The Park City Chamber of Commerce / Convention and Visitors Bureau (Chamber/Bureau) shared insight into the upcoming winter season. Two of Park City’s world-class ski resorts have announced opening dates of November 20 for Park City Mountain and December 5 for Deer Valley Resort, weather conditions permitting. The newest attraction in the Utah portfolio, Woodward Park City, offers robust recreational activities 365 days and will commence with its snow sport activities beginning November 20.
Safety remains the top priority for the community and its resorts as the COVID-19 pandemic urges thoughtful considerations to value health and wellbeing of locals and visitors. The Summit County Health Department presently has a mask mandate in place for public spaces and gatherings through January 8th, at which time the order will likely be extended. At Deer Valley Resort, an Alterra Mountain Company resort, face masks must be worn when waiting in line, interacting with Deer Valley staff, riding, loading, and unloading chairlifts and at all times indoors (unless actively eating or drinking while seated at a table). Currently, reservations are not required for skiing though the resort will continue to uphold a daily occupancy limit. Additional information can be found here.
Similarly, Park City Mountain, a Vail Resorts resort, will require face coverings to get on the mountain and in all parts of resort operations, including in lift lines and riding in lifts and gondolas. To ensure optimal social distancing protections, the resort will require guests to reserve their ski days online. Additional information is available here. At Woodward Park City, newly opened in December 2019 as the flagship property for POWDR Corp’s Woodward collection, reservations and timed sessions are implemented for their indoor and outdoor offerings to enable proper social distancing throughout the facility including the indoor Action Sports Hub and the outdoor Mountain Park. More information can be viewed here. Face masks must also be worn in accordance with Summit County health guidelines.
“Our community strives for providing the best experiences we possibly can,” says newly-appointed Chamber/Bureau President and CEO Jennifer Wesselhoff. “Joining this community amid a pandemic has shown me the resilience and creative thinking that Park City and Summit County businesses exude to care of our visitors. The resorts and lodging properties have been especially thoughtful during this time, and I know our incoming guests will be impressed by our town’s commitment to safety precautions and exceptional hospitality during this challenging time.” Even one of the town’s ski outfitters has set a goal of becoming ‘the safest ski rental delivery service in the world’ with new measures such as daily temperature checks for team members, the option for customers to choose between limited or no-touch boot fittings, and increased sanitation for all gear, shops, and delivery vans.
While skiers and snowboarders head to the slopes, guests that wish to explore Park City’s non-ski offerings have plenty of options at their fingertips. Recreational snow activities include ice skating, snow tubing, fat biking, cross-county skiing, bobsledding, fly fishing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, yoga excursions and dog sledding. Leisure to-do’s include sleigh rides, boutique shopping, distillery tastings, museum browsing, spa treatments and fine dining. In the greater region, the Homestead Crater takes reservations to soak in a 10,000 year-old geothermal hot spring, and the Midway Ice Castles will debut for the season in December.
Unique to Park City is its Olympic legacy, playing a key role in the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games, the most recent on U.S. soil. Guests can see Olympic vestiges throughout the community, with a larger dose available at Utah Olympic Park which houses two free ski and Olympic museums along with the ability to purchase a bobsled ride experience on the same track used in the Winter Games. The town’s Olympic heritage, along with other treasured aspects of Park City including its wildlife and culture, will be on artistic display this season during the Snow Globe Stroll with the temporary installation of six-foot-tall snow globes along its historic Main Street between November 28thand January 3rd.
For many guests, lodging will be one of the biggest considerations in planning travel. New this season is the grand opening of the AC Hotel Park City, a Marriott branded property; Yotel Pad, a Benchmark property; and the modern Residences expansion of the Goldener Hirsch Inn. Park City offers over 100 accommodation options including several notable properties that have earned 2021 Forbes-ranked recognition including Westgate Park City Resort and Spa, Washington School House, Waldorf Astoria Park City, St. Regis Deer Valley, Stein Eriksen Lodge, Montage Deer Valley, Chateaux Deer Valley and the Lodge at Blue Sky.
Guests arriving via air this winter will be greeted by the terminals of the country’s newest airport, Salt Lake City International, located just 25 minutes from Park City. The facility officially opened on September 15th with Delta Airlines gates and opened gates for Alaska, American, Frontier, JetBlue, Southwest and United Airlines on October 27th. The baggage claim area now has a separate belt for checked ski and snowboard luggage.
For additional information on Park City, UT and travel updates, please go to VisitParkCity.com.
