Through 50 years of hard work, Park City has established itself of one of the world’s best resort towns. With its primo winters and sumptuous summers, it is hard to imagine that Park City has down time, but during these early weeks of spring our town is eerily quiet. This time of year, lovingly referred to as Mud Season by locals, is when we catch our breath and take a break between the peak tourist periods. However, don’t be fooled by the lack of bustle. Parkites are getting down and dirty!
Fat Tire Fantasy!
If there is one thing Parkites love as much as skiing, it’s mountain biking. The passion for mountain biking is so deep, in fact, that Storm Cycles, Jans, White Pine Touring and many other outfitters have begun offering fat tire bike rentals year-round. Rain or shine, snow or dirt, grab the family, rent some fat tires and go get dirty on Park City’s legendary 300+ mile trail system. It’s the adult version of jumping into a giant puddle for the sake of getting muddy. It just inspires the child inside to come out and play!
Swaner’s Wetlands
The Swaner Preserve and Ecocenter is one of the best demonstrations of Park City’s commitment to understanding and improving the environment. As wetlands disappear across the world, Swaner permanently protects more than 1,200 acres of open space and wetlands that are home to many diverse populations of wildlife. The Mud Season is the perfect time of year to tour this gem of public service to witness life returning in riotous multitudes after the long winter. Even if the weather is bad, your family can watch birds nesting from the observation tower, test your skills on the climbing wall, or attend an educational event in the main lobby.
Road Trip!
Mud Season also sees the weekend migration of hundreds of Parkites to Utah’s other coolest town, Moab. Nothing is better than breaking up your routine with a quick road trip four hours south and ten degrees warmer. The drive down is a trip through geologic time. As you turn off I-215 onto State Highway 6, the landscape begins to change rapidly until you find yourself surrounded by some of the grandest art in nature. Photographs of Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Dead Horse Point State Park, and the La Sal Mountains have filled countless coffee table books with their breathtaking beauty. Moab is in the center of them all and is only a few minutes drive from each. Scroll through their website and let yourself get excited by all there is to see and do.
The Mud Season is a low point in Park City’s tourist business but it is the high point for locals to fully immerse themselves in where they live. The ritual of getting plastered in mud, washing it off, and going out for a locally brewed beer is a soul cleansing routine.
