Tour of Utah Pro Cycling in Park City: Watching the Race Stages with Kids

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America's Toughest Stage Race Rolls Through Park City

Quick note up top: the Tour of Utah went on hiatus after 2019 and has not been confirmed on the calendar in recent years - check tourofutah.com or visitparkcity.com before you build a trip around it. That said, when it has run, the race - billed as "America's Toughest Stage Race" - has historically been one of the country's premier pro cycling events with Park City hotels for the race weekend sitting at the heart of it. The race traditionally opens with an uphill prologue at Utah Olympic Park, climbs through the Wasatch on multiple stages, and runs a brutal Queen Stage that ends with the climb up Little Cottonwood to Snowbird. Several stages have started or finished on Main Street.

If you have never watched pro cycling in person, listen - it is a fundamentally different sport than the TV version. The peloton blows past in 90 seconds. You stand in the same spot for two hours waiting. Then it is over. And it is genuinely thrilling in a way that is hard to explain until you have done it. The whoosh of the lead vehicles, the crowd noise building down the road, the brief flash of color as 120 riders go by inches from your face. Owen has been hooked since he was 4. I am not.

What Stages to Watch in Park City

The Prologue at Utah Olympic Park

The opening stage has historically been an uphill prologue at Utah Olympic Park - a 1.25-mile time trial up the access road. This is the family-friendliest stage to watch:

• Every rider goes individually, about a minute apart, so the action stretches over two-plus hours
• You can move around between riders
• The Olympic Park has bathrooms, shade, food, and the bobsled / ziplines / museum to occupy kids who lose interest in cycling around minute 30

The Queen Stage Start in Park City

When the Queen Stage starts in Park City (often Newpark Town Center in Kimball Junction), the morning unfolds like a festival. Team buses, mechanics building bikes, riders signing in, sponsor villages handing out free swag. Get there 90 minutes before the start. The actual departure is short, but the build-up is the whole show for kids.

Main Street Finishes

If a stage finishes on Park City's Main Street, that is your other A-tier viewing day. Main is closed to cars all day. Sponsor tents line the sidewalk. Leaderboard updates on giant screens at the finish. The riders sprint up the historic brick street and cross the line in front of the Egyptian Theatre. Y'all, the noise is something.

The Schedule

Tour of Utah has historically run early to mid August. Past years' format:

• Stage 1: Prologue at Utah Olympic Park
• Stages 2-4: Salt Lake area, southern Utah, or Snowbasin loops
• Stage 5 or 6: Park City start with finish at Snowbird (the Queen Stage with 10,900 feet of climbing)
• Final Stage: Park City circuit race or downtown SLC

Confirm before you travel. If the Tour is not on, the alternates section at the bottom of this post still gives you a real-deal pro race day.

The Best Family Spectator Spots

Newpark Town Center, Kimball Junction

The most consistent stage start location. Big plaza, free parking, restaurants and shops surrounding the start area. Kids can wander to Whole Foods for snacks, hit the playground for a swing-set break, or wave at riders from the railing. Easiest spot for little kids by a mile. Hazel and I usually post up here.

Empire Pass Climb

If a stage routes up Empire Pass out of Deer Valley, this is the best in-person viewing in the region. Climb is steep, riders go slow (8-12 mph), you see them up close, you watch them suffer. Park at Silver Lake Lodge and walk down to the road.

Old Town Park City

Stage finishes on Main Street are a festival. Get there 2 hours before the scheduled finish. Stake out a spot near the Egyptian Theatre for the best sprint-finish view. Restaurants and shops are open before, during, and after - duck into Davanzas for pizza and step back out for the leaders.

Guardsman Pass

For the diehard cycling family - park near Brighton Lake parking and walk down to a switchback on Guardsman. Bring chairs, snacks, and the willingness to wait two hours for the brief flyby. Atmosphere is European - chalk drawings on the road, fans running alongside, cowbells. Older kids who get the sport will love it.

How to Spectate with Kids - The Honest Playbook

Cycling is mostly waiting. To make a 90-second flyby worth a four-hour day, here is how we do it:

Treat It Like a Picnic Festival

The race is the bonus. The day is the picnic. Pack a real lunch in a soft cooler, bring a sand-free beach blanket and camp chairs with built-in coolers, and set up basecamp 30 to 45 minutes before riders arrive.

Bring Bored-Kid Backup

For kids under 8, you need entertainment for the wait. Bag of Hot Wheels for the curb, coloring kit, novel, the iPad if it has to come out. The race is an adult activity that we drag kids to. Respect that and pack accordingly.

Sun and Hydration

Most spectator spots have no shade. Wallaroo wide-brim sun hats and Sun Bum mineral SPF 50 are non-negotiable. Hydro Flask 32 oz per person, filled with cold water from the start of the day. The dryness up here will absolutely cook a sea-level visitor in two hours. I cannot stress this enough.

Bathroom Math

Plan ahead. Porta-potties at start and finish areas only. Rural climbs (Empire Pass, Guardsman) have nothing. Use bathrooms before you leave the car. Potty-training kid? Portable potty in the trunk.

Sponsor Villages and Free Stuff

One of the underrated parts of pro cycling spectating is the sponsor village at start and finish. Free water bottles, energy bar samples, t-shirts, kid-sized cycling caps, the occasional bike lock or LED light. Get there an hour before the race and hit every booth - kids love the swag and you walk out with $50 of stuff for free.

What Makes a Good Cycling Photo with Kids

If you want the keeper shot, set up your kids on the rail at a corner where the riders slow down (a steep climb or tight turn). Camera in burst mode, shoot through the gap between fans. The colorful peloton with your kid's pointing finger in the foreground is the one.

What to Eat - Park City Restaurants on Race Days

Most stay open through stage finishes, but Main Street car access is restricted. A few that work:

• Davanzas Pizza - cash only, kid-friendly, fast.
• Park City Bread + Butter - the breakfast move before a Main Street finish. The loaf is worth a wait, but for race-day, grab a sandwich and pastries on your way down.
• El Chubasco - tacos, salsa bar, a few blocks off Main.
• The Drafts at Canyons Village - if you are at a Canyons start, the patio there.

Heads up - a lot of Park City restaurants are closed Mondays. If you are extending the trip, plan dining around that.

Other Pro Cycling Events in Park City

If the Tour of Utah dates do not work or it is not running, watch for:

• Park City Point 2 Point - 75-mile mountain bike race in early September. Start and finish in Park City; spectate at the lift access points.
• Soldier Hollow events - cyclocross and other cycling races in nearby Midway throughout the season.
• Local USA Cycling races - through the summer, smaller circuits with real pro and amateur fields.

One Real Local Warning

If you are watching from any of the rural climbs, MOOSE on the Wasatch trails are not a hypothetical. CAPS LOCK SERIOUS. Stick to the road, do not let kids wander into brush, give a moose 50 yards minimum if you see one. Do not be a dummy.

Why Pro Cycling in Park City Is Worth a Family Day

Watching pro cycling with kids is not about turning them into cyclists. It is about putting them in the middle of a real sporting event in their hometown - the kind of moment they will remember as a marker of growing up here. The whoosh of the peloton. The cheering. The swag bag they go home with. The pizza after.

If a stage rolls through Park City this summer, build one race day into your August calendar. Pack the picnic, lower your expectations of "watching cycling," and treat it as an outdoor festival with a 90-second main event. You will be glad.