Park City & the Wasatch Back

On the eastern side of the Wasatch Range, Park City is Utah's best-known mountain town, a former silver-mining camp turned year-round resort, with the farmland and reservoirs of the Heber Valley to the south.

Park City lies about 35 minutes east of Salt Lake City over Parleys Summit. It grew up as a silver-mining town in the late nineteenth century, and its steep Historic Main Street, lined with restored storefronts, galleries and restaurants, is the centre of town life in both winter and summer. Two large ski areas sit on the edge of town: Park City Mountain, which links the former Canyons resort to the old town base, and Deer Valley, known for its groomed runs and upscale lodges. The Utah Olympic Park, built for the 2002 Winter Olympics, still trains ski jumpers and bobsledders and has a museum, summer zip lines and an alpine slide open to visitors. In summer the area turns to mountain biking and hiking on hundreds of miles of trails, with chairlifts running for bikers and sightseers. South of Park City, the Heber Valley is quieter and more rural. Heber City is the base for the Heber Valley Railroad, a heritage line running through Provo Canyon, and nearby Midway is known for its Swiss-style buildings and the Homestead Crater, a geothermal spring inside a limestone dome where visitors can swim and scuba dive year-round. Jordanelle and Deer Creek reservoirs and Wasatch Mountain State Park add boating, golf and camping close to town.