Weekend Getaway: Park City

There are so many things to do in Park City, Utah, and a weekend getaway there is a great way to sample everything this area has to offer.

If you love to ski, then Utah in winter, or better yet in early spring when the temperatures are milder, is a perfect place to test your slope skills. If you are visiting during the warmer months, the hundreds of hiking and mountain biking trails will keep you busy all weekend.

How to Get to Park City with Points and Miles

The closest airport to Park City is the Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC). Multiple carriers fly nonstop to Salt Lake City, and you can get there from anywhere in the country with one connection.

If you have any of the transferable points, such as Chase Ultimate Rewards, Capital One Venture Miles or American Express Membership Rewards points, you’ll have no problems finding award space to SLC. And if you have a good stash of Ultimate Rewards points and the cash fares are low, it might make sense to use the Chase travel portal to book your tickets.

Southwest Airlines

If you are lucky enough to have the famous Southwest Companion Pass, you can get two tickets for the price of one. But even for those of us without the Companion Pass or for solo travelers, Southwest is really one of the best ways to get to Park City. Southwest doesn’t have bag fees, and if you are going to Utah to ski, being able to check bags with all your gear is a great benefit.

There’s no award chart for Southwest, and the price in points is tied to a cash price. If you see a good sale on Southwest flights, book it and figure out the rest of the details later.
It’s easy to search for award space. You don’t even need an account. Just plug in your dates and your airports, click on “Points” on the upper right and click “Search.” If you’re flexible with dates, click on the Low Fare Calendar to see the cheapest travel dates.

It’s easy to search for Southwest award space. You don’t even need an account. Just plug in your dates and your airports, click on “Points” on the upper right and click “Search.” If you’re flexible with dates, click on the Low Fare Calendar to see the cheapest travel dates.

The search results will be displayed on the next page.

Delta Air Lines

Salt Lake City is one of Delta hubs, so you’ll find plenty of nonstop flight options on the airline. There’s no award chart, but if you come across Delta’s somewhat frequent domestic award sales, you can snag a one-way award ticket for fewer than 10,000 Delta SkyMiles. Typically, 12,500 miles is a more customary price for a one-way domestic economy ticket.

Delta also doesn’t require an account to search, so just plug in your information and make sure the “Shop with Miles” box is checked.

You’ll see the results displayed on the next page, and if you have any flexibility, check out the Price Calendar.

American Airlines

American Airlines doesn’t publish an award chart either, but you can expect to book the lowest award for 11,000 AAdvantage miles. If you come across AA’s Web Specials, you might even find one-way in economy for fewer than 10,000 miles.

If you just want to run some searches, you don’t need to create an account, but you’ll need to log in to book a flight with AAdvantage miles. Just enter your information and click search.

You’ll see the results on the next screen, and if you don’t like what you see, expand the calendar to see the lowest awards.

British Airways

If you are thinking, why would I use a frequent-flyer program of a foreign airline to book a domestic flight, this is where knowing a little bit about the airline alliances is extremely useful.

British Airways offers great pricing for nonstop flights, including domestic flights in the United States. British Airways doesn’t operate its own flights in the U.S., but because it’s a Oneworld alliance member, you can use British Airways Avios to book AA-operated flights.

British Airways uses a distance-based award chart and charges by segment, so it only makes sense to redeem Avios on short nonstop flights. Avios are easier to earn than American miles, so if you live on the West Coast, this might be the cheapest way to reach Park City.

You’ll need an account to search for award flights on British Airways. After you log in, click on “Book,” then on “Book with Avios” and enter your flight details. When you run the search, you can select your flights on the next screen.

American Airlines charges 2,000 more miles for the same flight.

There’s a caveat, though. You’ll only be able to use BA Avios if American has Saver-level awards available. American’s Web Specials or other dynamically-priced awards aren’t available to partners.

British Airways is a transfer partner of American Express Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy. Amex points and Chase points transfer to British Airways Avios 1:1, and the transfer is instant.

Marriott Bonvoy points transfer to British Airways at a 3:1 ratio, and you’ll get 5,000 bonus of British Airways Avios when you transfer 60,000 Bonvoy points. Ideally, you’d transfer Membership Rewards or Ultimate Rewards to book your flights and save the Bonvoy points to book hotels in Park City.

Where to Stay in Park City with Points and Miles

There is no shortage of hotels in Park City that you can book with points. All major hotel chains have a number of properties in the Park City area.

Hyatt

There are two Hyatt properties in Park City that you can book with World of Hyatt points.

Hyatt Place Park City

This Category 4 hotel can be booked with 12,000 to 18,000 World of Hyatt points per night. All Hyatt Place hotels have spacious rooms, perfect for family travelers, and free breakfast is provided to all guests.

Hyatt Centric Park City

A night at this Category 7 hotel will set you back between 25,000 to 35,000 points per night. Each Hyatt Centric property has a unique design and modern aesthetic—this is definitely not your cookie-cutter chain hotel.

Marriott

Marriott has a range of properties between Category 5 to Category 8 in the Park City area.

The St. Regis Deer Valley

If you want luxury on your weekend trip to Park City, look no further. This is a ski-in/ski-out property, perfect for those looking to hit the slopes, and there’s even a ski valet. This Category 8 property can be booked with 70,000 to 100,000 points per night.

AC Hotel Park City

For a more budget option, book the AC Hotel Park City. This hotel has modern, spacious rooms and is located close to several restaurants. This is a Category 5 property bookable with 30,000 to 40,000 points.

Hilton

If you have Hilton Honors points, you can find a couple of excellent properties in the Park City area.

Waldorf Astoria Park City

Any Waldorf Astoria property is a great place to redeem the free weekend night reward certificates that come with a couple of American Express Hilton cards because the standard rooms at this Waldorf Astoria cost 90,000 Hilton points per night.

This stunning ski chalet property is a recipient of multiple “best of” awards. There’s a beautiful outdoor heated pool, and every guest room comes with a beautiful fireplace.

DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Park City – The Yarrow

If you’d rather stretch your rewards, this hotel can be booked with as few as 36,000 Hilton Honors points per night. You can expect to pay closer to 60,000 points in peak season.

Located less than a mile from the ski slopes and just a few minutes from Main Street, this is a perfect base for exploring Park City any time of the year. The heated outdoor pool will help you soothe your aching muscles when you come back from a full day of activities.

The best part about this property is that Hilton classifies it as a resort, so you can use the annual $250 resort credit that comes with the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card. Just charge everything to the room, pay with the Aspire card at checkout and you’ll see the $250 credit on your statement.

Things to Do in Park City

Ski or Snowboard Park City Mountains

Oh, where do we start? In the winter, visitors can enjoy world-class skiing and snowboarding. As a mecca of winter sports, Park City is home to the largest resort in the United States. There’s a ski-in-ski-out access from historic Main Street to more than 330 trails, 43 lifts and six terrain parks.

In the warmer weather, you’ll find mountain biking, hiking and fishing. To reward yourself for the high-octane activities, shop and dine on Park City’s historic Main Street.

Visit Utah Olympic Park

The home of Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Winter Games, this is still a premier destination for lovers of all winter sports and Olympic history enthusiasts. The adrenaline junkies can experience an Olympic bobsled track. And in the summer, you can see the world-class athletes practice their skills on ski jump, which consists of a special kind of carpet and an aerated freestyle pool.

Book a Dog Sledding Tour

Even if you don’t ski, there are still plenty of fun things to do during the winter months. A dog sledding tour lets you enjoy the winter sunshine and beautiful mountain vistas without going to the slopes.

How to Earn Points and Miles for Your Weekend Trip to Park City

The Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card comes with a generous welcome bonus. A small-business owner can take an entire family on a weekend trip to Park City and have some points left over for another trip. Even better if you earn the Companion Pass you can stretch your points further.

If you need to earn some American Airlines miles, then AAdvantage Aviator Red World Elite Mastercard should be on the top of your list.

Marriott offers a few cards that come with generous welcome bonuses that can help you stay at the gorgeous St. Regis Deer Valley.

For Hilton stays, consider applying for the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card. In addition to the great welcome bonus, the card has a lot of valuable benefits, such as Priority Pass membership, $250 resort credit, $250 airline incidentals credit and the top-tier Hilton Diamond status.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is one of our favorite travel credit cards, thanks to its sign-up bonus and great travel-related benefits. The card earns Ultimate Rewards points that can be transferred to a number of travel partners, including British Airways, Southwest and Hyatt.

Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card currently has a solid welcome bonus if Delta is your airline of choice to fly into Salt Lake City – a Delta hub.

Final Thoughts

Park City is an accessible destination from almost anywhere in the U.S., and it’s easy to book a great weekend there with points and miles. There are a lot of chain hotels in the area where you can use points or free night reward certificates.

From skiing to hiking to visiting the Olympic Park, you’ll find many things to do to fill a weekend. And when it’s time to go home, you’ll want to plan another, longer trip.