Silver Lake, Deer Valley
Stein Eriksen Lodge Deer Valley
Mid-mountain lodge founded by an Olympic champion
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A little local perspective
Worth knowing.
Worth going.
- Destination
- Park City and Deer Valley, Utah, USA
- The selection
- 11 hotels
- Your kind of trip
- skiing · families · film · summer
$$$ to $$$$ — roughly $500-2,000 a night, quadrupling during Sundance
For ten days every January, Park City stops being a ski town. The Sundance Film Festival takes over Main Street, the population multiplies, restaurants stop taking normal reservations, shuttle traffic clogs the canyon road, and hotel rates go to three or four times what they are the week before or the week after.
If you are going for the festival, that is the price and you book a year ahead. If you are going to ski, those are the ten days to avoid, and almost nobody checks the dates before they book.
The three bases
Park City has two ski areas and they are not the same experience.
Deer Valley is skiers-only — no snowboarders, by long-standing policy — with groomed runs, a capped daily ticket count and the most expensive lodging in Utah. It is quiet, immaculate and deliberately exclusive.
Park City Mountain, which absorbed the neighbouring Canyons, is the largest ski area in the United States by acreage, open to everyone, busier and more varied.
Old Town, along Main Street, is the historic mining town between them: bars, restaurants, galleries and a funicular up to the Town Lift. It is where the life is and where Sundance happens.
The eleven below are grouped that way.
Deer Valley
Skiers only, groomed, and the most comfortable rooms in the state.
Stein Eriksen Lodge Deer Valley sits mid-mountain in a Norwegian-style lodge founded by an Olympic champion, with ski-in ski-out access, a large spa and a wine list of real depth. It has set the standard here since 1982.
Montage Deer Valley occupies a slope-side site with an art collection, a spa and the most contemporary luxury in Deer Valley. It is the best hotel in Utah.
The St. Regis Deer Valley sits at the base with a funicular carrying guests up to the property and the lifts, and the largest suites in the resort.
Goldener Hirsch, Auberge Resorts Collection occupies a small Austrian-style building at Silver Lake, mid-mountain, with ski-in access and a fraction of the room count of its neighbours.
Park City Mountain and Canyons Village
The larger ski area, more varied terrain, and lower rates.
Waldorf Astoria Park City sits at Canyons Village with ski-in ski-out access, a large spa and the most complete facilities of the group. It is the family answer here.
Pendry Park City occupies a position at the Canyons base with a rooftop pool, a good restaurant and a design-led interior.
Grand Summit Hotel sits at the Canyons Village base with reliable rooms, a pool and direct lift access at a lower rate.
Old Town and Main Street
The historic mining town. Bars, restaurants and the Town Lift, and the centre of Sundance.
Washington School House Hotel occupies an 1889 schoolhouse a block above Main Street with twelve rooms, a hot tub cut into the hillside and the most personal service in town.
Hyatt Centric Park City sits at the foot of Main Street with a spa, an outdoor pool and the shortest walk to the restaurants and the Town Lift.
Hotel Park City, Autograph Collection occupies a site a few minutes from Main Street with a pool, straightforward rooms and the best value in town.
Outside the valley
Blue Sky, Auberge Resorts Collection occupies a 1,400-hectare ranch at Wanship, half an hour north, with an equestrian programme, a distillery on site and no ski lift at all. It is the summer answer and a genuine escape in winter.
What we have left off
The condominium and vacation rentals across Park City are excluded, and in Sundance week they are how most attendees actually stay. They are apartments and houses rather than hotels.
What to do
Check the Sundance dates before fixing anything. Late January, ten days, and the whole valley changes.
Ski both mountains if you can. Deer Valley for grooming and quiet, Park City for terrain and the Town Lift back into Main Street at the end of the day.
In summer this is a mountain-biking town with lift-served trails, and the rates fall by more than half. The Utah Olympic Park runs bobsleigh rides on the 2002 track.
Walk Main Street, which is a preserved nineteenth-century mining street rather than a reconstruction, and eat there rather than at the resort bases.
Salt Lake City is 35 minutes away, which makes this the most accessible major ski destination in America.
Practical notes
Salt Lake City airport is 35 to 45 minutes by road, and the canyon route can slow in storms.
The season runs late November to early April. Christmas, Presidents' weekend and Sundance are the three peaks. January outside Sundance and early December are the quiet weeks.
Park City sits at 2,100 metres and the ski terrain goes above 3,000. Take the first day gently.
Explore 4 & 5 Star Park City and Deer Valley Hotels
Prices shown are sample rates from upcoming dates — not quotes for specific dates. Open a hotel and choose your own dates and guests to see the exact price.
Questions people actually ask
Deer Valley or Park City Mountain?
Deer Valley for grooming, service and no snowboarders. Park City for size, variety and lower prices. Many people ski both.
Should you avoid Sundance?
If you are here to ski, yes. Rates triple and the town is at capacity.
Is Park City good in summer?
Very, and it is half the price. Mountain biking, hiking and the Olympic Park.
How many nights?
Five for skiing. Three is enough in summer.
If you only book one
Search 4 and 5 star hotels in Park City and Deer Valley, Utah, USA
