
We visited Atticus Coffee & Tea (which is also a bookstore!), but there are many other coffee shops to visit. Especially if you want a reason to pop in one of the ski resorts (but you don’t ski…).
Here are a couple options:
Visit a Ski Resort
You probably want to stay longer for an epic skiing a trip (I don’t ski… so I don’t know if you have to plan your whole trip around skiing, or if it’s cool to just take a skiing day trip…?)
Anyway, there are lots of ski resorts to visit in the Park City area, and you can visit even if you don’t ski! As you can see below, you could ride a scenic gondola or visit one of their many eating establishments (and maybe spot some movie filming locations while you’re there). You could also visit their spa or spend lots of money on high-end winter gear in their shops.
Here are the main Park City Ski Resorts:
Ride a Scenic Gondola
If you aren’t into skiing (or just don’t want to get all snowy on a day trip), you can ride a scenic gondola for epic mountain views over Utah.
- Red Pine Gondola– Between Canyons Village and Park City Mountain’s Red Pine Lodge, you can ride this scenic gondola in the winter, and walk over to Red Pine Lodge for lunch, if you want.
- Summer Scenic Gondolas– There are plenty of gondola rides available in the summertime (including Red Pine Gondola) for epic mountain views!
- Fun Fact: Park City Mountain Resort is a sister resort of Stowe Mountain Resort in Stowe, VT. Read about my ride on the Stowe Gondola.
See Movie Filming Locations
Utah is a popular place for filming movies! Check out my “What to Watch” section of my Salt Lake City guide for a full list of Utah movies.
But specifically for Park City, think romantic Christmas movies. Netflix’s Falling for Christmas was filmed at both Deer Valley and Stein Eriksen Lodge. Deer Valley was also a filming location for Dumb and Dumber, which I have never seen… but there’s that.
Utah Olympic Park
There is a lot to do at Utah Olympic Park! You definitely have to stop here on your visit.
Utah Olympic Park is located at the top of a hill (7300 feet above sea level!). The views are spectacular from up here! Enter the Joe Quinney Winter Sports Center to visit the gift shop, find photo ops, and tour the free museums. You can also book a paid guided tour if you want.
Outside, you’ll see the ski jump area and the bobsled track. You can walk up to the track (depending on how much uphill walking you want to do…) to watch skiers and bobsledders. You can also pay (a lot!) to take a ride on the bobsled track yourself!
Go Hiking or Mountain Biking
Park City has some of the best hiking and mountain biking trails around! Here are some suggestions from my local friend:
Where to Eat in Park City, Utah
We had so many great meals while we were in Utah! On our day trip to Park City, we ate at Don Gallo, which was delicious, but there are lots of other places to eat.
Here are some suggestions:
Restaurants in Downtown Park City:
- Don Gallo– Delicious Mexican restaurant where we ate.
- Five5eeds– Highly recommended brunch place.
- Atticus Coffee & Tea Company– A bookstore in a coffee shop!! We stopped here for warm drinks, but you can also get breakfast or lunch.
Honestly, just walk up and down main street and follow your nose (that’s what we did!). There are lots of great options.
Other Places to Eat in Park City:
- Red Pine Lodge- A fun thing to do in Park City is take the scenic gondola ride at Park City Mountain Resort, and then walk over to Red Pine Lodge for lunch.
- Stein Alepenglobes– If you’re willing to cough up the money (maybe if you can split with a group!), booking an igloo with a view is a super unique Park City dining experience at the Stein Eriksen Lodge.
- There are lots of other options available at Stein Eriksen Lodge, if you just want to stop and visit but not ski. The cheapest option would be coffee and pastries at First Tracks Kaffe.
Christmas in Park City, Utah
December is the best time to visit Park City, Utah! It is a real life Hallmark Christmas town, with magical decorations and actual filming locations!
Here are some things you can do if you visit Park City for Christmas:
- Attend the annual Tree Lighting Ceremony
- Check out the downtown Snow Globe Stroll
- Sing Christmas carols at the Egyptian Theater
- Watch Santa ski down the mountain
- Take a magical sleigh ride
- See the Christmas Eve Torchlight Parade
- Visit filming locations from Falling for Christmas
- Add a visit to Utah’s Ice Castles!
What to Watch Before Visiting Park City
As I said above, there are a lot of movies filmed all over Utah! Here are a few that I think are Park City specific:
Falling for Christmas
I’ve mentioned this movie a few times. It is honestly one of my favorite Christmas movies (although my husband thinks it’s cheesy! Psh!).
The Lindsay Lohan movie was filmed mainly at Deer Valley Resort and Stein Eriksen Lodge.
Dumb and Dumber
Like Falling for Christmas, Dumb and Dumber was also filmed at Deer Valley Resort. Unlike Falling for Christmas, however, I have not seen Dumb and Dumber! But if that’s your thing, you should watch it before you visit Park City!
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
This is one of the original movies filmed in Utah, and it is the movie from which Park City’s Sundance Film Festival gets its name (although, as mentioned above, the festival will be moving to Colorado in 2027). Still watch it before you visit though!
High School Musical
Ok, so High School Musical doesn’t exactly take place in Park City. But… the original movie opens up at a ski resort (which you could totally imagine to be in Park City!), and then the movie moves to… wait for it… East High School in Salt Lake City!
So if you’re in the SLC area, you might as well watch the first HSM movie, because you get ski resort vibes, and you can visit the actual filming location. And, bonus, if you watch the spin off series (High School Musical, the Musical, the Series), you will hear Park City mentioned as a destination on several occasions.
As you can see, Park City is a worthwhile destination, whether for a day trip from Salt Lake City, a weekend, or (if you’re into that sort of thing), a whole week of skiing!
Any more questions?
If you have any questions about planning a day trip to Park City, or any other ideas you want to share, feel free to email me or comment below.
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Julia is a travel blogger with a Bachelor’s Degree in photography from Indiana Wesleyan University. She worked as a professional photo-retoucher for seven and a half years, before leaving the company to work in the travel industry. She now works at a historic 1800’s hotel. When she’s not working, she’s reading fantasy novels or classic literature, and planning trips to magical destinations.
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