Some friends (two other couples) and my hubby & I (all 30's)have decided we would try skiing in Utah next year. We are all beginners/intermediates and want to go the first week of January. Park City/Deer Valley/Canyons are all appealing.

Can anyone tell us where the best town to stay at would be? I have rented condo's through VRBO.com before, so I plan to look there again for a place to stay, although I'd be happy to take recommendations! We just want to know what location is the best.

I understand there is a good shuttle service within the towns and between the three resorts, so we are willing to travel between areas. Also, we would like a place with some good bars or bands.

Thanks!

ttt

I have skied Park City and Deer Valley several times. Canyons is further out of Park City. The other two are within a mile of each other and there are shuttle buses. You will have no trouble finding bars and music in old downtown Park City! There are much cheaper hotels in Midway and Hueber City on the other side of the mountain but you would need a rental car for the 15 minute drive. Lodging in Park City is very expensive compared to the working class towns I mentioned.

Hi Allie,

If you are coming to PC to ski, I really wouldn't recommend staying anywhere, but Park City. There are tons of condos, hotels, B&B to choose from in a wide range of prices. Skiing is not a cheap sport, but January rates can be a bit lower than (horrors) Christmas!

Thanks for the advice! We were looking into renting a condo but are trying to decide if we really need a ski in/out. Is Deer Valley and Park City small enough where shuttle service to the slopes is very easy? Is there shuttle stops right in front of the slopes or do you have to go to a transportation center first?

Also, is it true you can buy lift tickets at the grocery store? Are the tickets less expensive in PC vs Colorado?

The shuttle at Deer Valley drops you off literally right under the lodge where you buy tickets and put your skies on.

I do this with a group of friends every year in January, and we've done Park City twice. We rented a condo at Canyon Crossing, which was fantastic. New, spacious, beautiful. There was stop on the local shuttle very near the condo, but the agency we rented through provided free door-to-door shuttle service through-out our stay. You just had to give them a call 15 minutes or so in advance. If you are interested, I'll try to find the name of that company --they rent lots of condo properties, and the shuttle service comes with all of them.

We have several in our group who are novice skiers, and this area has something for everyone -- we skiied both Park City Mountain and Deer Valley. Both great, but Deer Valley does not allow snowboarders.