In partnership with American Airlines, the six-day itinerary included Park City, Bear Lake, Flaming Gorge, Vernal and Heber Valley. Abbey reviews her experiences in a region that will be in the world spotlight when Salt Lake City hosts the 2034 Winter Olympics.
Park City was the first stop on our Utah adventure and who knew it would be so much fun with its breweries, great dining and historic Main Street.
You can only imagine what the buzz will be like during winter and in the lead up to the Olympic Games with nearby Salt Lake City the official host destination in 2034.
Park City Mountain Resort and the Olympic Village itself are so well set up. An all-season destination, there’s also so much to do in the warmer months outside of the ski season, including alpine slides, the Mountain Coaster, climbing wall, mountain biking trails and ZipRider.
Our trip to Utah included several hotel stays. AC Hotel by Marriott Park City is a sophisticated property, with its minimalist design and a great mountain-ski lodge vibe.
The rooms were spacious in size and modern in design. The location was ideal, with easy access to shopping, restaurants and a free shuttle bus into town. It was an easy, comfortable and very accessible stay.
Abbey on Bear Lake (above)
At Bear Lake we stayed in glamping tents at Conestoga Ranch. It was a lot of fun for those that prefer a camping-style experience set among the natural surrounds and under starry night skies.
Flaming Gorge Resort was a very cute and popular hotel in a superb location in the Dutch John region of Utah.
A must-see photo stop in the area is the Red Canyon Overlook next to the Visitor Centre, looking 430 metres (1,400 feet) straight down.
Best Western Heber Valley was another top spot for its comfortable lodgings and spacious rooms, and all set in a great location with Heber Valley renowned for skiing, snowmobiling, hiking, fishing and boating all year-round.
Utah also knows how to do food! All the meals on our trip were sizeable and utterly delicious, with no bad dishes to be had.
My two favourites during our trip included Riverhorse in Park City and the Midway Mercantile.
Riverhorse has won several awards for its dining, including 16-years as a recipient of the Forbes Travel Guide Four Star Award, and it’s easy to see why it’s a culinary gem in Park City. It is one of the oldest and most distinguished restaurants on the historic Main Street.
Midway Mercantile serves up some of the freshest and locally sourced cuisine in Heber Valley. Chef John Platt tries to centre the experience around the four pillars of family, friends, food and fire, cooking many of the dishes on the central hearth.
Utah really offered it all. From natural landscapes with its canyons and gorges, variety of outdoor adventure experiences both on and off the water, teamed up with sophisticated accommodation, urban centres and great dining.
We had the best time and enjoyed so many unbelievable activities and experiences. My socials went crazy while I was on the road, posting images of the incredible things we were taking part in each day.
Since I’ve returned, I’ve received so many questions about Utah, with many not realising how much variety there is across the destination. Utah really is life, elevated.
