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I apologize in advance for the length of this post! Half of my two week trip out West was spent in Park City so naturally I have more to say and wayyyy too many pictures. Instead of just photo-dumping on you, I thought I would share with you my honest and real reviews of where we ate, went and stayed on our trip. Do I need to include a disclosure if my parents paid for the trip?! Why not. My amazing and generous parents paid for this trip but all opinions are my own.

Speaking of parents, let’s revisit the cast for today’s programming….

the castNow onto the good stuff.

where to stay in park cityMarriott’s MountainSide Resort. If you know my family, then you know our obsession with Marriott’s. If there’s a Marriott where we are going, that is where we will be staying. We had a two bedroom suite with a full kitchen. The resort was definitely tailored more towards winter activities and somewhat overrun with small children, but our room was large and had everything we needed. Only complaint was not having a balcony.

where to go in park cityMost of our activities involved hiking. Note: we are terrible hikers. By this I mean we get lost almost every single time but by the end of the trip we improved. Here are my favourites from the week:

Mirror Lake and the Highline Trail. This was probably the quietest and most serene hike of our trip. We ran into a few groups who had been camping along the trail but for the most part we were on our own. The trail is peaceful though not well marked. This hike offered some great views of the Uinta mountains. Afterwards we stopped by Mirror Lake (30 seconds from the Highline Trailhead) for a spectacular view.

Mirror LakeTanger Outlet Mall shopping. My poor wallet but I did get some awesome steals at J.Crew, Gap and American Eagle.

Bald Mountain Trail. Bald mountain is apparently the highest peak in the Uinta range and though a tough hike, it’s supposed to offer one of the best vistas in Nothern Utah. I can confirm that yes, the hike was challenging (straight up and hard to breathe in the elevation) and while the views were amazing on the way up, we couldn’t get to the top due to SNOW. Yes, the trail was blocked by a snow patch in July and I wasn’t willing to risk my life getting to the top.

Bald Mountain CollageMountain biking at Deer Valley. Soooo don’t attempt this if you have ZERO mountain-biking experience. I’m a descent city biker but failed epically at mountain-biking. I partially blame my lack of experience and the fact that we chose some challenging hills at Deer Valley which didn’t offer any beginner trails as an option. I would recommend hiking up to the top though if you’re not into mountain biking. I ended up doing one run on the bike but after falling five times and knocking the chain off my bike, I called it a day. I then took the chairlift back up and gave the bike to my dad to ride down and hiked down with my Mom. I really enjoyed the hike!

Sundance and Stewart Falls Hike. One of the highlights of my trip! We took the chairlift up (which I recommend) that offered spectacular views of the property and then hiked down to Stewart Falls, which were gorgeous! The best part was hiking down from the falls to the Sundance property and turning around to see an absolutely stunning view.

Stewart FallsOlympic Village at Park City. There is an awesome tour of one of the sites for the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic games in Park City. Our tour was actually led by a 3-time olympian and it was awesome. We also got to watch the ski jumpers in their summer training and if I hadn’t been feeling sassy I might have attempted the Bobsled or zipline features. Definitely recommend!

Olympic Village

where to eat in park cityWe ate most breakfasts in our hotel (i.e. A LOT of overnight oats) and lunch was generally peanut butter and banana sammies. We ate out for every dinner and here are some of the highlights.

Bandits Grill & Bar: Nothing fancy but it was good quality food. Warning to those who order the chicken, it’s enough chicken to feed your entire family!

Purple Sage: One of my favourite meals of the trip. I ordered the chimichurri steak and fries and it was to die for. We all agreed that it was awesome food. Pictured is my Mom’s duck.

Purple SageGreat Harvest Bakery: C’s Mom got me hooked on this chain which offers great gluten-free bread and treats. We went there twice and both times I ordered a turkey sandwich on gluten-free bread. Come to Canada GHB!

Squatters Roadhouse Grill: Didn’t love the food, but they do have a ton of gluten-free and vegan options. I got a buffalo burger on a gluten-free bun and a side salad but there just wasn’t much flavour. They make their own beer though so if you’re into trying local beers, this is your place.

SquattersBangkok Thai: I was surprised to find such delicious thai food in Park City. Great meal and awesome wine selection. A bit on the pricier side for thai food but everything was great (especially the sea bass) so no complaints!

Talisker on Main: Probably the fanciest meal of our trip. Service was kind of meh but the food was excellent. I LOVED my buckwheat veggie risotto and the desserts (especially the chocolate mousse with pistachio ice cream) was incredible.

TaliskersIn addition to a lot of activity and incredible food, we also enjoyed quite a bit of wine (vacation!). If you’re interested I can do a round-up of the best bottles we enjoyed. I love vacationing with parents…

Next up was Jackson, WY which was my favourite part of the trip. Stay tuned!

Have you ever been to Park City? What’s your ideal vacation? Mountains? Beach?

Meet the Maven

Hi! I'm Davida and welcome to my corner of the internet. I'm a wellness blogger, yoga teacher, certified herbalist, and green beauty lover.

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39 Comments

  1. I just have to tell you that the picture of you at mirror lake is possibly my favorite picture of you ever. It’s just so, I’m not sure how to explain it. Panoramic? Earthy? Regal? It’s like, “this is my domain” but in a very benevolent way. Or like, “stop and see the beautiful world around you.” And it legit looks like a Utah tourism ad or something, and I mean that in the best possible way. Amazing!

  2. It would be way cooler if your dad was the head of beer with two e’s. Just sayin’.

  3. Sounds like a very fun vacation! I love the views from the mountains – beautiful nature over there!
    I like to have a mix of relaxing and adventure on my holiday. One day beach, one day action (hiking, sight seeing, biking, whatever is offered). A holiday only on the beach would be such a time waste!! There is always so much to explore in new places!

    1. Couldn’t agree more Ann! I’m far too restless to just sit on a beach! I like to change it up each day 🙂

  4. It looks like you had an amazing time! I’m pretty easy to please when it comes to vacations. I’m more about the company. But if I had to choose then I’d do the beach scene. Actually that’s were we might be going for our annual vacation… possible one of the Virgin Islands.

  5. That would totally be my ideal vacation! Hiking and views like that? Yes.
    Also, I’m head of sunscreen in my family too.

  6. Loved this recap!!!! 🙂
    Utah is high on my states list! I can’t wait to visit it someday!

  7. I haven’t been to Park City but I would like to go… that buckwheat risotto omg! I should have asked Emily to chat with you about Park City, her parents have a place there she went for a week this spring… ugh I’m so dumb. annnd we’re texting about your trip right now so I’m going to cut this short love youuuu xoxoxo

  8. I’ve never been to Park City, but it looks like my cup of tea! OMG, all of the hiking looks amazing!!

  9. So gorg! All the food looks so fresh and delicious, too.

    I’ve never been to Park City but my ideal vacation is a mix of mountains and water. I just love them both so much that I can’t choose!

    1. Thanks lovely! I feel the same way. Ideally, water in the mountains. If I find this kind of place I am never leaving!