Summer Sizzles at Utah Ski Resorts
If you are looking for something fun to do this summer, look no further than the nearest ski resort. Yes, I said ski resort!
Here’s a list of happenings at each resort:
ALTA SKI AREA
Open all summer for hiking and biking. The Alta Lodge is also open daily through mid-October for meetings, weddings, retreats and lodging. And the dining room and deck are open for Sunday brunch and Saturday lunch. Sunday brunch is even accompanied with live jazz!
You can jump your bike this summer at the lift-served bike park at the Canyons Resort. (Photo: Jared Hargrave – UtahOutside.com)
BEAVER MOUNTAIN
The resort’s ski lodge, located in Logan Canyon, is open all summer long for family reunions, youth groups, and visitors. Four-man tents, RV hook-ups and a yurt are also available for use.
BRIAN HEAD
Open through September 30th. The mountain bike park is accessed by chairlift which are open Friday through Sunday 9:30am to 4:30pm. Visitors can enjoy an 18-hole disc golf course. Families can also revisit the Wild West on the new three-mile long Vista Trail in the Dixie National Forest. There, you can pan for gold, go cattle roping and rock hounding. Resort hours are Thursday-Sunday from 9am-5pm.
CANYONS RESORT
Like, Brian Head, this resort also offers a bike park, but here you can also ride a zip line across a network of hiking trails. For a slower time, why not take a pedal boat to the Canyons’ alpine lake? There’s also a weekly Wednesday night Farmer’s Market, an 18-hole putting course and disc golf. Oh, and did I mention the Summer Concert Series? It begins July 14th with the Fox Street All Stars.
DEER VALLEY RESORT
Open daily through September 9th (conditions permitting.) Summer chairlifts operate from 10am to 5pm. Mountain biking, deckside dining, outdoor concerts and more. Chairlifts operate from 10am-5pm. What else could you ask for?
PARK CITY MOUNTAIN RESORT
Open through October 21st. The kids Adventure Zone includes a climbing web, spider slide, and a climbing wall. For smaller children, there’s a merry-go-round, airplane ride and mini train. Older guests can enjoy bungee-assisted trampolines, or hike and mountain bike on trails accessed from the Town Lift, connecting the mountain directly with historic Main Street, or the resort’s PayDay lift. And if that’s not for you – why not try a four-track alpine slide, an alpine coaster or a two-person zip line?
Playing a round of disc golf at Solitude is a great way to get up high and escape the valley heat. (Photo: Jared Hargrave – UtahOutside.com)
POWDER MOUNTAIN
Enjoy guided tours in oversized off-road vehicles as part of their Summer Safari 4×4 Adventure Tours. Views include Ogden Valley, the Great Salt Lake, Unitah Mountains, Wyoming, Idaho and even Nevada. For children 3 and older. Tours cost $75 for adults and $35 for children 3 to 12 years old. Additionally, the resort will host the annual Powder Mountain Motocross competition August 17-19.
SNOWBASIN
Needles Gondola runs weekends only through early October. Hours of operation are Saturdays 9am to 5:30pm and Sundays 9am to 5pm. The resort will also host Saturday night mountain top dining as well as Sunday entertainment and BBQs.
SNOWBIRD
This year’s events include free concerts every Saturday night, Friday night movies, astronomy lectures on Hidden Peak, and Oktoberfest in August, September and October. Snowbasin is also scheduled to host the ‘Queen Stage’ of the Tour of Utah in August, and the 34th annual Bicycle Hill Climb and Widowmaker races.
But wait – there’s more. Visitors can also ride horseback, fish in Austin Pond, mountain bike and hike in Little Cottonwood Canyon. Other summertime activities include the Aerial Tram, Alpine Slide, Peruvian Chairlift and Tunnel, New Mountain Flyer, Climbing Wall, Bungee Trampolines, Ropes Course, Air Jumper, Mechanical Bull and Kids’ Inflatables.
You can ride a lift or the Tram at Snowbird for high-alpine hiking. (Photo: Jared Hargrave – UtahOutside.com)
SOLITUDE
Despite its name, Solitude is anything but this summer! Visitors can enjoy biking, hiking and disc golf with family and friends Fridays through Sundays. Weekends also offer up brunch and dinner options at Kimi’s Mountainside Bistro – or for the more adventuresome, a small alpine hike to a yurt where a chef prepares a four-course meal. Scenic chairlifts for hiking and mountain biking are also available.
SUNDANCE
Scenic lift rides, including full moon rides, horseback riding and fly fishing are available. Day passes, twilight passes and season passes are available. Hikers and bikers can take in spectacular views of the Rocky Mountain wilderness. Guests can also attend Sundance’s famed Foundry Grill Sunday Brunch – winner of Utah’s Best of State award.
UTAH OLYMPIC PARK
A decade after the Winter Olympics, visitors are still enjoying this park all-year round. Visitors can ride bobsleds, zip lines or take alpine slide rides along the Olympic ski jumps. A Flying Ace All Star Freestyle Pool Show happens every Saturday at 5pm through September 1st. You can learn how to be like the pros with clinics and private lessons. Reservations can be made by calling (435) 658-4200 or by going online to UtahOlympicLegacy.com.
This summer visitors can also test their fears on new adventure courses, which can be rented for private groups.
For more information on other area summer events, you can always head to www.skiutah.com
