The
two neighboring towns of Park City and Heber City were
named during the gold and silver mining period when it
was fashionable to name even the most humble village a
"city". On the other hand, many of these cities had
upwards of 10,000 people during the boom period. Park
City and Heber City lie on the eastern slope of the
Wasatch Range, just across the mountain tops from Salt
Lake City.
Park
City was founded as a mining camp in the late 1860s when
soldiers stationed in the area discovered silver in the
mountains. In 1872, prospectors made a rich silver strike
in Ontario Canyon, the main rush was on and Park City was
incorporated in 1884.
Silver
mining continued for 50 years, until the 1930s and
falling prices. This was when skiing took over the town's
economy. Snow Park, the area's first ski hill, opened in
1946, followed by two additional resorts. It is now one
of the premiere ski areas in the nation, blessed with 350
inches of snow each year and still maintaining the
ambience of an old mining town with a picturesque main
street and wonderful original buildings.
What
to See & Do
Park
City has the state's largest ski operation with a
gondola and 11 chair lifts. It is the ski hill closest to
town. Park West, four miles south of town, has
seven chair lifts. Deer Valley is the toniest of
all the ski resorts in the area, with eight chair lifts
and deluxe base facilities located one mile east of Park
City on Highway 224. Deer Valley is the site of the
downhill ski events in the 2002 Winter Olympics.
Summers
in Park City offer the usual programs featured by ski
areas including gondola rides to the mountain top and
golfing. There's a mountain slide and there are six
championship courses within 20 miles of the town. Tennis
is also popular and mountain trails in the nearby
Wasatch Mountain State Park (and mountain
backroads) offer more outdoor recreation by foot or by
car. There is a healthy cultural season in the old mining
town, with a Shakespeare festival held in the outdoors
and weekly concerts at Deer Valley featuring the Salt
Lake Symphony, as well as the annual Chamber Music
Festival. Park City has a full range hotels, motels,
lodges and condo type accommodations.
Heber
City is located twelve miles southeast of the ski
town. Located north of Provo Canyon at the junction of
Highway 40 and 189, the town offers a scenic railway ride
on the "Heber Creeper" which takes visitors daily
through the Heber Valley and south through Provo Canyon.
Several large reservoirs are close to Heber City
including Strawberry and Deer Creek. There are several
modestly priced motels in Heber City but Park City offers
more sophisticated lodging and dining. For those wanting
to explore all of the ski resorts in the area, Robert
Redford's Sundance Resort is in Provo Canyon, a
few miles south of Heber City and 15 miles north of
Provo. Sundance has a restaurant and overnight
accommodations.
