PARK CITY UTAH
The winter town that has it all will be in great shape if this whole global warming thing turns out to be a big deal.
Park City has the acclaim, the fame, the best snow and skiing, the star-laden Sundance Film Festival, dozens of restaurants, infamous nightlife, and one of the best ski-town scenes anywhere with eight major resorts close by. All with better proximity to a major airport hub than just about any other winter town around.
The sidewalks, slopes and cafes are jammed December through March. Then, each year, it's like someone pulled the plug even before snow melted, as the town falls quiet by April.
But the sleepy summertime streets of Park City are becoming a part of its colorful past, as people have begun to realize that Old Main Street is just as charming during the time of year when you don't have to cover all exposed skin while trying to hobble down glacial sidewalks.
And hey, in the summer, you can park-something Park City is not known for in the winter.
Summer afternoons involve a lot of tough decisions here, with Willie Nelson and Lyle Lovett outdoor concerts at Deer Valley, fly-fishing in every direction, and more world-class trails to explore than you could cover in a lifetime. While the rest of the country broils in July, the nights here are cool, days are perfect, and Utah's arid alpine climate is sublime.
Ah, decisions. Should you bicycle around, shop the boutiques, or simply go pick a patio on Main Street to sip local summer microbrews with a slice of lemon and watch the beautiful people stroll by with their dogs?
And increasingly, Park City is becoming a true golf mecca, not just a resort town with good courses. Choose from almost any top course designer, and you'll find their work close by, or coming soon. Fazio, Nicklaus, Dye, Jones; they're all here.
"The old saying that people come here for the winters but stay for the summers, it's true," says Mark Thorne, senior vice president of Talisker, a Deer Valley community of golf and slope-side homes. "In our communities we structure activities and services, and it has become every bit as big to show summer events as a winter calendar. Earlier, it was 80 percent winter interest primarily or exclusively. Now it's a 50-50 mix."
Utah ski resorts are widely regarded as having the best snow and terrain in the country. But when the snow is gone, the terrain is still there. From lift-served mountain biking and hiking to gourmet restaurants, concerts and Oktoberfests that start in September, resorts are becoming more active each summer. Park City's legendary nightlife has a growing pulse in summer, too, with plenty of people-watching and bustling bars to indulge in.
"When people buy these high-end pieces of real estate, one of the reasons they justify it is more use, more time in the mountains," Thorne says. "The first few times people come here in the summer they are pleasantly and absolutely surprised at how great the weather is and how much fun it is to hang around here with the family."
After the Big Dance, the 2002 Olympics (Sundance being merely "The Dance"), Park City real estate prices flat-lined for a few years, then everything high or low end doubled from 2004 to 2006. Like any resort town, locals think it's outrageously expensive, but truth is, it's a bargain, and set to climb.
"Park City is seeing strong real estate sales, and the future outlook is bright, especially with high end property," says Jake Doilney with Glenwild, a golf community with a top ranked Tom Fazio course.
"Property is affordable relative to other mountain resort markets and people realize this. Buyers are hard-pressed to find a mountain resort community that they can get to so easily."
The Park City area is seeing a healthy pause in the market, but will spike inevitably-even if the globe warms-because the town has the best of everything, and moreso each year.
"It seems like we've reached a plateau," says Elizabeth Dowd with The Canyons, which has 12 communities total, including The Colony, an ultra-exclusive development with eight-acre homesites and houses from $5 million and up. "We compare well to places like Telluride and Aspen, with so much value, but with better access to a major metro area, it's ideal," says Dowd.
Page 1 | 2
PARK CITY SANCTUARIES
ST. REGIS RESORT & RESIDENCIES AT DEER CREST: Slopeside, with lake views, the five-star St. Regis Resort & Residences at Deer Crest in Deer Valley will feature a ski valet, a 17,000-square-foot spa, an extravagant après ski lounge, a Val d'Isere-style ski "beach," martini and cigar bar and two fine restaurants. By 2008, the resort will have 26 private residences and 67 condo hotel suites, with 180 luxury guest rooms. The condos range from $1.5 million to $8 million.
(435) 649-7170, www.stregisdeercrest.com
THE COLONY: With an eight-acre average lot size amid aspen forests intersected by ski runs, The Colony may be the ultimate. "There's a $25 million home up there," says Elizabeth Dowd, spokesperson for The Canyons ski resort. "There's nothing like it. It's a mountain sanctuary and 90 percent of the land is preserved open space." There are 12 projects at The Canyons, including Escala, with 85 two- to three-bedroom ski-out units by summer 2008 ranging $1.1 million to $2 million (escalalodges.com), and Le Chateaux DuVal's ski-out family homes ($3 million to $4 million with lots around $1 million).
(435) 658-0048, www.thecolonywpc.com;
(435) 649-5400, www.thecanyons.com
TALISKER: Many developments have either ski or golf access: Talisker has both. Empire Pass has 600 ski-out Deer Valley units ranging $1.5 million to $10 million. Up next, a 200-room Montage, a 35,000-square-foot destination spa and fitness center. Golfers love Tuhaye, with 700 homes around a Mark O'Meara golf course that Golf Digest rated a Top 10 new private course. Homes range $1.2 million to $7 million.
(435) 333-3600, www.talisker.com
HIDEOUT CANYON: A year-round playground, starting with the Outlaw championship golf course designed by William Howard Neff. Boating, water skiing, and fishing are a cast away from the grounds across Jordanelle Reservoir from Deer Valley. Cabins to 4,000 square feet, $1.37 million; townhomes around $1 million.
(435) 940-1003, www.hideoutcanyon.com
TALISMAN: A place of knockout mountain, valley and lake views with a spiritual land ethic located just off Jordanelle Reservoir across from Deer Valley. World-class trout streams are close, and a Robert Trent Jones Jr. Championship golf course will open in 2008, with a 30,000-square-foot clubhouse and a blizzard of amenities. Homesites $485,000 to $615,000.
(435) 655-5236, www.talismanparkcity.com
GLENWILD: Glenwild is home to a legendary Tom Fazio course and an astounding clubhouse with a sun-drenched patio overlooking a lake and the fairways. Homesites total only 199; 40 lots are left ranging $539,000 to $1.9 million (for 42.5 acres). Golf course lots average about $1 million. Ten homes are listed from $1.98 million to $4.5 million.
(435) 615-9453, www.glenwild.com
PROMONTORY: Summer is the best time of year at Promontory, a renowned golf community with a Pete Dye course. A Nicklaus Signature Course opens this summer, and another fun par-60 by Forrest Richardson is planned. Homesites range $500,000 to $1.8 million, with customs from $1.8 million to $5.5 million. Cabins on the back nine of the Dye course are $1.7 million to $2.2 million. The grounds include an equestrian center and 50 miles of trails.
(888) 458-6600, www.promontoryclub.com
Page 1 | 2
