So, we needed to get to Bend. But Bend is a long drive, and by now we have learned that “just power through it” is rarely the most fun answer.
So instead, we asked ourselves: what if we found a great place to do a two-week layover?
We debated a few options. Jackson Hole. Yellowstone. Glacier National Park. All amazing ideas in theory, but it was still mud season, and the snowpack up north was apparently not interested in cooperating with our plans. So those options quickly got crossed off the list.
That led us to Park City.
Over 400 miles of trails. A great mountain resort town feel. And, as a bonus, it was shoulder season, which meant discounted lodging and fewer people. That felt like a pretty solid win.
By now, you can probably guess the general pattern we’ve settled into on this adventure. Yes, we mountain biked. Yes, we hiked. Yes, we had a visitor. Yes, we loved being back in a mountain setting. Yes, yes, yes.
After all, the mantra of this whole adventure has been saying yes to more things.
So, what were the highlights of Park City?
Let’s start with the trails.
With over 400 miles of interconnected trails, Park City is very clearly built around outdoor life. Everyone is out hiking, biking, walking, exploring, or generally looking like they own at least three pairs of expensive outdoor apparel,
The best part? Park City has a free bus system that will shuttle you about 1,200 feet up the hill, setting you up for what can become endless shuttle laps. They also have a bike park with lift-assisted riding, but that wasn’t quite open for the season yet. Remember the whole shoulder season thing? Great for lodging prices. Less great for chairlifts.
But we still biked. A lot.
My buddy Alex made his second guest appearance on our adventure and joined us for Memorial Day weekend. We took to the trails and logged about 65 miles over the weekend. And for those not familiar, that is a lot of mountain bike miles in a few days.
Even better, Katie graciously shuttled us to the top of the hill multiple times, which meant our total descending more than doubled anything we actually climbed. Some people might call this cheating. We prefer to call it strategic fun.
When we weren’t on the bikes, we spent our time exploring the Park City area. We made multiple walking trips through downtown, which has that old mining town feel tucked deep into the Park City valley. We also made our way down to Heber City and Midway, exploring both of those beautiful little communities. And, because apparently we are now people who travel with golf clubs, we even got out for nine holes at Park City’s town course.
Overall, Park City was a win.
It was the perfect way to break up our long journey to Bend, and it gave us exactly what we needed: mountain air, trails, good food, room to explore, and a reminder that sometimes the layover becomes one of the best parts of the trip.
Park City is definitely a resort town, but it is also an incredibly easy escape from Salt Lake City. We left thinking, “Wow, we need to come back here in the winter to ski.” Well, at least I was thinking that.
Now we are off to Bend, Oregon, where we will be settling in for the next three full months.
Summer in Bend? Yes, please.
