A family-friendly winter travel guide to Park City’s Deer Valley Resort. I’ll tell you where to stay, what to do and where to eat. Perfect for skiers and non-skiers alike!
Last month I returned to one of my most favorite ski resorts in the country: Park City’s Deer Valley Resort. While I’ve been to Deer Valley and Park City multiple times over the years, this trip was extra special because it was my first time returning with my entire family.
Like so many families, we do not all ski at the same level. I’ve been skiing since I was 7 and would consider myself an intermediate level skier. My husband on the other hand? He has only skied a handful of times in the past and the same goes for my children.
Whether you’re a family full of avid skiers, only one spouse skies or you’re all beginners looking to learn or improve, Deer Valley has plenty of activities and opportunities to make all of your ski trip wishes come true.
Before we into the activities, let’s talk about lodging. Our family of four stayed in a beautiful two bedroom condo located inside The Lodges at Deer Valley.
As you can imagine, when traveling with kids it is always nice to have plenty of room to spread out and relax. The boys shared a bedroom with two twin beds and we had our own master bedroom with a king bed.
What’s even better is the condo came with a full kitchen and dining area – perfect for relaxing with cookies and coffee after our day of fun in the snow.
While there are many lodging options at Deer Valley, we highly recommend the Lodges, especially when traveling with kiddos.
Now that we’ve covered lodging, let’s talk about winter activities at Deer Valley! If you’re never gone snowshoeing before, I highly recommend the snowshoe and s’mores tour.
Lead by the team at All Seasons Adventures, this one hour tour included an easy, flat path to snowshoe followed by make-your-own s’mores by the fire.
Perfect for kids of all ages, I highly recommend this activity if you’re looking for something to do other than skiing at Deer Valley.
(Don’t worry, we skied!! We will get to that shortly!) How gorgeous is this snowshoeing view?!
The next activity we crossed off our bucket list was snowmobiling! You’d think living in Michigan that we would be experts but this was our first time.
I would recommend this for kids ages 6 and above. Our boys absolutely loved it and this was my husband’s favorite activity of the entire trip.
Of course, there was no way we were going to visit Deer Valley without hitting the slopes! Since my husband and kids are all beginner skiers, we signed them up for lessons and ski school.
What’s incredible about skiing at Deer Valley is that you can pick up your rentals right inside the Lodges the night before you plan to hit the slopes. This was a huge time saver and made our morning stress free since we already had our equipment.
My husband signed up for a private ski lesson with one of Deer Valley’s incredible ski instructors. I highly recommend ski lessons to anyone – whether you’ve never skied before or you’ve been skiing for years, the instructor will provide you with one-on-one attention and help you work on techniques that are personalized to your needs. This will help you become more confident in powder, carve powerful turns and ski the bumps.
For little ones, Deer Valley offers ski school for children in various categories based on the age of the kiddos.
Ranging from 3-17, there is a customized program for little ones of all ages. You can learn more about ski school for kiddos here.
The best part is that you can enjoy your day – on or off the mountain – without worrying about skiing at the same level as your little ones.
While they learn, you can hit the black diamonds (or the blues like me.)
Now that we’ve covered lodging and activities, let’s talk about the best-kept secret of Deer Valley: the incredible food & beverage options!
At Deer Valley Resort, dining is truly an integral part of the complete vacation experience. Whether you’re looking for casual, family-friendly cafés and grills, to elegantly rustic restaurants, every Deer Valley dining experience is made with quality ingredients and creative, fresh preparations with an emphasis on locally sourced products.
A few of our favorites include the Seafood Buffet, Fireside Dining and Royal Street Cafe (located on the mountain.)
No matter where you choose to dine, the service is high quality and family-friendly.
The staff truly knows how to make you feel warm and welcome and the food is better than anything I’ve ever experienced at any ski resort around the country.
Fun Fact: Your stay at The Lodges includes a breakfast buffet each morning at The Brass Tag. I’d be lying if I said my kids didn’t love starting each day with unlimited Fruit Loops. Perks of spending your day skiing.
Huge thank you to Deer Valley for hosting us during our visit. We can’t wait to return next winter for another family getaway!
Disclosure: Our meals and accommodations were provided by Deer Valley Resort. All thoughts are my own. Photos were taken by myself and Deer Valley Resort.
Got the travel bug? Check out more destinations I’ve visited on my Pinterest board!