Canyons Village in Park City: A walkable and family friendly ski village
Winter/Spring 23-24
Written By: Evie Carrick | Images: Courtesy Visit Park City
Canyons Village acts as Park City Mountain’s northern base. It is both the most accessible part of the ski area — you’ll drive past it as you head toward Old Town — and the most family friendly, with the heated Orange Bubble Express chairlift and a children’s center. If you want to ski beyond the ski runs above Canyons Village, you can make your way toward the Quicksilver Gondola, which connects the two sides of Park City Mountain.
Part of the appeal of Canyons Village is the fact that it has everything you need — from grocery and liquor stores to restaurants and bars. The walkable village is outfitted with some of Park City’s best and most beautiful hotels, most with heated pools and in-house restaurants. A smattering of ski shops and clothing boutiques round out the offerings at this “village within a village.”
Those who want to venture into town can hop on one of the free, regularly running shuttles that connect Canyons Village with Old Town and Deer Valley.
CANYONS VILLAGE MUSTS:
Eat lunch mid-mountain at the Lookout Cabin restaurant, which is perched at approximately 9,000 feet above sea level
Grab a drink on the deck of the Umbrella Bar in the center of Canyons Village
Stop by Rocket Fizz for a sugary pick-me-up after a family ski day
Getting to (and around) Canyons Village
The biggest perk of staying in Canyons Village is the fact that once you park your car, you can forget about it — there’s no need to stress about driving on icy roads or finding a parking spot each night. But navigating the village takes some getting used to, especially if you’re not used to taking ski lifts and gondolas to get from Point A to Point B.
For most day visitors to Canyons Village, the free Cabriolet lot off of Highway 224 is the best option. The lot is completely free, but is first-come, first- served, and can fill up over winter holidays and weekends. From the Cabriolet lot you can hop on the free, open-air Cabriolet gondola and enjoy the short ride into the center of Canyons Village where you’ll find Canyons Village favorites like the Umbrella Bar and Murdock’s Café. At the point where the Cabriolet gondola ends, the enclosed Red Pine Gondola picks up and takes skiers to the Red Pine Lodge mid-mountain. From the top of the Cabriolet gondola you can also walk to the Orange Bubble Express, a heated chairlift that will get you even further up the mountain than the Red Pine Gondola.
Guests staying at the Club Wyndham, the Waldorf Astoria and the Juniper Landing condos will take the enclosed Frostwood Gondola, in lieu of the Cabriolet gondola. The Frostwood Gondola drops passengers at the base of the Orange Bubble Express. Meanwhile, those staying on the southern side of Canyons Village, near the Pendry or Hyatt Centric, can hop on the Sunrise double chairlift to get up the mountain.
In addition to the free Cabriolet lot, there are two paid parking lots in the Upper Village and Pendry — both of which operate on a first-come, first-served basis.
If you aren’t staying in Canyons Village and don’t want to worry about parking in the village, you can park further afield and take Park City’s free public transit to the base area. Those coming from Jeremy Ranch and Kimball Junction can hop on High Valley Transit’s No. 101 — Spiro shuttle, which transports passengers up and down Highway 224 with a stop in Canyons Village. At the Canyons Village Transit Hub, skiers can hop on the No. 105 — Canyons Village Shuttle, which picks up passengers every 15 minutes, seven days a week.
Guests can also get all over Canyons Village via Canyons Village Connect, a free, on-demand shuttle that you can request via an app on your phone.
