Park City, Utah Photo Diary

Our trip was sponsored by the Park City Chamber of Commerce. All Opinions are my Own.

Happy HUMP Day! If you were hanging around Instagram this last weekend, you might have caught some of our adventures while Dustin and I were away in Park City for a staycation. We had an amazing trip; it was the first time we were able to get away just the two of us in almost a year. Ya’ll know how crazy this year has been for us (buying a house, Dustin’s emergency surgery, bring a new puppy home, my new job, etc. etc.) so it was so nice to be able to get away from it all for a few days to reconnect and recharge.

Park City, Utah, is one of those beautiful historical towns nestled in the middle of the mountains and it is beautiful and vibrant and stunning. It’s actually where a lot of the Winter Olympics were held when Salt Lake City hosted a few years ago! We’d never been before, but since it is only a 40-minute drive from Salt Lake City, it seemed like the perfect place to escape for a vacation without having to pay too much for travel costs or being too far away from our dogs or house in case of an emergency. I’ll be honest, though. Park City is known for its ski hills, hiking and biking trails, and general outdoor activities. I wasn’t sure that Park City would have a lot of things for me (a girl with a totally reconstructed left leg) to do and thought I would probably spend most of my time watching Dustin doing fun things that weren’t safe for me and my leg, which is how a lot of our vacations go.

However, I’ve recently realized that I am letting my leg become more of an excuse to not try new things or allow myself to have new experiences. So, I decided that this trip to Park City would be different: I would find things that I COULD do with my left leg that would still be fun, fulfilling, and exciting!

I’m planning on putting together a more thorough Park City Summer guide and a food guide in the next week, but I wanted to share a bunch of photos and a recap of all of the things we got to experience in a fun, personal way!

Day One:

I took the day off from work to clean the house and get everything ready for my sister and brother-in-law, who were kind enough to house/puppy-sit for us while we were away. Dustin got home from work and we finished cleaning and packing and loaded the car up so we could head to Park City. I was so excited about getting out of the city – as much as I love the city life, I needed some fresh air. Dustin wanted to wait until the towels were dry for my sister but I told him that we would just leave them in the dryer for them because I wanted to get out so badly. Sorry ’bout that, Ashley!

Our drive to Park City was about 40 minutes and that was during rush hour in SLC. It was a beautiful drive up and out of the city and through the canyons. We got to our resort around 6:15 and checked in. Park City has two different “bases” and we stayed at the BEAUTIFUL Westgate Resort in Park City, which is nestled in the Canyonlands base. Our friends at Westgate put us up in a stunning one-bedroom villa which was seriously a dream come true. It had a full kitchen, gas fireplace, two giant flat-screen tv’s, king sized bed, jacuzzi tub, and balcony. Plus, our view was amazing. Our balcony looked right out into the Park City Valley and I could have EASILY sat out there all day/night long and looked at the view if I wasn’t starving/loved food more than views.

However, we were starving. STARV.ING. So, I tore myself away from the beautiful views and the cozy fireplace to go find something to eat. We decided to try out one of Westgate’s on-site restaurants and it did not disappoint.

After feeding our bellies, we went for a dip in one of the hot tubs (there are many at Westgate) and explored the resort some more. We peered into the yoga studio, checked out the fitness room, and found the arcade (complete with a giant version of Crossy Road AKA the game I am QUEEN of!) We ended our evening snuggled in the giant king bed, watching HGTV and eating chocolates that housekeeping left for us.

 

Day Two

We woke up on Friday and enjoyed breakfast in our villa (because it had a complete kitchen, so we could!) and got ready for the day. We decided to spend the morning exploring Historic Main Street and it did not disappoint.

We started at the Park City Museum where we learned all about how Park City came to be (it was a mining town) and how it evolved into the tourist destination it is today. They had a ton of interactive exhibits and real artifacts from the mining time, like mining carts and switch boards! The museum was built on in the old fire house and on top of the original jail, so we actually were able to see one of the first fire trucks and walk into the original jail cells! It was a super fun museum, well worth the money, and we learned a lot!

After we learned more about Park City, we walked up and down Main Street and wandered through various art galleries and shops. We picked out a coaster for our coaster collection, got a smoothie at an eclectic coffee shop, and pretended to shop for fancy artwork that we could only afford in our wildest dreams.

Around lunch time, we ventured away from Main Street to go find Freshies Lobster Co. It was recently all over the news that this restaurant had won the title of “Best Lobster Roll in the States” and being a born and raised New Englander, we knew we had to check it out. It still boggles my mind that a landlocked state won the Best Lobster Roll, but we met the owners and learned that they were native New Englanders, so at least they weren’t from California or something! The lobster roll was delicious and it was fun to be in a tiny little shop that was so New England-y in the middle of the mountains.

After lunch, we decided to drive through Guardsman’s Pass, which is a scenic by-way that takes through the mountains to look down into several valleys. Since I can’t hike, taking a scenic drive seemed like a good way to see the mountains and get to the top of the valley to look out. The drive was beautiful and only took about 30 minutes to get to the top of the pass from Main Street. It was pretty windy and steep in some places, but we just took our time. We finally reached the top and we were able to park the car and walk a short distance to the top of a peak (that even I could do with my leg) and see the view. It. was. breathtaking. And so worth it. And I felt so alive!

We decided to drive back to the hotel after that to rest for a bit and change for dinner! We ate out that night at Red Rock Junction and had amazing food (more on this to come in my Park City Food Guide!) After dinner, we walked around a bit more before heading back to Westgate to try a different pool and hot tub before curling up in front of our fireplace to watch some RealPD before bed.

 

Day Three

I woke up before Dustin on Saturday, so I decided to spend the morning on the balcony to watch the sunrise and to do some blog work. It was so peaceful. The view was beautiful, the weather was perfect and the air smelled of fall. Seriously. So dreamy. I could have stayed there all day. BUT! There were more adventures to be had!

Dustin and I decided to go back to Main Street to stop at a local pizza shop for lunch and then met up with some dear friends for ice cream right after. We lived in Louisiana with these friends last summer and hadn’t seen them in almost a year, so it was awesome to catch up and meet their little girl.

After eating our ice cream, we drove a short way to the Park City Mountain base where all of the summer activities are! I was really excited to go here, but also nervous because I would have said no to doing most of the activities beforehand because they seemed a bit extreme for me and my knee. However, since I was on a mission to have new experiences and not let me knee hold me back, I was excited to get out of my comfort zone and test the waters.

We first started off with the Alpine Slide, which is literally a giant slide that goes down the side of the mountain. You have to take a ski-lift up to the top and you carry a little sled to the slide which has hand brakes to help you slow down as you are going down the slide. I was most nervous about this because people have flown off the slide before, but it looked really fun, so I knew I had to try it. The ski-lift ride was super nice (fun fact, I’ve never been on a ski-lift before because I’ve never been able to ski) and the slide was even MORE fun! I was able to go as slow as I wanted and the hand brake on the sled worked really well so I never felt like I was going to fall off. Dustin totally beat me down the slide, but I was just proud of myself for getting on the slide and doing something I would have passed up on back in the day.

After the Alpine Slide, we got in line for the Alpine Coater, which is basically the same thing as the slide, except you are in a cart that is on a rail and you get strapped in and there is a cable that pulls you to the top to go down (instead of a ski lift.) Everything else is the same, meaning that there are hand brakes to help you slow down if you are going to fast. It’s pretty impossible to fall off this ride (because of the seat belts and also because the carts are on a track) but it is really fast and a bit intense! Dustin and I got to ride together on this one and it ended up being SO much fun! We screamed the whole way and even though it was SUPER fast, I didn’t feel like we were going to fall off!

Finally, we hopped on to the Crescent Ski Lift to take a scenic ride to the top of one of the mountains. Since I can’t hike very well, this seemed like a great way to still have an amazing experience at the top of a mountain. The ride was beautiful and we even saw some Aspen trees starting to turn colors. FALL IS COMING! It was amazing to stand at the top of the mountain and be able to look out into the valley.

We had so much fun at the Park City Mountain and there were so many fun activities that I could actually do with my leg! I’m so glad we went!

After finishing our day at the Park City Mountain, we went to The Flying Sumo for sushi before heading back to our hotel because #sushiislife. We decided to end our evening like we had the previous two nights – a soak in the hot tub and resting in front of the fireplace while streaming fight night, of course (because Dustin is super romantic like that, haha.)

Day Four

Our trip was over before either of us were ready, but alas, we had puppies to get back home to. So, we spent the morning lounging in the king sized bed watching Flea Market Flip on HGTV before we packed up and checked out at 10:00. I was so sad to leave and kept trying to bribe Dustin to turn around and take us back to Westgate, but since he’s a responsible adult who wanted to go to work the next day, he drove us home. Sheesh. Who even does that?!

But really, we had such an amazing staycation in Park City and I was so surprised at how many amazing adventures and activities there were for us to do (me specifically) and can’t wait to go back again. If you are in the Utah area or going to be in the Utah area in the near future, keep your eyes peeled for a more specific Park City Summer guide and Food Guide!

---

Have you been to Park City or gone on a Staycation? What was your favorite part?