Best Times to Visit Park City

Fall Foliage

Few places in the world are as beautiful as the Wasatch Mountains in September and October. Seize the day to luxuriate in the bright colors and crisp temperatures. Pack a picnic lunch and head out on the Alpine Loop Scenic Byway, Highway 92, from American Fork Canyon to Provo Canyon. Or take a ride on the Heber Valley Historic Railroad, which runs every day from Heber City. It snakes along the shore of Deer Creek Reservoir and parallels the Provo River as it plunges down narrow Provo Canyon. If you don't mind driving on a rough, sometimes washboard, dirt road, take the drive out of Midway up Pine Canyon through Wasatch Mountain State Park.

Summer Sports

Many transplanted locals in towns like Park City and Midway will tell you that they first visited the Wasatch for the winters, but actually moved here for the summers. It's hard to find a more comfortable climate than a Wasatch summer. The air is dry, and temperatures range from 10 to 15 degrees cooler than in the Salt Lake Valley. Plus, the area becomes a summer recreation mecca. There are well-maintained hiking and mountain-biking trails; local canyons offer excellent rock climbing; state parks on area reservoirs provide facilities for an array of water sports; and you'll find excellent trout fishing on Wasatch streams and lakes.

Winter Sports

There's more than local bragging behind the claim that Utah resorts have the best snow in the world. There's science behind it, too. The secret to Utah's famous powder is in the unique combination of atmospheric conditions and geography. Storms move from the Pacific across the Great Basin desert, pick up extra moisture over the Great Salt Lake, and then stall when they hit the high Wasatch Mountains. Large quantities of snowflakes called dendrites are formed under these conditions, and fall to earth in layers with lots of air between them. Skiing through such light powder feels like floating through clouds. Although the area’s downhill skiing receives most of the attention, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing are other popular powder-snow pursuits. You can also head for the Utah Olympic Park to catch a U.S. Bobsled Team practice–-or take a ride yourself while team members steer.