Things to do in Park City with Kids
Park City is one of our favorite places to explore for the day. We live under an hour away and haven’t grown tired of it yet. There’s tons of things to do in Park City with kids, and yes, we take advantage of the FREE things most times. So read on to learn about our favorite spots to take little kids in Park City.
(psst! You’ll want to pin this post as I plan to return with updates the more we explore!)
FAQs
Are there free things to do in Park City with kids?
Most definitely. The parks, the Olympic Museum, the splash pad, Swaner Preserve, and of course: hiking! Taking a walk down main street is really fun too. On Sundays in the summertime, the Park Silly Market takes over main street and although there are a ton of people, the energy, food trucks, and vendors are fun to experience. Read the rest of the article for more details ↓
What is the best month to visit Park City?
Every season in Park City offers something special. Of course, it’s famous for skiing in the winter and summertime can get busy too. We also love the quieter shoulder seasons. Fall is gorgeous and pleasant while spring is cool with strong and soak-able sunshine!
What to do in Park City on a budget?
I was surprised to find all the fun things to do in Park City with kids on a budget. Read on, my friend – this article covers our family’s personal favorites.
What are some good places to eat in Park City with kids?
A great spot right downtown Main Street is Annex Burger. It’s geared towards kids and our little ones love the food. Park City Brewing is another place we’ve enjoyed in Park City with kids on the “outskirts” of the tourism hot spots. Otherwise, we really enjoy packing a lunch or grabbing something fast for the park from Del Taco or Subway!
What is there to do in Park City if you don’t ski?
Most of this article covers things you can do in Park City with kids if you don’t ski! So keep reading to find great non-skiing activities in Park City.
Is there a free gondola in Park City?
Yes, read my summary of scenic rides here.
Our favorite: E-Bike the Park City Trail System
This is our go-to for an afternoon of family adventure. Park City’s trail system is HUGE and can get you pretty much anywhere you want to go in the area. From parks to restaurants, this is how we get around.
If you don’t have an e-bike, you can use the Summit Bike Share. They have stations all over and the app makes it easy to ride an e-bike around Park City for an affordable price. If you have more needs like a way to tote around children, there are plenty of bike shops that offer rentals.
Check out the Park City Trail system’s interactive map here!
Playgrounds in Park City
Not gonna lie: I think our kids get stoked about our day trips to Park City because they think it’s a city of parks…which, they’re not actually wrong. Utah has some of the best playgrounds I’ve ever seen and Park City is no exception. Our favorite ones to visit are even along the biking trails, so we utilize them as our halfway destination or stretch breaks.
Here’s a few of our favorites:
Trailside Park
Complete with a bike, skate, and dog park, Trailside Park in Park City is an awesome one-stop destination for the whole family. There’s even pickleball and tennis courts on the complex.
Prospector Park
Prospector Park is small, but also a great stop along the trail. We love the big shade trees and the climbing features are top-notch in my kids’ eyes. It tends to be quieter than the other big parks and we’ve even had a great time visiting in the winter!
Willow Creek Park
We love the Willow Creek playground and surrounding area. It’s a great stop along the bike trail too. There’s swings and shade and even a rocking ship. My climbers love the ropes and slides too. Right next to it, is a dog park that has it’s own pond which brings me to…
The dog parks are great for kids too!
As mentioned above, the Willow Creek Park has a dog park dedicated to those water-loving pups. My kids love to watch the dogs jumping off the dock to fetch tennis balls.
However, our favorite dog park to visit as a whole bunch is the Run-A-Muck Off-Leash Dog Area. It features 43 fenced-in acres with 2.8 miles of trail. We found this spot when we lived in a townhome with two dogs that needed some off-leash time while we also had our hands full with a baby.
It has turned into our favorite places to go “hiking” as a family with tiny kids. We’ve never run into unfriendly dogs or their humans and everybody loves to see our kids out hiking around. It was really the perfect spot to introduce our small children to hiking while not having to worry too much about our friendly dogs.
The Run-a-Muck area has become one of our favorite go-to things to do in Park City with kids!
Cross Country Ski for Free in Park City
Park City boasts a huge cross country skiing trail system that is maintained throughout the winter months. Most of the trails are free to access and if you don’t have your own gear, many places offer affordable rentals. When my kids were babies, I’d just carry them on my back or pull them in a little buggy. Now that they are a bit older, we’ve borrowed some tiny skis and they have a blast (even if we only make it a hundred feet!).
Basin Rec updates trail reports here in the winter. And Mountain Trails also has some interactive maps here.
Ride a Gondola for free in Park City with kids
So this has been on my list for a while now, but the summer I’m writing this article, there is some major construction going on! The Cabriolet Gondola used to be free to ride year-round in Park City, but it’s getting a major upgrade. Soon, the Cabriolet Skyway will be operating and it will also be free. Stay tuned for a little update once I get to experience it for myself!
For more information on scenic lift rides, you can visit the Park City Mountain Resort Page here.
Deer Valley also has summer lift tickets where kids ride free with a paying adult. Learn more here.
Basin Rec Splash Pad
The Basin Rec Splash Pad in Kimball Junction is beautiful and easy to get to. It’s definitely a highlight of our summer trips and a great thing to do with kids in Park City. I prefer to bring my own Crazy Creek, but there’s also some shaded seating for parents. This is a spot we like to start and end our bike rides because I can take the kids to cool off at the pad while my husband takes care of gear loading/unloading.
Swaner Preserve and EcoCenter
We took a pit stop at the Swaner Preserve while on a bike ride one day and I had no idea how much my three year old would love it. Years later, she’s still asking to go back and use the complimentary binoculars they hand out for your journey on the boardwalk trails. Because we went on a nice day, we didn’t spend too much time inside, but it looked like there was a lot of great activities to be had indoors as well.
The Free Olympic Museum
We recently took a walk through the Alf Engen Museum and it was really cool. There were some interactive things for kids to do, but also some cool history that brought back great memories of my childhood in watching the 2002 Winter Olympics. The museum is free, but there are some decently-priced adventure-like activities you can pay to do there like zip line over the ski jump or ride down the bobsled track.
State Parks near Park City, Utah
If you’re willing to take a little drive out of Park City, Summit County Utah has some amazing State Parks! Our favorite things to do with kids in the area is lake paddling, fishing, and camping and Utah State Parks make that easy and accessible. Some areas surrounding Park City are certified dark sky parks that make star gazing extra spectacular! Wonderful parks we love with water include East Canyon, Echo, Jordanelle, Rockport, Lost Creek, and Deer Creek.
What are your favorite things to do in Park City with kids?
This article only scratches the surface of what we’ve done in Park City. We usually keep to budget-friendly activities, but as we discover more, I’ll definitely keep updating this page!
