Here's a little secret about Deer Valley: it may be known for its perfect Utah powder, but the locals will tell you that summer is where it's at. In summer, daylight lingers long past 9:00 pm, the mountains are filled with wildflowers, and the bustling yet quaint town of Park City keeps visitors well supplied with great eats, refreshing drinks, and plenty of entertainment.
Plus, if adventure travel is your thing, you'll feel right at home in this mountain town. Here are a few of our favorite summer activities at Deer Valley.
Deer Valley offers lift-serviced mountain biking in the summer, to the tune of 70 miles of singletrack trail that flows and curves down the resort's six mountains. Three lifts offer uphill service and spare your legs the grueling 3,000-foot vertical climb from the base to the summit. If 70 miles of trails aren't quite enough, the Deer Valley network links into an additional 400 miles of mountain bike trails in Park City.
Deer Valley's Snow Park Outdoor Amphitheater is home to three (yes, three!) music festivals each summer. The first, the Deer Valley Concert Series, brings mainstream popular acts like Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals and Lukas Nelson & the Promise of the Real to the hip outdoor venue. If classical is more your style, check out the Utah Symphony's Deer Valley Music Festival, which features chamber music, classical, and pops offerings from June through August. Last, but not least, the Grand Valley Bank Community Concert Series offers free concerts on Wednesday evenings throughout the summer.
Is there anything better than catching live music as the sun sets, after a day of exploring? No, we don't think so, either.
Chairlift-accessed hiking is one of those activities that, until you do it, you don't realize how cool it can be. Hitching a ride up on one of the three summer chairlifts at Deer Valley means that you can spend more time getting big views at high elevation, and less time sweating it out. Check out the popular Silver Lake Trail or Ontario Canyon.
Summer in the Utah mountains is just about as good as life gets. Grab your bike, your hiking shoes, and your sense of adventure. Deer Valley is waiting.
Images courtesy of Deer Valley Resort