Relaxing Stay at the Canyons Village in Park City, Utah

On October 5, 2021October 5, 2021 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Utah2 Comments

There are two resort options when visiting Park City in Utah. The first is the Mountain Village located right next to the historic downtown area and the other is located outside the heart of Park City in Canyons Village. The selection that you make will likely be based on the type of experience that you are looking for in a stay in Park City. The Mountain Village has lots of activities and has plenty of lifts as well, but is busier due to its proximity to downtown. For a more laid back experience, Canyons Village would be your choice since it has everything that you need in a ski resort without as many people to contend with.

Part of the Canyons Village Central Area

View of Canyons Village from Holly’s Trail

During our recent visit to Park City, we stayed at the Canyons Village and certainly enjoyed our time there. Although not all of the restaurants were open since it is considered low season in the fall, there were plenty of options for us to choose from and it is easy enough to either take a bus, Uber, or drive the twelve minutes to get into the historic downtown area. What we liked most about staying in Canyons Village was the fact that there were fewer crowds, with the exception of a few conventions, and it had everything that we needed. In addition to hiking and biking, there is also an excellent golf course located in Canyons Village with incredible views of the valley below.

Shops in the Courtyard at Canyons Village

Canyons Village was under some heavy construction while we were there as there is a new resort with multiple restaurants getting ready to open in November in time for the ski season. Despite the construction, everything was quite walkable in the village and there are hiking trails that start at the base of the mountain. In addition to the restaurants, there are also several shops selling the typical items that you would find in a ski resort area. We were there for a week, so we became friends with the wait staff at a couple of the restaurants including Drafts Burger Bar and Red Tail Grill. It was certainly an enjoyable stay with stunning views of the mountains and the changing leaves.

Taking the Scenic Crescent Lift to See the Changing Leaves in Park City, Utah

On October 1, 2021October 1, 2021 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Utah3 Comments

During the summer and autumn months in Park City, there are a few lifts that will take you into the mountains where you can have amazing views. There are less lifts available in the autumn season, but with the leaves changing, it is absolutely stunning. The scenic crescent lift is located at the adventure park with the mountain coaster, alpine slide, and other family activities. The lift is used for transporting mountain bikers and their bikes as well as hikers or those just wanting to enjoy the views to mid-mountain.

Unfortunately for us, to get tickets for the scenic crescent lift you have to wait in the same line as the people getting tickets for all of the other activities at the mountain adventure park, which took us about thirty minutes. Fortunately, once we had our tickets, there was no line to get on the lift and we were quickly on our way up the side of the mountain to enjoy the amazing views. The lines for the other activities were much longer as it was a Saturday and families were taking advantage of everything that the adventure park had to offer.

Looking Off to the Left from the Chair Lift

Unless you decide to hike all of the way down, you take the lift back down to the base of the mountain, which provides a completely different view than those on the way up the mountain. The leaves were still in the process of changing, so there was quite a variety of colors as we we rode the lift and when we walked around after getting off at mid-mountain. Although it was worth the wait in order to get our tickets, we probably would have preferred to go on a weekday had we known about the crowds.

The View of the Steep Descent to the Base

Historic Main Street in the Heart of Park City, Utah

On September 29, 2021September 29, 2021 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Utah3 Comments

When visiting Park City in Utah, it is mostly about outdoor activities whether in the summer with hiking and biking or in the winter with skiing and snowboarding. When the day is over though, the place to be is on historic main street with all of the local shops and an abundance of restaurants to choose from. The architecture is what you’d expect from a historic mountain town and even in the off-season, like when we went, the streets will be busy with tourists. Most of the resorts are either in the Mountain Village, which is just a few blocks away from main street or in Canyons Village, which is where we stayed. Regardless of where you are staying, the town of Park City provides free bus transportation to get you around.

View from the Center of Historic Main Street

We went to historic main street a couple of times during our week-long stay in Park City and there were so many options of places to see. Whether you want to do window shopping or go into one of the many art galleries and novelty stores, you can definitely find something interesting to take home with you if you desire. At least for us, it was all about finding unique places to grab a bite to eat and there are more than a couple of dozen choices on or just off of main street to choose from. When visiting Utah, it is important to understand that their liquor laws are different than most other states. For example, if the establishment only has a restaurant liquor license and not a bar liquor license, you are required to get food if you want an adult beverage.

Regardless of whether you want to shop, eat at a restaurant, or just people watch, there is plenty to keep you occupied on historic main street. Sitting in the valley and surrounded by the mountains, the views are wonderful both of the town as well as the surrounding tree-lined ski slopes. Since it is autumn, the trees had changed, making the scenery even more dramatic as we walked along the street. Our last day was on a Saturday and although we drove down main street, we chose not to stop as the crowds were a little bit more than what we prefer to deal with.