Park City, Utah

I had always wanted to see Park City, home of Utah's best ski resorts. The western and southern mountains are mostly denuded for ski runs.   I wasn't sure where to go and what to see, but it wasn't fancy ski resorts.  I wanted to hike a trail and visit the historical part of town, which once was a mining town on McLoed Creek.  Getting around the narrow, steepled streets was no fun, and I had no idea where any trails were that weren't too far out of town.  I managed a short walk on the east side of town, near the golf course and ski run, but didn't stay for long.

The historic Main Street is nice, but I had trouble finding affordable parking.  There was nothing free in town when I drove through.  I'd pull into a 20-minute parking area, dash out, leaving Sadie in the van, and spring down the street to take photos.  My first impression was of a very wealthy town that attracts wealthy people, but everything was up-scale

The town began after the Civil War when Mormons came through,  Silver and lead mines were left for others to operate.  A massive fire in 1898, the largest in Utah at the time, destroyed the original wooden structures.  This explains why what one sees now in the historic section is rebuilt stone buildings built early in the 20th century, or colorful replicated wooden buildings.  The massive ski lodges outside of town came later, in the 1960s.

I didn't get to enjoy the town much because I stressed over parking and keeping Sadie in the van.  But I liked what I saw, and if it weren't for the crowds and the high prices, I would have tried harder to find a decent place to park and walk around town.  I couldn't do that with Sadie's anxiety around crowds and city sounds.  The oldest brewpub in Utah is here with the Wasatch Brewery (brewpub), operating since 1986, but I will have to explore that another time.

7/11