Deer Valley Resort, Park City UT

Deer Valley Resort is world-renowned as one of the best places for families to ski and vacation.  Located just 30 minutes east of Salt Lake City in Park City, Utah in the stunning Wasatch Mountains. Deer Valley is a ski resort by winter and a hiking and biking haven by summer. Despite living in Jackson Hole for almost 5 years, this was my first trip to Park City and I already cannot wait to go back.  

As you may know, we at Happy Active Family have a commitment to only writing about experiences that we have enjoyed first hand.  Lucky for us, the team at Deer Valley was generous and shared complimentary lift tickets for our visit to better understand this fairy tale resort and to understand personally the wonderful access to hiking/biking trails and beautiful scenery in the range. 

Upon driving into the Snow Park Lodge lot, we were struck by the beauty of the mountains and the peace and quiet the summer brought. The mountain felt quaint upon first glance and continuously unfolded itself to us as we traveled up The Silver Lake Express lift and over the first hump past Aspen groves and wildflowers (absolutely gorgeous).

We took in the stunning scenery as we traveled up this low angle lift (perfect for those scared of heights) and were shocked as we dipped over the ledge and realized we were headed back down the other side to an entire little village mid-mountain.  As we downloaded into the oasis, the mountain bikers were zooming down from their trails (a very popular destination for biking and a great summer activity for big kids and teens). 

Perhaps one of our favorite experiences was relaxing at Silver Lake Village, which hosted a restaurant, restrooms, corn hole, lawn chairs, and lodging all resting at 8,100 feet in elevation, nearly 1,000 feet higher than our initial elevation of 7200 at the base.

From here we were instructed to take the Sterling Express Lift all the way up to the top of Bald Mountain (9400 feet in elevation), where we would find trailheads and viewpoints waiting for us! This lift was my favorite because on top of the natural beauty, we enjoyed an amazing vantage point of all of the many bike trails with speedy bikers flying by.

At the top, we walked left towards the Sultan Express lift to a viewpoint, but when we looked up and saw people on the peak above us, we backtracked and walked straight up the short path to the tippy top. Bald Mountain gave us panoramic views of Park City and the surrounding areas. The depth of the Wasatch Mountain range took our breath away, and the blue of the Jordanelle Reservoir below made us eager to hike down and take a swim.  

The best family-friendly hike option from the top of the lift is the Ontario Trail which drops you 1300 feet back down to Silver Lake Village over the course of nearly 3 miles.  There is a station near the top of the lift where you can borrow trekking poles which are highly recommended for whatever hike you choose to do.

Heading back the way we came, we started to get a little hungry, so we headed to Deer Valley Grocery Cafe for a quick snack.  We loved the outdoor seating on the deck overlooking the pond and enjoyed the lawn chairs resting in front of a tiny beach littered with digging, swimming toddlers and a Stand Up Paddle Board rental area.

Deer Valley was a highlight of our trip and we cannot wait to go back and take advantage of the many hiking, biking, and skiing options it has to offer!