Winter Activities Beyond Skiing in Park City with Kids | Park City Moms

Park City Is So Much More Than a Ski Town

Some of our best winter memories in Park City have nothing to do with skiing. Do not get me wrong, we love our ski days. Charlie and Wyatt are on the mountain most weekends with PC Ski Team. This town also has an absolutely incredible lineup of winter activities that do not require lift tickets, ski lessons, or the minor financial crisis that comes with outfitting an entire family in ski gear.

Disclosure: Some links below are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, and may earn from Booking.com, Mavely, and CJ partner links at no extra cost to you.

Kids snow tubing down a hill — Gorgoza tubing, the universal cure for the day Charlie decides she's "over moguls."

These alternatives are also a lifesaver for families where not everyone skis at the same level. Maybe mom and the older kids want to hit the black diamonds while dad hangs with the toddler who is not ready for ski school. Maybe grandma and grandpa are joining the trip but are not interested in strapping on boots. Having a full roster of amazing non-skiing activities means everyone has a great time.

I am going to share the best of the best. Some are free, some cost money, all of them create the kind of memories that make a Park City winter trip special even if you never set foot on a ski slope.

Snow Tubing: Maximum Fun, Minimum Skill Required

If there is one non-skiing winter activity that gets my kids more excited than anything else, it is tubing. Something about flying down a groomed snow lane in an inflatable tube produces pure, unfiltered joy. Woodward Park City (formerly Gorgoza) is the premier tubing destination near Park City. Multiple lanes of varying speeds, magic carpet lift back up, fun atmosphere that makes it feel like a winter amusement park. Mini snowmobile track for kids and a small terrain park area too.

Snowshoer in pine forest — Round Valley snowshoe loop — the under-the-radar workout the Bay Area moms always ask me to repeat when they visit.

Soldier Hollow in Midway also offers excellent tubing with longer lanes and a more natural mountain setting. Tubing hill is one of the longest in the state. Ride down is genuinely thrilling for adults. Well-run with timed sessions that keep crowds manageable. Both Woodward and Soldier Hollow are about 20 minutes from Park City in different directions.

A good classic snow sled is also worth packing or buying if you want free tubing and sledding on your own schedule. There are several informal sledding hills around Park City where locals bring their own sleds for an afternoon of fun without any fees. City Park is a popular spot. The hills around the various neighborhoods offer plenty of slope. Make sure kids are wearing waterproof snow boots and warm base layers. They will be rolling in the snow and getting thoroughly wet and cold, which they will declare was absolutely worth it.

Snowshoeing: Exploring the Winter Wilderness

Snowshoeing sounds intimidating but is actually incredibly easy and accessible, even for young kids. If your child can walk, they can snowshoe. Modern snowshoes are lightweight, easy to strap on, and make walking on deep snow feel almost like walking on a packed trail. Opens up a whole world of winter wilderness that is otherwise inaccessible. Something magical about being the first tracks in fresh snow with your kids surrounded by quiet snow-covered trees.

Outdoor ice rink at dusk — The PC Ice Arena late-afternoon sessions, before Charlie graduated to real edges and started correcting my form.

The Round Valley trail system in Park City is perfect for family snowshoeing. Trails are well-marked, relatively flat, wind through beautiful open meadows and aspen groves. You can do as little or as much as your family is up for. Several local outfitters rent snowshoes by the day including kids' sizes. White Pine Touring on Main Street has great rental options.

One warning. Round Valley has moose. They are out year-round and they do not care that there is snow on the ground. Give them 50 yards minimum and turn around if mama and calf are blocking the trail. The Sunday morning hike crowd has stories. Wyatt does too. This is real.

For a more guided experience, several companies offer family-friendly snowshoe tours that include naturalist guides who teach kids about animal tracks, winter ecology, and mountain survival. Educational and fun, and having a guide takes the pressure off parents. Turns a simple walk in the snow into a real adventure.

Ice Skating: A Classic Winter Activity

Park City has a beautiful outdoor ice skating rink at the Resort Center that is one of the most picturesque places to skate anywhere. Surrounded by snow-covered mountains and twinkling lights, skating here feels like being inside a snow globe. Well-maintained smooth ice, skate rentals on-site. They have skate aids for beginners (walker-like frames kids can push for stability) which makes it accessible even for kids who have never been on ice before.

Cozy mountain home fireplace — The post-tubing reset — fire on, snow gear in the mudroom, a Pinot from the Napa cellar earning its keep.

Late afternoon sessions when the lights come on are particularly magical, especially around the holidays. The rink is also right next to shops and restaurants, making it easy to combine skating with a hot chocolate break or dinner. We try to go at least a few times each winter.

For a more adventurous ice experience, the Utah Olympic Oval in nearby Kearns is a world-class indoor speed skating oval that offers public skating sessions. Where Olympic athletes train. Skating on the same ice has a certain thrill factor for kids. The facility also offers curling try-it sessions that are hilarious and fun for the whole family. About 30 minutes from Park City and makes a great combined trip with other Salt Lake area activities.

Sleigh Rides: Pure Mountain Romance

A horse-drawn sleigh ride through the snowy Park City mountains is one of those experiences that transcends typical tourist activities and becomes a genuine core memory. Several outfitters offer sleigh rides ranging from short scenic loops to multi-hour dinner rides that include a meal at a remote mountain lodge. The jingling of sleigh bells, the quiet of the snow-covered landscape, the warmth of being bundled together under blankets - magical and timeless.

Snowed Inn Sleigh Company and several Deer Valley and Park City Mountain outfitters offer family-friendly rides during the winter months. The dinner sleigh rides are a special splurge - you ride out to a warm lodge for a multi-course meal before sleighing back under the stars. These book up quickly, especially during holiday weeks. Daytime rides are typically shorter and less expensive and give you beautiful mountain views you miss on evening rides.

For younger kids, daytime rides are usually a better fit. Evening rides are more romantic and atmospheric. Better for older kids or a parents-only outing if you can arrange childcare (we trade nights with friends for date nights like this). Dress very warmly regardless of when you go - you are sitting still in an open sleigh for an extended period. Blankets are provided but bring your own extra layers and hand warmers. Cold is worth it for the experience but underdressed turns magical into miserable quickly.

The Utah Olympic Park: Olympic-Level Thrills

The Utah Olympic Park, built for the 2002 Winter Olympics, offers some of the most unique and thrilling winter activities you will find anywhere. The public can ride the actual bobsled track with a professional driver. Absolutely unforgettable for older kids and adults. Acceleration and G-forces are real and hearing your kids scream with excitement and terror simultaneously is priceless. Minimum age and height requirement so check before you promise this to a younger child.

Mountain peak in winter — Olympic Park bobsled mornings — the best $80 of adrenaline in the entire valley, and I will die on this hill.

Beyond the bobsled, the Olympic Park has a freestyle aerial ski show, a museum about the 2002 Olympics, and various seasonal activities. The museum is genuinely interesting even for kids who were not alive for the games. Watching the freestyle ski athletes practice and perform is jaw-dropping. The place is run tight.

The Alf Engen Ski Museum located at the Olympic Park is free and worth a visit, especially on a day when you need an indoor activity. Covers the history of skiing in Utah and the story of the 2002 Olympics with engaging exhibits and films. Combined with the outdoor activities, you can easily spend a half-day here.

Building Forts, Making Angels, and Free Snow Fun

Sometimes the best winter activities are the simplest and most free ones. Park City gets an average of 350-plus inches of snow per year, which means there is no shortage of the white stuff for building snow forts, making snow angels, having epic snowball fights, and constructing snowmen that would make Frosty jealous. If you are staying somewhere with a yard or near an open area, simply turning kids loose in fresh snow provides hours of entertainment that costs absolutely nothing.

City Park has a great open area for snow play and the sledding hill there is popular with local families. The fields around the McLeod Creek Trail are another good option for fort building and snowball battles. Some of our most treasured winter photos are not from the ski slopes or organized activities but from spontaneous backyard snow adventures where everyone ended up soaked, freezing, and laughing hysterically.

For a structured snow play experience, consider building a quinzhee, basically a snow cave. Pile up a huge mound of snow, let it set for a few hours, then hollow it out from the side. Kids are absolutely fascinated by having their own snow shelter. Just make sure an adult supervises the whole time and the walls are thick enough to be stable. Add some battery-operated LED lights inside and your kids will think you are the most creative parent in all of Park City.

Planning Your Non-Ski Days: Putting It All Together

Key to great non-ski days in Park City is mixing indoor and outdoor activities based on the weather, your kids' energy levels, and how cold everyone is willing to get. A morning of snowshoeing followed by an afternoon of ice skating and a hot chocolate break on Main Street is a perfect winter day. Tubing in the morning and the Olympic Park museum in the afternoon is another great combo. Or just dedicate a day to free snow play and cozy indoor time with board games and movies if everyone needs a rest day.

Mountain weather - if you do not like it, wait twenty minutes. Real here. Bluebird day with sunshine and cold temperatures is perfect for snowshoeing, tubing, and skating. Stormy day with heavy snow is better spent at museums, the Olympic Park, or doing indoor activities. Very cold days below zero are best for indoor options and short outdoor bursts. Check the forecast each morning and have a flexible plan.

Do not underestimate the value of downtime in a winter vacation itinerary. Kids who are going hard every day will eventually crash, and a meltdown in a public place when everyone is wearing seventeen layers of clothing is not fun for anyone. Build in a morning or afternoon where the schedule is simply hanging out at your lodging, reading books, playing games, and maybe venturing out for hot chocolate. (Or coffee for the adults. Vinto on Main is the only acceptable coffee in town. My opinion. I will defend it.) These quiet moments often become the memories that everyone treasures most.

Do not skip quality ski goggles. Good visibility is a safety must. Bring a reusable water bottle for everyone - altitude sickness is REAL for sea-level visitors and hydration matters more here. Pack a compact first aid kit. With kids you never know.