Happy weekend from Deer Valley, Utah!
I flew from Charlotte to Salt Lake City on Thursday night. We arrived in a little after 9p and landing in Salt Lake City at sunset was beautiful. Flying over the Great Salt Lake was spectacular and the mountain scenery in Utah is amazing.
Since we got in so late, we checked into The Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City. It’s less than 10 minutes from the airport and was a perfect stop over before heading into Deer Valley. Our room was so lovely and the hotel was great. I would definitely stay at The Grand America again.
We had breakfast at the hotel on Friday morning. I had an açaí bowl and scrambled eggs.
And then squeezed in a workout while he had to get some work done. The hotel had a spacious and well-equipped fitness center. I ran 25 minutes on the treadmill with some hill and sprint intervals and then did the following strength workout:
SET 1 – 3 ROUNDS
15 goblet squats (35# dumbbell)
10 single arm rows (each arm) kneeling on the bench (20# dumbbell)
15 incline push ups with feet on floor and hands on bench
10 single leg step ups (each leg) keeping lead leg planted on bench for all 10 step ups before switching (15# dumbbell each hand)
SET 2 – 3 ROUNDS
10 kettlebell sumo deadlift to high pull (30# kettlebell)
10 bicep curls (15# dumbbells)
20 kettlebell alternating back step lunges (30# kettlebell – switch hands each time you step back)
15 tricep dips
SET 3 – 2 ROUNDS
20 bench reverse crunches
10 plank up and downs (high plank to forearm plank)
10 plank alternate knee to same tricep
10 plank alternate knee to opposite elbow
We Ubered to Deer Valley midday and checked in at the St. Regis. Our room wasn’t quite ready so we had lunch on the terrace and then took a shuttle into Park City to wander around for a couple of hours.
This area is known for its winter skiing but it’s a great place to visit in the summer as well, especially for a holiday weekend like July 4! The weather is awesome – 80s, sunny and low humidity during the day and into the 50s at night – and there is a lot to do. We plan to do a few hikes on the ski mountains, shop around in Park City, have spa treatments and relax by the pool. I love being in the mountains during summertime.
Historic Main Street in Park City runs a little over a half a mile and is lined with various shops and restaurants. On Sundays during the summer they close Main Street to cars and it becomes a pedestrian district with an open-air market and street festival. We’ll be sure to check that out tomorrow, and I know it will be extra festive being July 4.
Our room was ready when we arrived back at the St. Regis. It’s spacious and includes a separate full kitchen and living area. If you were here for a ski week, it would be awesome to have this kitchen!
We have two gas burning fireplaces and two terraces with mountain views. Very cozy and comfortable.
The bathroom is spacious with a walk-in shower, a full tub and double vanity. There is a TV built into the mirror!
After getting settled into our room and cleaned up, we shuttled back into Park City (only about a 7-10 minute ride) for dinner at Firewood. I will write a separate post at the end of the trip with our Park City eats but dinner was delicious with impeccable service! The sun was setting as we made our way back to Deer Valley and I was settled into bed reading by 10p.
I am signing off to get ready to spend the day hiking! I’ll be back with a full trip recap in a few days. I hope you all have a safe and happy holiday weekend.
QUESTIONS
Do you prefer visiting the mountains in the winter or summer?
Have you ever been to Utah? We want to make a separate trip and hit places like Bryce Canyon and Zion.
What are your plans for the weekend?
Definitely recommend Zion and St George! I didn’t make it to Bryce – but definitely heard great things. The Zion experience varies depending on the time of year and I definitely recommend spending at least a few days in Zion for all the hikes! We flew into Vegas and drove up to St George (was running the St George Marathon). It’s much closer than driving from SLC. Enjoy your vacation!
So cool that you ran the St George Marathon. I’ve read so much about it on Hungry Runner Girl’s blog!
Beautiful! I never think of this sort of thing in the summer but this looks lovely and fun. So glad you’re having a nice weekend away!
I love the beach and the mountains in the shoulder/off seasons. So gorgeous and less crowded!
Nice! I used to live in Salt Lake and honeymooned in Park City. Three years ago I moved to Kentucky but wish I’d never left. I miss it so much!
What a great honeymoon spot! 🙂 I bet you do miss it but I hope you are enjoying life in KY!
We also did park city in the summer – it’s beautiful! We loved brunch at The Bridge, doing the alpine slide, walking on Main Street! So much fun
Ohhhh I wanted to check out the alpine slide and the olympic training center but the reservations were booked the day we looked. Next time! I think Finn would love it.
Your pictures are breathtaking! Now I really want to go to Utah! Also I’m so happy you’re having such a great time on all of these trips!
Thanks Liz! It’s been nice to get away a few times as we emerge from the pandemic.
I absolutely LOVE the mountains. My families vacation home is in Steamboat, Colorado. We love going their for skiing, but those trips never feel like vacations. When we need a break from reality and a true rest and relaxation, we go in the summer/fall. If you ever want to go to a “small” mountain town with a more “laid back” feel, you should definitely check out Steamboat. <3
I love the beach and the mountains in the shoulder seasons where they’re less crowded but still so beautiful. Thank you so much for your info on Steamboat. I can’t wait to check it out one day! Sounds so peaceful and beautiful!
We are visiting Park City too at the moment! Do you know of any good yoga studios to try here?
I am so sorry that I didn’t get to respond to this comment in the moment. I didn’t visit any yoga studios but my friend who lives there told me that Yoga Collective in Kimball Junction is a good spot.
Utah is soooo underrated in the summer! Everyone goes in the winter to ski, but it’s so magical and even more to do in the summer. SO glad you got to experience it!!!!
100% underrated. I know why you love your home state so much!
Thank you for such a refreshing post. So generous of you to share your vacation with us. I enjoyed the pics.?
Looks so nice! Can you tell me what brand of shorts (green) and shirt (white tank) you have on in the picture where you are on main street?
Yes, absolutely! They’re both from Target! 🙂 I think the shorts are the Universal Thread brand but I got them last year. The tank is the A New Day brand and I got it a couple of months ago!
I’ve only been to Salt Lake City in the Winter. I’ve skied Park City and Snowbasin! I’ve been to Moab several times in the spring and late summer and it’s gorgeous! I live in Denver, so I love the mountains both in the summer and winter. We don’t have an air conditioner so the mountains are a great place to go when it’s really hot here. We got a pop up camper in November last year. We had loosely talked about it and then our neighbors upgraded to a much nicer camper and sold them theirs at an insane price that we couldn’t say no to. We used it for the first time this week and it was so much fun! We went with our 3 yr old, 6 week old, and yellow lab/Great Dane mix and though the car was full on the drive, the camper felt so spacious compared to our tent camping days! We camped off Dillon Reservoir and popped into Breckenridge for a day. Highly recommend any mountain town in Colorado! The hiking is always gorgeous!
Hey Kathy – I hope I get to experience skiing in Utah one day! Love that you are in Denver. I’ve only heard the best things about that city and how wonderful that you’re in such close proximity to so much nature. I LOVE that you got a pop-up camper! How cool and wonderful for summer adventures.
LOVE Utah. I’ve always said I’ve never seen blue’er skies than Utah 🙂 Zion was great but Bryce is still my favorite ever. Hope you’ve had a great time there!
Cannot wait to visit both of those incredible places!