The Westgate Park City Resort & Spa is more than just winter.
Standing atop the Olympic ski jump at Utah Olympic Park, looking down a slope so steep it seemed to vanish beneath my feet, I came to a simple conclusion:
Olympic athletes are completely out of their minds.
The launch platform towers above the valley floor, offering sweeping views of the Wasatch Mountains and the communities below. But it is impossible to focus on the scenery for very long. Your eyes keep returning to the drop.
Somewhere in the back of your mind, you try to imagine hurtling down that ramp at highway speeds before launching yourself into open air.
Good luck with that.
The moment was one of many highlights during a recent four-day stay at Westgate Park City Resort & Spa, a mountain retreat that introduced me to spectacular scenery, exceptional dining and a side of Utah that deserves far more attention than it gets.
Most travelers associate Park City with winter. They picture fresh powder, crowded ski lifts and the annual migration of skiers descending on one of America’s premier mountain destinations.
But, sshhh, summer may be the town’s best-kept secret.
By late May, the mountains are draped in green. Wild grasses blanket the hillsides. Dramatic clouds roll across the sky, changing the light by the minute. Every turn in the road seems to reveal another postcard-worthy view. From the airport transfer into town to the mountain vistas visible from nearly every corner of the resort, the scenery never stopped demanding attention.
Park City is, of course, best known as the home of the Sundance Film Festival. You could have fooled us.
Westgate Park City proved to be an ideal home base. The sprawling resort combines the warmth of a mountain lodge with the comforts of an upscale residential retreat. My Premier one-bedroom Villa was spacious and comfortable, with large windows framing the surrounding peaks and enough room to make a visitor feel less like a hotel guest and more like a temporary resident.
One afternoon, rain swept through the valley, softening the distant mountains into shades of gray and green. Instead of spoiling the experience, the weather enhanced it. We lingered indoors. Fireplaces glowed. The entire resort seemed to lean into the storm, becoming even more inviting.
The culinary side of the trip was equally impressive.
The first popover at the Edge Steakhouse arrived looking like it had been inflated with a bicycle pump. Warm, buttery and nearly the size of a volleyball, it drew laughs around the table before disappearing in minutes. The perfectly cooked steak arrived with the confidence of a restaurant that knows exactly what it’s doing.
As good as Edge proved to be, the following evening at Sushi by Scratch, was just as memorable.
The intimate omakase experience unfolded over ten carefully constructed courses, each one presented directly by the chef. Guests sat just feet from the preparation area as every piece of fish was sliced, assembled and served moments later.
The chef explained each course in detail, describing ingredients, techniques and sourcing. Although one travel journalist in our group, seated nearby, apparently believed her conversation was more interesting than the chef’s. It wasn’t.
The rest of us were there to listen.
And we were rewarded.
Course after course delivered extraordinary flavors and craftsmanship. Delicate nigiri arrived one beautiful bite at a time. A chef’s torch flashed across richly marbled fish. Seaweed, rice and seafood combined into compositions that felt equal parts culinary skill and artistry. By evening’s end, it had become one of the finest sushi experiences I have enjoyed anywhere.
An evening dinner at the Riverhorse on Main restaurant Sunday evening was similarly magnificent. Amongst the group of 12 or so, was spread an extraordinary sampling of the restaurant’s summer menu, including a luminous lobster bisque, perfectly seared ahi, prawns wrapped in bacon, and a magnificent salmon served with lobster lasagna (!)
We crawled slowly to the shuttle van, half delirious.
Still, the Olympic Park visit remained the emotional centerpiece of the trip.
The facility, built for the 2002 Winter Olympics, continues to serve as both a training center and a living museum of athletic achievement, right down to the actual uniforms and skis.
Standing atop the ski jump offered a dizzying perspective. Watching the athletes train provided inspiration.
Then came the bobsled.
The track remains active, and during our visit a sled packed with visitors and a driver, roared through the course at roughly 75 miles per hour. One moment it was approaching. The next it was. Gone. Heads snapped around trying to follow as the sled disappeared down the track. The speed was startling, the sound unforgettable.
Suddenly, Olympic competition seemed far less abstract.
The weekend included a private High West whiskey tasting at the resort, time exploring Historic Main Street and plenty of opportunities to absorb the atmosphere of one of the West’s most appealing mountain towns. Or shop.
Historic Main Street remains lined with galleries, boutiques, restaurants and restored buildings that reflect Park City’s mining-town origins. It feels authentic rather than manufactured, a place where visitors can wander without an agenda and still discover something memorable.
The best trips often leave you wishing for one more day.
Park City did exactly that, without a single movie.
I arrived expecting mountain views and good restaurants. I left with memories of Olympic history, extraordinary meals, dramatic landscapes and a new appreciation for a destination that deserves recognition far beyond ski (or film) season.
Winter may have built Park City’s reputation. Summer makes a compelling argument for returning.
