Park City in summer is a different town from the ski resort Utah Valley drives up to in January. The lifts carry bikes, Main Street closes for markets and an arts festival, an Olympic park turns its ski jumps into tubing hills, and a new trail now ties the town's silver mining ruins together with an audio tour. It is an hour from Provo, and most of what follows costs little or nothing.
This page is the summer list. For the winter ski comparison, the two routes over and why prices run high, our Park City day-trip guide is the one to read; for the Epic Pass arithmetic, see Park City Mountain from Utah Valley; and for eating cheaply once you are there, Park City without the Park City price.
Getting there and getting around
By car: OpenStreetMap routing puts the Park City Museum on Main Street about 46 miles and an hour from Center Street and University Avenue in Provo, and Utah Olympic Park about 49 miles and 66 minutes, both without traffic. The summer route runs up Provo Canyon on US-189, through Heber on US-40, and into town on SR-248.
Once you are there: on the busiest weekends, parking is the hard part, not the drive. During the 2026 Kimball Arts Festival, for example, the city ran free park-and-ride lots at Richardson Flat, Park City High School and Park City Mountain with free buses to Old Town, while the China Bridge garage charged $9 an hour. Using the park-and-ride on big weekends saves both money and patience.
Fifteen things to do in Park City in summer
1. Summer activities at Utah Olympic Park
Built for the 2002 Winter Games, the nearly 400-acre park holds one of only four sliding tracks in North America and six Nordic ski jumps, and in summer it opens a run of paid activities beside them. The 2026 summer guide listed every individual activity at $35: an Alpine Slide that runs just over half a mile through 11 banked turns, the Discovery Adventure Course for ages 3 and up with a 346-foot zip line, airbag jumps from 5, 10 and 15-foot platforms, and, for ages 10 and up, an inner-tube ride down the landing hill of a Nordic ski jump at up to 50 mph. Closed-toe athletic shoes are required. Our Utah Olympic Park guide covers it in depth. Getting there: 3419 Olympic Parkway. Cost: $35 per activity in 2026. Season: May 22 to September 20 in 2026; the park reported all summer activities closed for the year by October. Utah Olympic Park
2. Alf Engen Ski Museum and the 2002 Olympic Winter Games Museum
The free half of the Olympic park. The Joe Quinney Winter Sports Center holds the Alf Engen Ski Museum, which tells the history of every skiing discipline in the region with touch screens, videos, games, topographic maps and a virtual reality ski theater, and the Eccles Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Winter Games Museum, with artifacts and highlights from the Games. It is the cheapest hour in Park City and works year-round. Getting there: Utah Olympic Park, 3419 Olympic Parkway. Cost: Free. Season: Daily, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., as listed in October 2026. Museums at Utah Olympic Park
3. Park City Museum
The town history museum sits on Main Street, starts visitors in a passenger train car with a video about the town's beginnings, and keeps its galleries cold, the old jail most of all, to protect the artifacts. Its changing gallery through April 4, 2027 is "Park City Loves a Parade," on the town's parades and protests. The museum also runs summer walking tours and is the starting point for the Historic Mine Route below. Getting there: 528 Main Street. Cost: $15 for adults, $11 for seniors, students and military, free for anyone 17 and under, as listed in October 2026. Season: Daily, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with last admission around 4:15 p.m.; closed Thanksgiving and Christmas. Park City Museum
4. Historic Mine Route
Park City was a silver mining town before it was a ski town, and this new loop links what is left on the mountain. It runs about seven miles, with a ten-mile variation for mountain bikers, past 24 historic sites including the Silver King Mine complex, Sweeney's Switchbacks and Empire Canyon. A free downloadable map plays GPS-triggered audio at each stop, narrated with help from mining engineers, geologists and paleontologists, and 11 new signs carry historic photos. The Friends of Ski Mountain Mining History built it over several years for about $220,000, most of it grant money; a ribbon cutting was planned for Miners Day, September 7, 2026. Getting there: Starts at the Park City Museum and ends back on Main Street. Cost: Free. Season: Summer and early fall, once the mountain trails are dry. KPCW on the new route
5. Park Silly Sunday Market
A free open-air artist market and street festival on Historic Main Street, run by a nonprofit, rain or shine. It does not run every Sunday: the 2026 dates were June 7, 14, 21 and 28, July 12 and 19, August 30, and September 6, 13, 20 and 27, so check the calendar before planning a trip around it. Getting there: Historic Main Street. Cost: Free. Season: Selected Sundays, June through September, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Park Silly Sunday Market
6. Kimball Arts Festival
Park City's big August arts weekend takes over Main Street. In 2026 it ran August 7 to 9 with 195 registered artists, and Main Street, Heber Avenue and Swede Alley closed to cars from early Friday through Sunday night. The free park-and-ride lots and buses are the way in, and a bike valet sat on 7th Street. It is either the reason to drive up that weekend or the reason to pick another one. Getting there: Main Street; park at Richardson Flat or another free lot and ride the bus. Cost: The Park Record's 2026 preview did not list general admission prices; check the Kimball Art Center before you go. Season: An August weekend. The Park Record's 2026 preview
7. Park City Farmers Market
The market began when a Kamas baker started selling his bread, spent more than 20 years at the base of Canyons, and moved back to Park City Mountain in 2024. Its 2026 season was its 25th. Expect produce, baked goods and more from local sellers. Getting there: The First Time parking lot at Park City Mountain. Cost: Free to browse. Season: Wednesdays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., from late May, rain or shine. KPCW on the 25th season
8. Deer Valley Music Festival
The Utah Symphony's summer home, outdoors at the Snow Park Outdoor Amphitheater, where people spread blankets on the lawn. The 2026 festival, its 22nd season, ran eight shows from July 17 to August 15: Beethoven's Ninth, Stravinsky's Firebird Suite with Time for Three, Lyle Lovett, Chris Botti, Chicago in concert, Idina Menzel, film music and the music of Celine Dion. Deer Valley also books a separate concert series at the same amphitheater. Getting there: Snow Park, Deer Valley Resort. Cost: Ticketed; prices vary by show. Season: July and August. Deer Valley's 2026 announcement
9. Mountain Town Music's free shows
The local nonprofit that books live music around town says it programmed more than 318 community concerts in 2026, many of them free. In October 2026 its free shows were at Après Pendry at 5 p.m.; in summer the calendar fills out. Getting there: Venues vary; check the calendar. Cost: Many shows free; some ticketed. Season: Year-round, busiest in summer. Mountain Town Music
10. Egyptian Theatre
The theater on Main Street opened on Christmas Day, 1926, on the site of the earlier Dewey theater, which collapsed under a record snow load in 1916. It was the first theater in town to show talkies, was renamed the Silver Wheel in 1963, hosted Sundance screenings including the 1992 premiere of Reservoir Dogs, and was saved from foreclosure by a local group before a 1998 renovation. It turned 100 in 2026 and now runs live performances, including a youth theater program. Getting there: 328 Main Street. Cost: Ticketed by show. Season: Year-round.
11. McPolin Farm
The white barn at the entrance to town was built in 1922 by the McPolin family from reclaimed timber, fitted together without nails. The family ran a dairy there until 1947, a veterinarian grew the herd to about 100 cows after that, and the city bought the property in 1990. A trail runs along the upper edge of the property. The barn itself opens only for city-sponsored community events. Getting there: 3000 SR-224, with parking across the highway and an underpass to the barn, per its Google listing. Cost: Free to walk the trail and look. Season: Year-round for the trail; barn events are seasonal. Park City's McPolin Farm page
12. Swaner Preserve and EcoCenter
A 1,200-acre nature preserve at Kimball Junction, run by Utah State University Extension, with exhibits in the EcoCenter, preserve tours, and walks, talks and family programs. It is the quiet counterweight to the outlet stores across the road. Getting there: 1258 Center Drive. Cost: The site does not list general admission; check before you go. Season: EcoCenter open Wednesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., as listed in October 2026. Swaner Preserve and EcoCenter
13. Round Valley trails
Park City's open space on the east side of town: 694 acres with more than 30 miles of high desert trails. Wide, soft-surfaced trails make it a starting place for new mountain bikers, single-track loops climb from there, and the low elevation means it dries out earlier in spring and stays rideable later in fall than the resort trails. Getting there: The Park City Sports Complex at Quinn's Junction is the main trailhead. Cost: Free. Season: Spring through fall. Park City's Round Valley page
14. Historic Union Pacific Rail Trail State Park
A former rail line turned state park, nearly 30 miles long, from the mountains near Park City down to Echo Reservoir. It is open to biking, hiking, horseback riding, walking and, in winter, cross-country skiing, and it is the gentlest long ride in the area. Getting there: The Park City end is the easiest start from Utah Valley; check the state park map for trailheads. Cost: The state park page lists no fee. Season: Year-round. Utah State Parks
15. Lift-served summer at Deer Valley's Silver Lake
Deer Valley runs summer bike clinics and scenic trails around Silver Lake, and in 2026 it put local bands on the Silver Lake lawn from 1 to 4 p.m. Fridays through Sundays, June 26 through September 18, with lounge chairs set out for listeners, about 50 performances in all. It makes a mid-mountain lunch stop into an afternoon. Getting there: Silver Lake Village, Deer Valley Resort. Cost: Lift and bike prices vary; check the resort. Season: Late June to mid-September. Deer Valley's 2026 summer announcement
Building the day
For a family with young kids: the free museums at Utah Olympic Park in the morning, two or three $35 activities if the budget allows, then the Park City Museum or a Wednesday at the farmers market. Home through Heber in time for dinner.
For a couple or a group of students: a Sunday at the Silly Market (on a market Sunday), the Historic Mine Route on foot or by bike, and a Deer Valley lawn concert or a free Mountain Town Music show in the evening. Check the 2027 dates before you commit; most of these calendars change every year.
For riders: Round Valley first thing, before the heat, then the Rail Trail or lift-served terrain in the afternoon.
The Heber and Midway list, Things to Do in Heber and Midway, covers the valley you drive through on the way, and the best day trips from Provo puts Park City next to every other direction.
Related Guides
- Park City from Provo: The Year-Round Day Trip Guide
- Utah Olympic Park From Provo
- Where to Eat in Park City Without the Park City Price
- Park City Mountain From Utah Valley
- Heber Valley and Midway from Provo
- The 2034 Winter Olympics: Every Venue, Explained
Frequently Asked Questions
How far is Park City from Provo?
What can you do for free in Park City in summer?
How much are the summer activities at Utah Olympic Park?
When is the Park Silly Sunday Market?
When is the Kimball Arts Festival?
Is the Sundance Film Festival still in Park City?
What is the Historic Mine Route?
Where is the Park City Farmers Market?
Sources
The facts in this guide were checked against these sources. Hours, fees and rules change, so confirm anything time-sensitive with the source before you go. How we make Provo.com.
- Park City Municipal: McPolin Farm, Park City Municipal. Checked October 19, 2026.
- Round Valley Open Space, Park City Municipal. Checked October 19, 2026.
- Historic Union Pacific Rail Trail, Utah State Parks. Checked October 19, 2026.
- Plan your visit, Park City Museum. Checked October 19, 2026.
- Park City Museum (home), Park City Museum. Checked October 19, 2026.
- Swaner Preserve and EcoCenter, Utah State University Extension. Checked October 19, 2026.
- Utah Olympic Park, Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation. Checked October 19, 2026.
- 2026 Summer Activity Map and Guidelines, Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation. Checked October 19, 2026.
- Museums at Utah Olympic Park, Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation. Checked October 19, 2026.
- Park Silly Sunday Market. Checked October 19, 2026.
- 2026 Deer Valley Music Festival and Concert Series announced, Deer Valley Resort. Checked October 19, 2026.
- Deer Valley Music Festival schedule, Utah Symphony | Deer Valley Music Festival. Checked October 19, 2026.
- Mountain Town Music. Checked October 19, 2026.
- New trail invites public to Park City's historic mining sites, KPCW. Checked October 19, 2026.
- Kimball Arts Festival 2026 preview, The Park Record. Checked October 19, 2026.
- Kimball Arts Festival returns to Main Street with traffic and parking changes, KPCW. Checked October 19, 2026.
- Park City Farmers Market celebrates 25 years, KPCW. Checked October 19, 2026.
- Egyptian Theatre at 100, Park City Magazine. Checked October 19, 2026.
- Park City Museum, Egyptian Theatre and McPolin Farm Nature Trail listings, Google Places. Checked October 19, 2026.
- OSRM routing (OpenStreetMap data), drive estimates from Center St & University Ave, Provo, Project OSRM. Checked October 19, 2026.
