Summer at the Resorts

The snow is gone but the fun hasn't stopped at Utah's mountain resorts. The resorts are great places to elude summer's heat and relax or enjoy recreational activities. Options range from viewing wildflowers and wildlife to lift-served mountain biking and thrilling zip-lines.

Many of our resorts are clustered around Salt Lake City. The city itself is a great destination offering almost unlimited opportunity for entertainment and recreation. The Salt Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau is offering a unique Connect Pass providing discounts at major area attractions. Learn more here.

The canyons on the east side of the Salt Lake Valley were enticing summer retreats long before they became famous ski areas. The first pioneer settlers often loaded picnic supplies into wagons and escaped into the canyons to enjoy the cool air and mountain scenery.

Many people trek to the Albion Basin above Alta to enjoy one of Mother Nature's spectacular wildflower shows. This festival of color will peak toward the end of July. The town of Alta is sponsoring free shuttle rides to help reduce automobile traffic into the basin. The shuttle is scheduled to operate on summer weekends (Saturday and Sunday), and holidays (July 24th and Labor Day), and it may be extended to additional weekends in September.

Snowbird has long been known as a center for summer fun. It offers a ZipRider, Alpine Slide, hiking, biking, horseback and ATV riding, tram and lift rides, camps, concerts and festivals. The resort also has a bouncy castle, climbing wall and mechanical bull.

New at Snowbird is the Wasatch Mining Company Gemstone Mine. For $6, participants get a bag filled with dirt and minerals scooped from the area, which is near old mining claims. Gold was mined here and your bag could include some. Participants can then use real prospecting equipment to "pan" and see if their bag contains gold or other precious minerals.

Music events are common at the resorts during summer. Snowbird sponsors a free Cool Air Concert Series that runs through Aug 9. A number of festivals will also be held at the resort, including the Snowbird Tent Revival: A Celebration of Gospel Music, Aug 14-16. For more information, visit www.snowbirdrc.org.

Nearby Park City area resorts also offer a wide range of summer activities. Deer Valley boasts a high-profile concert series featuring outdoor performances by the Utah Symphony. Park City Mountain Resort has popular attractions including the Alpine Slide, Alpine Coaster and ZipRider.

The Utah Olympic Park offers bobsled rides, the Quicksilver Alpine Slide and other attractions.

Golf course fairways extend into the foothills and canyons around Salt Lake City and also offer cool temperatures and great summer recreation. In particular, Mountain Dell Golf Course is in a mountain canyon where temperatures are always more pleasant.

A Salt Lake Golf Super Pass is now available. With it, if you buy a threesome your 4th person golfs for free!

- Dave Webb

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