If you have an appreciation for nature’s natural beauty, you must add Utah to your travel list. This beautiful state has so much to offer! The first time I got a taste of the snowy mountains was when I visited Colorado for the first time in January 2015. After leaving Colorado, I felt like I belonged there. The truth is, nature has me wrapped around its beauty and Utah did not disappoint in this department. Let’s jump into the highlights!
Park City Mountain (Park City, UT)
One of the most popular things to do at Park City Mountain during the winter months (November – April) is to go skiing or snowboarding. This past January, I tried snowboarding for the first time, and let me tell ya’, it was quite the experience. I thought I was going to master the sport on our first day but I was completely wrong. After many failed attempts, on our last hour on the mountain, I finally got the gist. It is now only a matter of time before I find out how much of it actually stuck, haha! If you are curious about the sport, I highly encourage you to try it at least once. Begin by renting the required equipment at REI, an outdoors store with all the goods, then decide if it’s for you. With over 300 trails and 7,300 acres to choose from, Park City Mountain has a special place for everyone. (Yes, including the person who prefers to sit by the fire, sip on their favorite drink, and watch the action.) To learn more about lift passes, season passes, etc., you can click here.
If you decide to visit in the spring/summer, then you are also in for a real treat! We had an absolute blast exploring Park City Mountain’s Adventure Park. The adventure pass is where it’s at! The adventure pass allows you to explore the activities located at Park City Mountain Village and Canyons Village. I’ll link the website with additional details here. Also, if you purchase the pass in advance, you’ll get a 10% discount.
Deer Valley Resort (Park City, UT)
Honestly, you cannot go wrong with staying at any of the lodges surrounding Park City. I think they will all take your breath away because everything is pretty much surrounded by tall beautiful aspen trees and big mountains. I am not kidding when I say I witnessed some of the most prettiest sunrises in this state! Deer Valley Resort is the perfect place to lodge at if you prefer to ski only, not snowboard. This resort has it all and you don’t have to leave once you arrive. You can do everything from skiing, to hiking, biking, horseback riding, or taking a ride on the chairlift. The activity doesn’t matter as long as you are having fun and taking in the scenic views. Seriously – eat. pray. love. That is all.
Montage Deer Valley (Park City, UT)
We didn’t stay at this sophisticated and elegant resort, but let me tell you, we definitely crashed it. Ok ok, not really, but we did have dinner at Burgers & Bourbon and hung out for a while. After dinner, I checked out the patio area of the restaurant only to discover impressive views of layered aspen trees. I was mesmerized. Right before sunset, we went upstairs to the balcony/terrace area, and once again, found myself in awe of Utah’s beauty. God created beautiful things on this earth and this is a view everyone must see. If you decide to visit (or stay at) Montage Deer Valley, I highly encourage you to eat a burger (I had the veggie one and it was bomb) at Burgers & Bourbon, go up to the terrace area and witness the sunset, then head back inside for a cocktail and lounge by the chimney.
Main Street (Park City, UT)
Once you book your trip to Utah, check out this website for events happening on Main Street. Catch a glimpse of some of the local shops and art galleries under the Utah highlight on my IG profile. This is definitely the place to satisfy your shopping desires.
Foodie Lovers
There are many places to choose from to après ski after hitting the slopes. For an entire list of dining options at Park City, click here. Below is a quick list of the restaurants we visited at Park City and Salt Lake City.
Tekila Mexican Grill & Cantina: We came here for the molcajete and it didn’t disappoint.
The Eating Establishment: For spring/summer, this is the cutest little patio to enjoy a meat and cheese board paired with the wine of your choice. The next time we visit, I’ll be stopping by for their breakfast! Peep their IG account, I am drooling from looking at their photos!
Legends Bar & Grill: Order the patio punch for a refreshing cocktail, I really enjoyed the ambience of this place.
Red Iguana: Love authentic Mexican food? This is it; you must try their mole. They have many mole sauces to choose from, but if you request a sample of each one, they’ll gladly help you.
Provisions: I cannot stress this enough, go for the small plates on an empty stomach. The small plates were the way to go because we had a taste of almost every item on the menu and everything was delicious. And the cocktails? Go with the lavender bliss.
Blue Plate Diner: I was so happy we stopped for breakfast before taking off for our flight – had we known our flight would be delayed we would’ve taken our sweet time. On top of the lovely retro vibes, our waiter was amazing! He helped us determine which plates to get and glad we listened. This restaurant is known to have plenty of vegetarian options.
I am going to share additional photos from Utah and add them to the Utah highlight on my IG profile. If you decide to visit Utah sometime in the future, please do not hesitate to reach out and ask questions. I will gladly help plan your trip!
