As we move toward the upcoming ski season and holiday breaks, the extent of winter travel is still uncertain, with airline passenger travel in the U.S. still at 68% below what it was a year ago. Folks who are particularly COVID-conscious might avoid air travel, which means annual trips to places too far to drive will be off the table for now.
Photo credit: Visit Park City
That’s why we’re so very lucky to live in a state that millions of tourists visit in a typical year, with national parks within driving distance and world-class accommodations and dining in our literal backyards. I’ve put together the following staycation suggestions to help quell your wanderlust while facing down the upcoming atypical ski and holiday season.
Book Locally
Without question, our local hotels and restaurants can use some support following a summer void of major, tourist-drawing events. Booking a hotel staycation is a way to support the locals whose livelihoods rely on conferences and overnight visitors.
For Thanksgiving, consider renting a place where you bring in all the trimmings and take advantage of early season lodging deals to get away while staying close by. Grab-and-go options to order ahead include Park City Provisions, Luna’s Kitchen, Deer Valley Grocery-Café, Windy Ridge, Hearth & Hill, and Whole Foods. A few hotels where you can do a little dining and then simply stroll back to your room include Montage Deer Valley, Stein Eriksen Lodge, Waldorf Astoria Park City, Park City Peaks and the St. Regis Deer Valley.
A wintertime staycation offers the perfect opportunity to engage in one of the ubiquitously Park City wintertime activities, while supporting local outfitters whose bookings might be down this year. Make this year the time you try dogsledding, snowmobiling, bobsledding or taking a sleighride to dinner. Take a break from the slopes but still get your heart pumping with cross country-skiing, or snowshoeing in the breathtaking high Uintas above Kamas.
A Night of City Life
A quick trip down Parley’s Canyon offers the energy of a trip to the city without the hassle of hours of travel. A weekend at the Grand America serves up luxe accommodations, highlighted by a posh afternoon of high tea or indulgent spa treatments. During the holidays, their decorated windows take guests on a trip around the world, and TRAX trains stopping right out front that whisk you through the free-fare zone to nearby City Creek Center for shopping and enjoying the lights at Temple Square.
Southern Hotspots
Photo credit: Moab Area Travel Council
Wintertime amid the red rocks of Southern Utah can be truly magical, with the deserts even dusted with snow at times. Fold in the benefit of off-season lodging prices and smaller crowds, and a trip to the National Parks could be just the thing to kick away the wintertime blues. The Utah Office of Tourism refers to it as, “The Season Less Traveled,” and lays out a few different itineraries that can range from five to seven days, and are filled with hoodoos, arches and even some skiing or boarding at Brian Head Resort.
Whether it’s staying home, or staying nearby, this is the perfect time to try a staycation while safely supporting our local economy. If you’re thinking of making Park City your first or second home, call Christine at 435-640-4238, or visit her website here, and you’ll quickly see why so many people Choose Park City to hunker down in a new place.