Park City, UT

We did this over a long weekend, but I am thinking it is a bit far for such a short period of time. We were hooking up with friends who were staying for a much more reasonable length of time, eight days. Having just gotten back to Idaho a little over a week ago, I was reticent to leave so soon. But when I have a chance to go somewhere new, I hate to pass it up.

Park City, population 7,500, is ,as are all destination ski resorts, a development nightmare. Every possible penny is being sqeezed from every developable square inch of land. Thank god for the federally protected land that surrounds the resorts. That being said, there is at least one nice perk that come with all that cash pouring in. Namely, the tax dollars that pay for a great bike trail system that makes it possible to avoid the traffic and construction that go hand-in-hand with such intensive development.

There are not any really cheap accomodation options if you are looking to have a roof over your head. Upon consulting my Moon Utah Handbook, I can't find a single thing under $100/night off-season. Off-season = anytime there is no snow.Upon further google investigation I just discovered the Chateau Apres Lodge. Dormitory accomodations amongst like-minded denizens comes at the prices of $35/head. For a family of four you might want to splurge and get a private room for $150. http://www.chateauapres.com/

I'd surely opt for a tent and a starry night in summer. There are the usual variety of cheesy, pavement-laden campgrounds around the area, mostly around Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons. But why bother with such easy access to a ton of backcountry terrrain. In winter, the cheapest option is to stay at a hostel in Salt Lake and grab a shuttle to which ever resort you please.

Park City considers itself the recreational capital of Utah. That is a bold claim since it has some mighty formidable competition in the form of Moab, Zion and Canyonlands, just to name a few. I am holding out judgement until I have spent more time there. The overwhelming development aside, I like what I experienced so far. I was told by my girlfriend who has lived in the valley for 17 years that there is over 4,000 miles of trails. I'll have to fact-check that statement. It does look to be a trail runner's paradise. It is a hot spot for mountain bikers as well. I hiked and biked and ran. I was in oxygen-debt often. The elevation in town is approx. 7000 ft. Everything is up from there.