UVH truck in garage of Salt Lake City home

It’s not unusual for Utah to get snow in September, in fact this year it snowed in the mountains on August 15. What is unusual is for Salt Lake City to get snow in September. What makes this even more eventful is on Monday Salt Lake City’s high was over 90 degrees and today, Wednesday, it is snowing.

Earlier this week my plan was to write a post on autumn and how much I love it.  I had gone up Big Cottonwood and Mill Creek Canyons to take pictures of the leaves for the post, and had it all but posted.  Well…. that has changed.  I still love autumn and I’ll post the pictures anyway, but autumn in Utah, at least momentarily, has been shortened. 

Forecast calls for 12 inches of snow in the mountains, but there is potential for 20.  I would be amazed if we didn’t hit 20, because temperatures dropped faster than anticipated.  Weather forecast said Salt Lake benches had a chance of snow later this evening.  However, due to plummeting temperatures it started earlier, around 9:30 this morning.  That means it’s probably been snowing in the mountains all night and will continue all day and through tomorrow morning! 

Roof of home in Park City

Keep doing your snow dance and I’ll keep doing mine, with any luck the snow will continue and the resorts will open sooner than anticipated!

Written by Mike Von Lunen

When debating about places to stay for your upcoming ski trip to Utah, one of the most important questions is “Where is it located?”  Imagine being 20 minutes from Salt Lake International airport, 15 minutes from the nightlife and restaurants of downtown, and within 25 minutes from 4 world class ski resorts.  The location is Cottonwood Heights, UT.

 Nestled between Big Cottonwood Canyon and Little Cottonwood Canyon, Cottonwood Heights offers skiers easy access to the freeway, ski areas, restaurants and alternate activities, often at a meaningful discount from the prices in Park City.  Skiers can find everything they need close by, including public transportation to Brighton, Solitude, Snowbird and Alta, ski rentals at the Lifthouse and AJ Motion Sports, grocery shopping at Smiths, Dan’s and Whole Foods, as well as restaurants like Porcupine Pub and Grill, Market Street Grill and Café Trio. 

 Staying at the mouth of Big Cottonwood is a convenient way to ski the Cottonwood Canyons, as well as having access to ski in Park City at the Canyons Resort, Park City Mountain Resort and Deer Valley.  These resorts are a 35 minute drive away.  However, locals know that on powder days, the best stashes lie in the Cottonwood Canyons at Solitude, Brighton, Alta and Snowbird. These resorts receive over 500 inches of snow on average and often times it’s the light and fluffy kind pictured in ski magazines.  Deep powder, scenic terrain and worldclass skiing make these two canyons favorites for residents and visitors alike.

Light and Fluffy Snow

By staying in Cottonwood Heights, visitors have access to a wide range of restaurants, bars, and coffeehouses. Local favorites include Lone Star Taqueria (famous for their fish tacos), Bean’s and Brew’s Coffee (great cup of French Roast) and the Cotton Bottom Bar (world famous for the Garlic Cheeseburger).  These places are within a 5 minute drive of Big Cottonwood Canyon.

 Not only for skiers, Cottonwood Heights offers activities for visitors year round, including golfing, hiking, climbing and mountain biking.  Here the outdoor trifecta is possible, that is to ski, golf and bike in the same day. Late winter and early spring weather permit a morning of carving turns, an afternoon turning the back nine, and an evening ride on the Little Cottonwood Trail. It is an outdoor lovers dream, with the conveniences of the city close by and the outdoor playground of the mountains across the street.  The Cottonwood Canyons are a unique corner of the world and offer everything you need for an unforgettable vacation.  Explore for yourself!

Climbing in Little Cottonwood Canyon

As the fall semester started, the Labor Day weekend seemed to be a farewell to summer time. For several weeks my friends and I had planned a trip to Park City for the long weekend. However, finding a place that could hold our large group of 16 was not easy. Golden Bear Retreat was our best choice and it met all of our needs, game room with pool table, large dining area, BBQ grill, hot tub and areas to hang out.

A convenient Park City location, Golden Bear is just 5 minutes from Park City’s Main Street and 10 minutes from Tanger Outlets Mall. It is a 5,000 square ft home with fully-equipped kitchen, fine dining room, BBQ, deck, private outdoor hot tub, game room and comfortable bedrooms. The views of Park City mountains from our rooms were fantastic. We were able to completely relax and escape from our daily routines as we sat around the hot tub drinking ice cold beer and chatting with friends under the sunset. It was a perfect stay in paradise for our long weekend and was a great place to stay with friends and family. We loved this great place and would gladly stay there again in a minute.

Check-out our video of our vacation on You Tube.

labor-day-@-Golden-bear-retreat

Dive Utah @ Holladay

Last Sunday was a really nice day. After spending one night at Golden Bear Retreat, we left Park City for our very first scuba diving trip. Brandon was already there waiting for our coming. He’s my classmate and he was so sweet arranging this scuba diving discovery tour for us.

Dive Utah is pretty famous in Salt Lake City. Located in Holladay, just 15 minutes from downtown Salt Lake, and 25 minutes from Park City. Our instructor, Brad, is a professional and experienced scuba diving trainer, who is nice and patient. The preparation before going under the water is usually serious. You learn gestures which you will use to communicate with your instructor under the water, you get know the diving equipments, and the most important is getting used to breathing through your mouth.

I have to say it is really an awesome experience. For city girls and boys like us, going scuba diving was once far beyond our imagination, and some of us can not even swim. However, when you meet your friends under the water, saying hello to each other, swimming like a fish, you felt that you had already been into a different world.