Hike, Shop, Eat, (Nap)

Front Yard Mascot, Park City Utah

Our summer trip to Park City was a little different this year.  Because of the destruction of our habitual “halfway there” camping area by the Cottonwood Fire, we decided to drive a car up and do our halfway stop in St. George. No Sprinter camping this time. On the positive side, our fuel cost was cut in half (better fuel economy and no diesel) and parking was a breeze.

Summer Glory along the Shingle Creek Trail

Once we got there, though, the trip looked about the same. 

The Family on a Bridge Across Shingle Creek

Each morning there was a hike.  Gypsy got her running papers from the surgeon just before we left, so she could participate fully.  That means being largely off leash and treeing a dizzying number of squirrels.  It’s great to see her so happy and so tired at night.  We hit perpetual favorites like Rob’s Trail and a couple of new spots, Shingle Creek in the Uinta Mountains and Meeks Trail in the Pinebrook area, thanks to a generous friend who lives there.

We have our favorite shopping spots.  The Christian Center of Park City has two nearby thrift store locations.  I can’t miss this opportunity and even resolved my blown-out flip-flop crisis there.  Marco hit his favorite fly shops, too.  There were lots of feathers and hooks and I confess I don’t quite get all that.  He seemed happy.  We both love the clothing brand KÜHL, enough to do some shopping at full retail.  I don’t do that very much.

Above: Goofy snaps with Beer over the years, Red Rock Brewing
Below: This year's entry

Typically, we have one big meal each day.  Among other things, this allows for gelato for dinner. Because we were traveling with a dog, dining required some planning.  We’d planned to eat at Top of Main, which had great food, was just a block away, and sported a great patio.  They have closed since last summer, so we rallied. We enjoyed some favorites, including bison burgers from No Name Saloon in Old Town (take out – no dog patio) and (believe it or not) sushi from the Smith’s grocery store.  Red Rock Brewery has been a favorite for decades.  Literally – I’m old. We have a tradition of these silly photos of Marco with the great beers that are somewhat embarrassing to ask for out loud. Elephīno and Fukiphīno. Next trip, The Notch on the way back from the Uinta Mountains, and Silver Star Café in town.

Summer on the Streets of Park City

By then the delightful mountain afternoon storms were heading in.  The humans were delighted.  Gypsy is not a fan of thunder.  The heavy rain offers an ideal excuse to nap and read for a few hours.  Our usual rental in Old Town Park City was on the market when we were there last year.  The new (to us) alternative was interesting.  It was a creaky historic building with no air conditioning and an upstairs neighbor with insomnia (creak, creak).  Live and learn.  This was another excuse for liberal naps, though.

Once the radar cleared and the temperature dropped, we’d head out to the library lawn, a defacto dog park where Gypsy could run and make friends.  We saw her running at full speed with one of those new friends for the first time since her injury in March.  I might have teared up a little. While we were out, we’d get gelato on the way home.  There are no bargains (that I know of) on Main Street in Park City, but for a quality, dog-friendly experience, I recommend Park City Desserts.

Shingle Creek

Hike, shop, eat, nap.  The perfect family vacation.

Little Mount Rushmore: Easter Island and Statue of Liberty

On an unrelated note, we took a roadside detour in Mesquite Nevada on the way home.  Little Mount Rushmore is a quirky collection of carvings in the roadside bluffs. It's another on my long list of Weird sh** in the Mojave Desert, and worth a quick stopover. I'll confess that, even after two passes, we couldn't find the actual Mount Rushmore sculpture.  I'm convinced it exists...

There’s more on the website, in the Summer 2026 Gallery.