Having Summer Fun in Park City

Summer is fast approaching, which means it is time to get to work on warm weather travel plans. Traditionally I have always thought of Park City as a place only for winter fun, but I now know better. Northern Utah isn’t just for the powdery winter slopes, but also for a bunch of fun outdoor summer activities and adventure.

Many years ago when I was a kid in Minnesota I took a trip up to some small little pimples of ski hills in the summer to go alpine sledding. I fell in love with the activity, but haven’t done it since that one time so many years ago. And then I was invited to participate in a Utah Office of Tourism-sponsored trip and I fell in love all over again at the Park City Mountain Resort.

I was nervous at first, climbing the mountain on the chair lift, thinking I could wipe out and ruin the whole trip. But it was an excited nervous, too, since I had such amazing memories of alpine sledding. And I couldn’t wait to get on the track and see if the experience could once again live up to my memories. Banking to the left and right, zipping along the concrete track, it turns out my memories were a little faded. This was more fun than I remember. I let up on the brake and took off, excited to see what I could do on the resort’s track. And then, in a sudden rush of disappointment, I hit the end of the line.

I wanted to go again, but time was short and I had to choose between another ride on the sled or checking out the rollercoaster. It wasn’t a difficult decision. With the opportunity to really let loose on the rollercoaster, which is a cart actually locked onto the track, I was in the need for some speed!

Slowly but surely I climbed the mountain, kicking back and relaxing in my cart as the track did all of the work. The scenery was beautiful and something I would have liked to have seen more of on a hikiing expedition or two. It was a whirwind trip, though, so I would have to head back across the border later to further appreciate all of what Park City has to offer.

After enjoying some summer runs at the Park City Mountain Resort, I knew my return would be inevitible.

The line clicked and I was let loose. Strapped securely into my cart on the track, I took off down spinning in circles and hitting drops and hills near top speed. I waited to exhale unitl the end, holding my breath in my giddiness all the way to the end.

It was a fantastic ride, but it also posed a problem: Did I like it better than alpine sledding? I had such great memories doing the slide as a kid that I just wasn’t sure now which was better. They were both great, that is uncontestable, but which would I do when I had more time to return and explore Park City in the summer? Then I remembered there were all day passes available and it simply didn’t matter which I thought was better – I could spend days riding each of them until my heart was content.

I had fond memories of staying in Park City, Utah during the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics. The winter atmosphere around town was amazing. But I knew I would have just as much fun creating new summer memories exploring the town and enjoying the amazing rides at the Park City Mountain Resort.