5 Reasons to Visit Park City, Utah, Now That Sundance Has Left Town
5 Reasons to Visit® · Utah
5 Reasons to Visit Park City, Utah, Now That Sundance Has Left Town
After more than 40 years, the Sundance Film Festival said goodbye to Park City in 2026. What it left behind is a silver-mining town with two of America’s biggest ski resorts, Olympic venues gearing up for 2034 and a Main Street that never needed a film festival to be worth the trip.
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Park City, Utah, began as a 19th-century silver-mining camp, reinvented itself as a ski town and spent four decades as the January home of the Sundance Film Festival, which held its last Park City edition in early 2026 before moving to Boulder, Colorado. The festival’s exit has many travelers asking whether Park City still has the same pull. It does. Deer Valley is in the middle of the largest expansion in ski-resort history, the Utah Olympic Park is preparing for the 2034 Winter Games, and historic Main Street still has the restaurants, galleries and mountain views that made Hollywood fall for it in the first place, all about 40 minutes from Salt Lake City’s airport. Here are five reasons to go.
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1Things to See & Do
Things to Do in Park City: Olympic Legacy and a Silver-Mining Main Street
Start on historic Main Street, a steep run of 19th-century storefronts that survived Park City’s silver-boom days, and duck into the Park City Museum to see the old territorial jail in the basement and learn how miners built the town. A few doors away, the Egyptian Theatre, a longtime Sundance landmark, still hosts live performances. In winter, the free Town Lift carries skiers straight from Main Street onto the slopes of Park City Mountain.
Then head to Utah Olympic Park, built for the 2002 Winter Games and gearing up again now that Salt Lake City and Utah will host the 2034 Winter Olympics. Watch freestyle aerialists and ski jumpers train, tour the Alf Engen Ski Museum and the 2002 Eccles Salt Lake Olympic Museum, or ride a real bobsled down the Olympic track with a professional driver. In summer, alpine slides and mountain coasters add a lighter kind of speed.
2Dining Scene
Where to Eat in Park City: Mountain Fine Dining and a Ski-Town Distillery
Park City eats far above its population. On Main Street, Riverhorse on Main has been a fine-dining anchor for decades, Handle turns out inventive, seasonal small plates, and Firewood cooks over a wood-fired hearth. High West Distillery, which grew from a saloon in a historic Park City house and livery into one of America’s best-known whiskey makers, pours its bourbons and ryes alongside hearty Western food at its saloon just off Main Street.
On the mountains, Deer Valley’s lodges built a reputation for some of the best on-mountain dining in skiing, and slopeside restaurants at both resorts make long lunches part of the ski day. Après-ski is a Park City institution, from Main Street bars to resort decks, and in summer, outdoor patios fill up as the evenings stay cool and bright at altitude.
Sundance put Park City on the map for ten days a year. The mountains, the trails and Main Street do it the other 355.
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3Recreation
Outdoor Park City: Two Giant Ski Resorts and 400+ Miles of Trails
Few towns anywhere have two ski resorts this large on their doorstep. Park City Mountain is one of the biggest ski areas in the United States, spanning more than 7,300 acres, and Deer Valley is in the midst of the largest expansion in ski-resort history. Its new East Village terrain, reached by a 10-passenger gondola, has more than doubled the resort’s skiable acreage, and for the 2026–27 season the new Hail Peak Express lift brings Deer Valley to about 4,500 acres. Deer Valley, one of the few remaining ski-only resorts in America, is scheduled to open December 5, 2026.
When the snow melts, Park City becomes a trail town. More than 400 miles of public trails wind through the surrounding mountains, earning the area a Gold-Level Ride Center designation from the International Mountain Bicycling Association, and hikers flock to routes through stands of aspen that turn gold in September. Round Valley’s open trail network, scenic chairlift rides and nearby Jordanelle Reservoir for paddling and boating round out a long summer menu.
4Shopping
Shopping in Park City: Main Street Boutiques and a Sunday Street Market
Main Street is Park City’s shopping street, lined with outdoor outfitters, Western-wear and boot shops, jewelers, home-decor stores and art galleries in historic storefronts. It’s an easy place to pick up the essentials for a ski trip or an investment piece of Western art, with plenty of cafés for breaks along the climb.
On Sundays from June through September, the Park Silly Sunday Market closes Main Street to traffic for local makers, food vendors, artists and live music. For brand-name deals, the outlet stores at Kimball Junction, at the north entrance to town, are a short ride away on the free bus system.
5Art & Culture
Park City’s Art Scene: Galleries, a Summer Arts Festival and a Banksy
Film may be moving on, but Park City’s art scene runs deep. The Kimball Art Center, a nonprofit art center, hosts rotating exhibitions, classes and events, and each summer it presents the Park City Kimball Arts Festival, a long-running outdoor art festival that fills Main Street with artists from across the country. Main Street’s galleries, many of them focused on Western and contemporary landscape art, open their doors for a regular evening gallery stroll.
Look closely on Main Street and you’ll find a piece of art-world lore: a stenciled work by the street artist Banksy, left during his 2010 visit to Sundance and now preserved behind protective glass. Add live performances at the Egyptian Theatre, summer concerts at Deer Valley’s outdoor amphitheater and the Park City Museum’s exhibits on the town’s mining past, and the cultural calendar stays busy long after the film crowds have gone.
Plan Your Park City Trip
Park City has two high seasons. Winter, from December through April, brings world-class skiing and the busiest, priciest weeks around the holidays and Presidents’ Day, so book early. Summer, from June through September, trades lift lines for wildflowers, trails, the Park Silly Sunday Market and outdoor concerts at a fraction of winter’s crowds. Give it four days in either season: one for Main Street, the museum and dinner, two on the mountains or trails, and one at Utah Olympic Park, with Salt Lake City just 40 minutes down the canyon.
Park City, Utah: FAQ
Is Park City, Utah worth visiting after Sundance left?
Yes. The Sundance Film Festival held its last Park City edition in 2026 before moving to Boulder, Colorado, in 2027, but Park City’s main draws remain: Park City Mountain and Deer Valley ski resorts, Utah Olympic Park, historic Main Street dining and shopping, more than 400 miles of trails, and an active arts scene. It is about 40 minutes from Salt Lake City International Airport.
Is Sundance still in Park City?
No. The 2026 Sundance Film Festival, held January 22 to February 1, was the last in Park City and Utah. The festival moves to Boulder, Colorado, beginning in 2027.
What are the best things to do in Park City, Utah?
Top things to do in Park City include skiing at Park City Mountain and Deer Valley, exploring historic Main Street and the Park City Museum, visiting Utah Olympic Park and riding a bobsled, hiking or mountain biking the area’s 400-plus miles of trails, shopping the Park Silly Sunday Market in summer, and visiting the Kimball Art Center.
How big is the Deer Valley expansion?
Deer Valley’s East Village expansion is the largest in ski-resort history and has more than doubled the resort’s skiable terrain. For the 2026–27 season, the new Hail Peak Express lift brings Deer Valley to about 4,500 skiable acres, with the season scheduled to open December 5, 2026.
When is the best time to visit Park City?
December through April is best for skiing and snowboarding. June through September is best for hiking, mountain biking, the Park Silly Sunday Market and outdoor concerts. September and early October bring fall color in the aspens and fewer crowds.
How far is Park City from Salt Lake City?
Park City is about 30 miles from Salt Lake City, roughly a 40-minute drive from Salt Lake City International Airport, depending on traffic and weather.
Will Park City host the 2034 Winter Olympics?
Salt Lake City and Utah will host the 2034 Winter Olympics, and Park City venues, including Utah Olympic Park and the town’s ski resorts, are expected to play a major role, as they did in the 2002 Winter Games.
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