Park City Summer Itinerary: 72 Hours of Biking, Craft Spirits, & Fly Fishing

Is Park City worth visiting in summer? The simple answer is, yes. In fact, it may actually be a better trip than in the winter. Not surprisingly, everyone treats Park City like the lights shut off once the lifts stop spinning. However, in 72 hours I biked a mountain until my quads burned, drank copious amounts of wine in a cellar that was holding more than 20,000 bottles, made my own gin by hand, fished in the Provo River in chest high waders and capped it off on the lawn at Silver Lake Lodge watching bartenders shake it up for the top prize. So if you are in search of what to do, all of this is in my Park City summer itinerary, and no powder required. 

Your Park City Summer Toolkit

The Coffee: Start early mornings, especially the 7:30am fishing pickup, with Ryze. Mushroom coffee beats jittery gas station drip when you've got three straight days of activity ahead of you.

The Stay: Book lodging near Deer Valley through Booking.com so Silver Lake Lodge is a walk, not a drive.

The Gear: Akova Gear covers you from the bike trail to the Chef's Table, one less outfit change between adventure and Après.

The Experiences: Book your guided bike ride, hike, or fly fishing trip through Viator before you land, guides book up fast in peak summer weeks.

The Recovery: Stock Liquid I.V. for the trip. Between elevation, three days of activity, and a wine cellar tasting on top of it, dehydration sneaks up faster than you'd think at 7,000 feet.

Do You Need a Car in Park City in Summer? If you're staying near Deer Valley and sticking to guided activities and shuttle transport, you can skip it. But if fly fishing or the distillery is on your list and you want the flexibility to move on your own schedule, rent something through DiscoverCars rather than betting on shuttle timing.

Day 1, Deer Valley Mountain Biking & 20,000-Bottle Wine Cellar

In the summer months you build into breakfast at Stein Eriksen's Glitretind. It is the kind of unhurried morning you just don't get during ski season. By 10am I was riding the lift at Deer Valley with a guide, ready to roll. The mountain in the summer moves at a different pace than it does when covered in snow. Green is green but dust kicks up behind your tire rather than powder in the winter time. Flow trails feel like forever as you cruise past aspens and taking in the stunning mountain views. Riding this with a guide who is there daily allowed me to skip the mistakes and hit the fun stuff twice. 

Three hours and my legs were feeling it as we rolled into the Sticky Wicket for lunch. Located upstairs in the Silver Lake Lodge, it offers up the vintage aprés feel that skiers love. Wood paneling, old posters and 80s tunes set the vibe as the Nashville fried chicken sandwich and local beer replace every calorie you earned on the ride. 

Guided vs Solo, What Actually Makes the Ride Worth It

Photo Credit: Stein Eriksen Lodge

The guides at Deer Valley are second to none and having one on day one is a no brainer. Riding with someone that knows which trails to take you down and how to hit them based on your skill set saves you time and makes the ride that much better. Solo works fine once you know the terrain. However, on an unfamiliar mountain the guide is the difference between a ride that is just good versus one that you actually tell stories about at dinner. 

That story kept going, even after the heaping plate of loaded brisket fries were finally digested from lunch. Later that afternoon we made the team at Stein Eriksen Lodge to tour their wine cellar complete with 20,000 bottles. The number alone stops you in your tracks but is even more of a site to see when sitting in floor to ceiling redwood racks and stored at a steady 55 degrees. We made our way through six pours, all from a carafe. No labels, just our nose, taste buds and a guess. As a group we did surprisingly well, topped off by me recognizing the Pinot Noir primarily because it is my wife's favorite varietal. From there we enjoyed a special fine dining Chef's Table dinner experience at 7880 in the Stein Eriksen Residences, where the lamb chops alone justified the whole day of pedaling.

Day 2: Deer Valley Hiking, Stein Eriksen Spa & Custom Gin Making

Same slow breakfast at the Glitretind, then the pace switched entirely. A Deer Valley guide met me on the lawn at Silver Lake for a hike. The slower climb allowed me to see all that I missed blowing past on a bike. Wild flowers on the side of the trail, the terrain expansion off in the distance all came mountain views that were stunning. Hiking at Deer Valley in the summer is the bike park's quieter cousin. Same mountain but with a completely different conversation. 

Lunch was hosted at Royal Street Café, right on the deck at Silver Lake Lodge and downstairs from the aforementioned Sticky Wicket. Blueberry Mojitos washed down the array of delicious food that replenished our stores. Afterward, I did something I rarely do on these trips. I indulged in a spa treatment. The Spa at Stein Eriksen Lodge is the secret reset button this itinerary needed. After a massage and two dips in the cold plunge my body had forgiven me for the hike and the bike ride.

What's the Best Time of Day for Après in Park City

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On weekends there is live music on the lawn beginning at 1. Normally, I'd say that's the perfect time to start, but you may want to earn your après a bit more, so 3-6 seems like the ideal time. The mountain begins to empty, the sun begins to set turning the light a bit more golden and the bars are just filled with enough people to make it fun but still avoid the dinner rush. 

If you have never done a whiskey pairing dinner, I highly recommend you do so at the Nelson Cottage by High West. Located 2 doors down from High West Distillery, this is a genuinely unique setup tucked inside the refurbished Nelson Cottage, every course landed as smoothly as the whiskey it was paired with. Then, because 72 hours in Park City apparently means you never stop moving, we made out way to Alpine Distilling on Main Street for their gin making experience, led personally by owner and master distiller Sara Sergent. Two and a half hours smelling, tasting and sifting through botanicals and learning the science behind it all before the stills finally too over and I walked away with a bottle of gin that I made myself. It's honestly one of the best souvenirs that I have ever taken home from a trip.

Day 3: Provo River Fly Fishing & Park City Mountain Mixer

Photo Credit: Mark Gorman Photography

Early start, like really early. 7:30 Am came too quickly as we made our way out to the Provo River. If you have never stood in chest high waders under the early morning sun with a fly rod in your hand, it is a reset worth taking on. 

Lunch followed closely after at Cena Risroante in the Chateaux Deer Valley, classic Italian where the dining room feels miles from the river you were just wading in. Coal fired pizzas and some of the best fried calamari filled out stomach for an afternoon of free time leading up to the main event. 

Park Silly Sunday Market and <span class=">live music in historic Main Street">

The Mountain Mixer cocktail contest on the grass at Silver Lake Lodge lived up to the hype. With a DJ spinning tunes, ten finalists, whittled down from 21, competed live on stage in front of three renowned judges and a highly opinionated audience. The winner, Adriel Danan from Dos Olas came with a cocktail called Crimson Smoked that people were lining up twice (okay maybe three times ) for. This is après in its purest form. Cowboy boots on, drink in hand, a whole town out to watch its bartenders show off.

Dinner at Tupelo brought about an end to the trip. A farm to table spot, it has spent a decade subtly building its stellar reputation complete with Wine Spectator and James Beard nods while still maintaining its neighborhood feel. With arguably some of the best bolognese I have had and the biscuits, oh the biscuits, it was a deserving send off to all of the great food eaten that week. 

Park City Summer Travel Intel & Logistics

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Fly fishing outfitters in town run trips rain, snow, or shine, so don't build in a weather contingency day you don't actually need. Alpine Distilling's gin making class runs for groups and books out fast, plan it weeks ahead if you want a Saturday slot. And despite what every ski town Instagram account implies, Park City's summer crowds run noticeably thinner than winter while the après scene stays every bit as sharp, maybe sharper, since the bartenders have all summer to compete for bragging rights.

What Are the Best Things to Do in Park City in Summer?

If you only have a long weekend, focus on biking, hiking, fly fishing, and one Main Street evening for dinner, drinks, and live music. That mix captures the mountain scenery, the food scene, and the summer après energy that make Park City feel worth the trip.

What to Pack for a Park City Summer Weekend

• Bike gloves and a light shell for gondola mornings, even in July the air up top runs cool
• Waders and a 4 to 6 weight rod if fly fishing is on the list, rentals are available if you'd rather not travel with gear
• A sun hat with a chin string and polarized sunglasses for the river
• A packable puffer or fleece for the evening temperature drop, it swings 30 degrees by dark
• One genuinely nice outfit for the wine cellar or Chef's Table, this isn't a trail running town at dinner
• Moisture wicking socks for the waders, your feet will thank you by hour three

The Park City Summer Trip Worth Taking

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Everyone knows what Park City looks like buried in snow, lifts spinning and a nice High West Old Fashioned on the deck at Royal Street. That's why ski season there gets the post card. By contrast, summer is the version that few have bothered to photograph yet. That is exactly why it is worth the trip. Same mountain, same famous restaurants, all minus the crowds and frozen toes. Three days here and I never once thought about the snow (okay, maybe just a little). I biked, I hiked, I tasted wine, I fished a river at sunrise, made my own bottle of gin and sipped award winning cocktails while watching bartenders fight it out for the championship on the lawn at Silver Lake Lodge. A summer trip to Park City is no consolation prize for a town between ski seasons. It's a trip all unto itself and it doesn't make you wait for a snowstorm to feel like you have earned it.