15 fun things to do in Park City, Utah

What sets Park City apart from other mountain towns? Well, it offers tons of outdoor activities in addition to the obvious skiing and snowboarding, claims to have more chefs per capita than Paris and is easily accessible – only a 35-minute drive from Utah's Salt Lake International Airport.

Whether you’re visiting in winter or summer, you’ll find tons of dining options, endless trails and a fascinating mining past to explore. From dogsled, mountain coaster and bobsled rides to whiskey tastings, scenic drives and ghost tours, here are the best things to do in Park City.

Skiers and a snowboarder cross a festively lit and decorated small city street at night. — Main Street at night. Jason Cameron/Getty Images

1. Take a stroll down historic Main Street

Park City’s Main St has maintained much of its late-20th-century silver-mining-town character, earning it a spot on the National Register of Historic Places. With dozens of boutique shops, art galleries, outdoor gear shops, restaurants and bars, Main St is a spirited gathering spot for locals and visitors. It's especially lively at the end of January, when celebrities and filmgoers flood the streets for Sundance Film Festival events.

Skiers ski down snow-covered slopes in front of a large lodge on a sunny winter day. — Deer Valley Ski Resort. David A Litman/Shutterstock

2. Ski the perfect groomers at Deer Valley

Sure, most people come to Park City to ski Utah’s famous featherlight powder, but if there’s not much snow in the forecast, don’t be too disappointed – skiing Deer Valley’s velvety runs can be just as fun. This skier-only resort limits the number of daily tickets available, practically ensuring low crowd levels. First thing in the morning, warm up on the Jordanelle, a long cruiser that softens into the perfectly groomed run.

A lighted movie theater sign at night reading "Egyptian" and "Sundance Film Festival." — Egyptian Theater during the Sundance Film Festival. PureRadiancePhoto/Shutterstock

3. Time your visit with the Sundance Film Festival

The largest independent film festival in the country, Sundance brings tens of thousands of celebrities and movie fanatics to Park City for 10 days in January. The festival includes movie screenings of national and international documentaries, features and short films, as well as Q&As with filmmakers.

Park City has hosted Sundance since 1981, after it started in Salt Lake City in 1978 as the Utah/US Film Festival. However, 2026 will be the festival's last year in Utah, as event organizers are moving Sundance to Boulder, Colorado, in January 2027.

4. Explore the haunted side of Main Street on a ghost tour

After silver prices dropped in the 1940s and before the city was reborn as a popular ski area in the 1960s, Park City became a true ghost town – and apparently a few ghosts from the town’s early mining days still linger here. Whether or not such claims are real, Park City Ghost Tours offers a fun way to learn about the area's past and to hear stories about the crazy characters who lived here during the town’s mining heyday. The 75-minute walking tours are offered nightly on Main St; book ahead and arrive about 10 minutes before the 8pm start.

A curving, two-lane road with yellow double stripe in the middle surrounded by autumnal aspen trees with bright yellow leaves on a sunny day. — Guardsman Pass aspens in the fall. salilbhatt/Shutterstock

5. Drive Guardsman Pass

This super-scenic mountain pass offers fantastic views of the Wasatch Mountains, just minutes from Park City’s Main St. It’s only open from summer to fall and best driven in mid-summer, when wildflowers take over the mountainside, or in fall, when the aspens turn a vibrant shade of gold. A winding mountain route, it connects Park City with neighboring Big Cottonwood Canyon, which is home to Brighton Resort and Solitude Mountain.

Exterior of low brick buildings on a city street. The building to the right has an awning and lettering above, both reading "Park City Museum." An SUV and pickup truck are parked out front on a sunny day. — Exterior of the Park City Museum. Dalton Gackle via Park City Museum

6. Explore local mining history at the Park City Museum

Park City is one of the few towns in Utah founded by non-Mormons: when silver was discovered in the 1860s, crowds of prospectors flocked here hoping to strike it rich. Like many old Western mining towns, it has quite the wild and rambunctious past, and one fun place to explore that history is Park City Museum, located right on Main St, featuring interactive mining exhibits, a film illustrating the town's transition to world-class ski destination and – the highlight – an old jail, which looks more like a dungeon.

Whiskey barrels with the words "High West Distillery" stacked outside in the snow. — High West Distillery, just outside of Park City, with a saloon Downtown. PureRadiancePhoto/Shutterstock

7. Sample award-winning whiskey at High West Distillery

Despite Utah’s reputation as a dry state (due to the state’s dominant religion forbidding alcohol consumption), Park City is home to an award-winning distillery. In fact, Whisky Advocate named High West its 2016 Distiller of the Year – a huge honor for any booze brand, let alone one based in Utah. You can tour the distillery about 19 miles outside of town or simply sample the goods at the Downtown saloon; just be warned that the state of Utah forbids free alcohol samples, so there's a charge for the tour's whiskey flights.

8. Bite into a huge, juicy steak at a Park City institution

A local favorite for more than 40 years, the family-friendly Grub Steak Restaurant has a stellar reputation for serious steak, seafood and game entrees, with a large rustic fireplace, Western decor and live weekend entertainment adding to the warm, casual vibe. Don’t miss the signature bread pudding, served with High West Distillery vanilla-whiskey sauce.

Aerial shot of Nordic ski center with sa curved driving road dividing two snowy areas on a sunny day. — **Left:** Aerial shot of White Pine Nordic Center and the surrounding track, featuring both classic and skate-ski options. Ross Downard via White Pine Touring **Right:** Nordic classic track at White Pine Touring Nordic Center. Ross Downard via White Pine Touring

Three people cross-country skiing on a trail in the woods. — **Left:** Aerial shot of White Pine Nordic Center and the surrounding track, featuring both classic and skate-ski options. Ross Downard via White Pine Touring **Right:** Nordic classic track at White Pine Touring Nordic Center. Ross Downard via White Pine Touring

9. Learn to cross-country ski at White Pine Touring Nordic Center

Park City may be best known for its downhill, but it's also a great place to learn how to cross-country ski. White Pine Touring Nordic Center offers affordable classic and skate-ski lessons, which include gear rentals and a ski pass. Or if you have your own gear, Round Valley's 15.5 miles of trails are free to enjoy. You can also explore the same ski trails used in the 2002 Winter Olympic Games at Soldier Hollow Nordic Center in the nearby town of Midway.

10. Try every action sport imaginable at Woodward Park City

If you’re looking for something to do with kids, Woodward Park City is an action-sports center like no other. Not only is it the perfect place for kids to learn to ski or snowboard for a fraction of the cost of the big resorts, but it also has an indoor sports center with a pump track, skate park, trampolines, parkour zone and more. Families especially love the tubing area, where a magic carpet whisks tubers up the hill.

A man rides a toboggan-style coaster down rails on a mountain, surrounded by trees on a sunny day. — Park City Mountain Resort's mountain coaster. Jack Loosmann via Park City Mountain Resort

11. Enjoy a thrilling ride on the Park City mountain coaster

In late spring, once all the snow melts, Park City Mountain Resort transforms from an epic ski resort into a fun summer-sports destination, with hiking and mountain biking trails, scenic chairlift rides and a thrilling mountain roller coaster. Kids and adults alike will enjoy a whirl in this toboggan-style coaster, which lets you control your own speed.

12. See adorable sled dog puppies at Rancho Luna Lobos

Just 15 minutes from downtown Park City, Rancho Luna Lobos is home to a family-owned sled dog team that offers dogsled adventures, mushing lessons and kennel tours. The dogsled experiences offer a thrilling ride while also teaching participants what it’s like to be a real dog musher, and they include plenty of quality time with the pups. The experiences often sell out early in the season, so if you can’t nab a reservation, opt for a kennel tour, where you can learn about dogsled racing and meet – and hopefully snuggle – the new puppies.

Aerial shot of people walking through busy market lined with tent-covered stalls on a sunny day. — Park City's open-air market. via Park Silly Sunday Market.

13. Browse local goods at the Park Silly Sunday Market

On select Sundays throughout the summer season, Park City’s historic Main St closes to vehicle traffic, welcoming a booming open-air market with eclectic local crafts, fresh fruit-and-veggie booths, food trucks and live music. There’s even a beer garden, where you can sample local brews and sip one of the market’s acclaimed Bloody Marys.

14. Cruise the smooth singletrack on the Mid Mountain Trail

The mountains surrounding Park City offer more than 400 miles of public-use trails for hiking, trail running and mountain biking. Stretching 26 miles from Deer Valley to Park City Mountain Resorts, the Mid Mountain Trail is a classic, passing through aspen forest and open meadows and offering lovely views of Park City along a ridgeline. You can find trail maps on the Mountain Trails Foundation website and information at the White Pine Touring gear shop in town.

A pool with large concrete jumps leading into it and a sign reading "Utah Olympic Park" on a sunny day. — Utah Olympic Park. Jakub Zajic/Shutterstock

15. Delve into the state's athletic legacy at Utah Olympic Park

No trip to Park City is complete without a trip to Utah Olympic Park, built for the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic Games' bobsled, skeleton, luge and ski-jumping events. The park continues to host various competitions and serves as a training center for future Olympians. Guided tours – which get up close and personal with the tops of the Nordic ski jump and bobsled tracks – are the best way to experience the park. Adventurous travelers can also book a ride in a bobsled.