Things to Do in Park City, Utah: The Complete Guide

Finding things to do in Park City, Utah couldn’t be easier. Historic Main Street sits right at the base of the mountain, lined with restaurants, art galleries, and boutique shops. Town Lift connects Main Street directly with Park City Mountain.

Park City is built around the mountain with your convenience in mind, and it invites you to explore on foot. Beneath the boutiques and the Olympic legacy lies a historic mining town that boomed in the silver days, went quiet for a time, then came roaring back to life as a modern ski town.

And that is just the beginning. Our team of local guides put together this guide to help you discover the best things to do in Park City, a town known for its winter sports, but home to so much more.

If you don’t ski, you’ll be glad to know that Park City has plenty to do off the slopes, including great activities for kids and anyone who would rather shop and dine than hit the slopes. Here are a few favorites from our InvitedHome local guides:

1. Ride Town Lift from Historic Main Street up to Park City Mountain, take in the down from above and enjoy one of only downtowns in the country with direct access to the slopes.
2. Walk Main Street’s Historic district, featuring more than 75 restored buildings and homes from Park City’s silver-mining era, now listed on the National Historic Register.
3. Ride the Olympic bobsled track at Utah Olympic Park, the venue from the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. open to visitors year-round.
4. Discover stories about Park City’s history, from its silver-mining days to its transition to a ski-town, and its Olympic legacy at the Park City Museum on Main Street.
5. Bike or walk the Historic Union Pacific Rail Trail, a former railway bed that is now a recreation trail connecting downtown Park City to Echo Reservoir.
6. Explore the Park Silly Sunday Market for free, a summer street festival that closes Main Street to cars select Sundays from June through September and features local artists, food vendors and live music.
7. Hike or bike Mid-Mountain Trail, a 22 mile singletrack trail winding across Park City’s ridgeline, and connecting Park City’s ski resorts.
8. Catch a show at the historic Egyptian Theatre, a 1926 landmark that originally hosted vaudeville and silent films and now serves as a vibrant live performance venue.
9. Bring your snowboard. Park City Mountain welcomes riders with dedicated terrain and parks, a nice option if your group includes snowboarders, unlike skiers-only Deer Valley next door.

Town Lift rises directly from Town Lift Plaza on Historic Main Street to Park City Mountain for a true ski-in, ski-out experience. The lift passes old mining structures and provides panoramic views of both downtown Park City and the surrounding mountains.

After a morning on the slopes, ski back into town or ride the lift down if your legs need a break. There is no need for a car in Park City, and no traffic to sit in.

Deer Valley Resort sits a short drive across town. Together with Utah Olympic Park, the two resorts hosted more than 40% of the events at the 2002 Winter Olympics, a legacy Park City will revisit when Salt Lake City hosts the Games again in 2034.

Once the snow clears, Park City becomes one of the Mountain West’s premier mountain-biking towns and a welcome cool mountain escape when the summer heat settles in, with hundreds of miles of singletrack waiting to be explored.

Bike the Rail Trail and Mid-Mountain Trail: Ideal for Families

The Historic Union Pacific Rail Trail follows an old railroad grade out of town on a gentle, mostly flat path, which makes it a perfect ride for the whole family.

For singletrack, the Mid-Mountain Trail threads across the flank of Park City’s resorts at a rolling, moderate grade, linking neighborhoods and resort base areas without the steep climbs found elsewhere in the Wasatch.

Ride Like an Olympian on an Olympic Bobsled Track with a Pro Driver

Give your group a truly memorable experience with a ride on an actual Olympic bobsled track. The 2002 Winter Games bobsled track offers a Summer Bobsled Experience where you can ride the Olympic track with a professional driver at speeds up to 70 miles per hour.

Afterward, tour the park’s two museums, the Alf Engen Ski Museum and the Eccles 2002 Olympic Winter Games Museum, both free to visit, to learn more about Park City’s ski history and Olympic legacy.

Walk the Wetlands at Swaner Preserve and the Wasatch Backcountry

West of town, the Swaner Preserve and EcoCenter protects more than 1,000 acres of protected habitat, with miles of walking trails to choose from.

These easy walks are perfect when you want a slower afternoon, or a quiet counterpoint to the bustle of Main Street. Jordanelle Reservoir also offers swimming, paddling, and fishing on lazy summer afternoons.

Ski Park City’s Historic Ski Runs

Park City Mountain traces its lift-served history to 1963, when the original Treasure Mountains resort opened with a gondola, a chairlift, and two J-bars on land once owned by the town’s silver mines. Many of the current run and lift names, Payday, Bonanza, and Silverlode, among them, still trace back to that mining-era terrain. Park City’s reputation as a premier ski resort is well earned.

Winter Bobsled Experience

Head over to the Utah Olympic Park to experience the thrill of an Olympic Bobsled Experience. Professional drivers will take your group of 3 down the bobsled track from the 2002 Winter Games.

More Winter Activities in Park City for the Non-Skiers in Your Group

After you ride the bobsled and visit the Olympic museums, stop by the Park City Museum’s basement jail exhibit. It is always a hit with children, and the whole family will enjoy Main Street’s galleries and shops, which stay open for evening strolls after a day on the mountain.

September and October bring golden aspens to the Wasatch high country, cooler riding on the Mid-Mountain and Rail Trails, and a quieter Main Street between the summer market season and the first snow.

Park City’s calendar stays busy in every season. In summer, the Park Silly Sunday Market fills Main Street with local art, live music, and food vendors every Sunday from June through September. In August, the Kimball Arts Festival gathers more than 200 artist booths for one of the town’s largest art shows. Winter has its own rhythm once the ski season is underway, with a full slate of events all through February. If a festival is the reason for your trip, our guide to making the most of a mountain town festival is worth a read before you go.

Prospectors crossed the ridge from Big Cottonwood Canyon in 1868 and struck silver, and within two decades Park City’s mines, the famous Ontario Mine among them, had made it one of the largest silver-producing districts in the country.

Even after a fire tore through 200 of the town’s roughly 350 buildings in 1898, and a 1902 mine explosion killed dozens of workers, Main Street held on. Park City rebuilt in brick and stone, much of which still stands today as part of a National Register historic district.

When silver prices collapsed and the mines closed for good, Park City nearly became a ghost town. Then Treasure Mountains resort opened in 1963 and breathed new life into the old mining town. Today Park City is a sought-after mountain destination for skiers from around the world.

1. Ride the Olympic bobsled track at Utah Olympic Park with a professional driver, no experience necessary.
2. Explore the Park City Museum’s silver-mining exhibits and basement jail on Main Street.
3. Bike the flat, easy Historic Union Pacific Rail Trail as a family.
4. Wander the Park Silly Sunday Market for music, food, and street performers.
5. Explore the interactive exhibits at the Swaner Preserve and EcoCenter.

Park City’s free public transit connects Main Street, Kimball Junction, and the resorts, so you can spend a full day in town without a car. For short hops, there is also Summit Bike Share. You will only want a car if you plan to visit Jordanelle Reservoir or head out into the Wasatch Back.

Park City and Deer Valley’s ski season typically runs from late November into April. You can ride the Historic Union Pacific Rail Trail and the Mid-Mountain Trail through most of the year, with the busiest stretch from June through September, when the Park Silly Sunday Market draws summer visitors. Utah Olympic Park’s bobsled experience runs many weekends throughout the year, and Park City’s museums stay open year-round.

Park City rewards a slower, curious visit, on foot down Main Street, up the Town Lift, out on the Rail Trail, and down the Olympic track. When you are ready to plan where to stay, explore our Park City luxury vacation rentals.