Should I rent a car or should I not?
I get this question often. I assume that you stay in one of our properties in Park City proper. It means that you’re either at the base of a mountain or you’re staying on the free bus route. Either way, please know that you’ll have a parking spot. Finding parking in Park City is hard and you don’t have to go through that nightmare if you stay with us.
I’ll list the pros and cons of having a car in Park City and then you decide.
Advantages of renting a car in Park City
- You can keep some of your ski and/or snowboard equipment in the car.
- You can drive to other resorts like Solitude, Brighton, Snowbird, Alta, Snowbasin, and Sundance. Driving to those resorts takes about 1 hour and it’s worth the drive. The drive is through beautiful canyons and the resorts have a totally different vibe than Park City resorts.
- You can spontaneously go to Salt Lake City for dinner one night.
- You can go to Salt Lake for a day to visit the Temple, Capitol Hill, Salt Lake itself, and Antelope Island.
- You can drive to a supermarket and carrying your bags wouldn’t be a hassle if you have a car.
- It’s easy to pick up your rental car at the airport.
- You don’t need to rely on third-party transportation from and to the airport because you’re sitting in the driver’s seat.
- You can go anywhere any time you desire.
Disadvantages of renting a car in Park City
- Parking in downtown/Main Street is a hassle. If you cannot find parking on Main Street, know that you’re not alone! China Bridge Garage, one block West of Main street on Swede Alley, is the most convenient parking spot downtown. The second and local’s fav parking area is 153 Marsac Ave parking. It’s free, but you’d need to walk up and downstairs.
- Parking in the mountain resorts is a hassle. In Deer Valley, after you park your car, you’d catch a trolley to the base. In Park City Mountain Resort, when the limited parking at the base is full, you’d need to park at the high school parking lot 1.2 miles away and catch their shuttle. So, if you decide to drive to the base, come earlier than chairlift’s start time. I recommend catching the bus if you’re not staying at the base of a resort. The bus picks you up in front of your building and drops you off on snow. When you rent with us, you’ll receive a guidebook, and in the guidebook, you’ll receive detailed instructions on how to run the Park City transit busses.
- You’re kind of stuck in Park City if you don’t have a car. If you want to visit other resorts in Big and Small Cottonwood Canyons, you’d need to arrange transportation. I have been skiing in Park City for more than 8 winters and I still find new trails that I have never been on. I recommend not to rent a car if you’re staying in Park City for less than a week. If you’re staying in Park City for more than a week, you may want to explore other resorts, Midway, or Salt Lake City.
- If you fly before 8 a.m. from SLC Airport, your Uber or Lyft ride is not reliable even though it’s a scheduled ride. I missed my early a.m. flights twice because my scheduled ride didn’t show up. Uber and Lyft don’t take any responsibility if their driver doesn’t wake up on time, or if they don’t feel like working that morning, or if they don’t feel like driving on snow. If you don’t have a rental car and if you fly earlier than 8 a.m., I highly recommend booking a private ride with one of our partner transportation companies.
- On certain properties, you may have to move your vehicle for snow plowing. It’s an inconvenience.
If you stay at one of our centrally located rentals, you’d have options. All of our rentals come with a free parking spot for a car or SUV and all of our rentals are located on the bus route. So you can either drive your car or catch the bus. Here is the list of our conveniently located vacation rentals in Park City.