Hiking in Park City

July is one of the best months for hiking in the local mountains. With the late and very wet springs that we just had, the wild flowers are just now in full bloom. As we walk along any of the numerous trails in Park City there is an amazing array of colors with Columbine, Lupine, Bluebells and Mountain Daisies all in full bloom. Walking under the canopy of towering Aspens, it is easy to get distracted. It is also the time of year that deer and moose are taking advantage of the tender new foliage and are constant companions on the trails. We are very fortunate here in Park City to have an organization such as the Mountain Trails Foundation which builds and maintains many miles of hiking/biking trails. One of the most popular trails is know as the mid-mountain trail. This trail begins at mid-mountain Deer Valley at an elevation of 8,200 feet and follows the 8,000 foot contour across the mountains through Park City Mountain Resort, the Canyons Resort and ending just to the north of the Utah Olympic Sports Park. One of the great things on this trail is that there are numerous entry and exit points so that whether you have all day or just an hour or two, there are wonderful loops.

One of my favorite areas for hiking is in the Uinta Mountains just to the east of Park City. The Uinta’s contain most of the high elevation peaks in Utah, with peaks ranging from 12,000 to over 13,000 feet, contain about 500 lakes and, for the most part, is a wilderness area accessible only by hiking or horseback. This range offers spectacular views and is a must visit for outdoor enthusiasts coming to Park City.

In real estate news, I am seeing some signs of an improving real estate market here. I’ve been receiving an increased number of calls lately for people looking to pick up an investment or ski condo this summer. And while the national economic news is still pretty dismal, many buyers are beginning to look at our prices as a good investment. Last week I visited a new golf course project called Red Ledges in a neighboring town of Heber, about 20 minutes from Park City. Red Ledges will feature a Nicklaus Signature course as well as a Cliff Drysdale Tennis Academy, and offer some of the most beautiful view of Mount Timpanogos and the Wasatch Range. The golf course is currently under construction and at least nine holes are expected to be open for next summer.

The Mark O’Meara course at Tuhaye is now in it’s third full season of operation and people that I have taken there to play feel that it is the most interesting and enjoyable of the private courses around the area. Lot and home sales in Tuhaye are doing well and I have been meeting several new owners who are calling Tuhaye “Home”

Upcoming events to look forward to is the Park City Arts Festival the first week of August and the Deer Valley Jazz Festival August 21-24. If your schedule permits you to visit Park City during any of these times these are definitely events to participate in.

I’ve moved!

The big news here in Park City this week is that I have left Sotheby’s Real Estate and moved to Prudential Utah. As with any change, there are always a variety of reasons, but one of the most compelling for me is that Prudential has by far and away the largest percentage of the market. This is a move that I feel will benefit both my Sellers and Buyers. I am currently located in the Prudential office on historic Main Street with many of the top agents from Prudential. The energy level and excitement are contagious and I look forward to this next stage in my career.

This past weekend was 4th of July and the Park City parade was as quaint and fabulous as always. Where else but in a western mountain ski town can you have a float featuring a real snowman made from snow still up on the ski resorts? The parade was followed by festivities in City Park, music, games, rugby, volleyball and all that is traditional for a 4th of July celebration. The day’s activities were capped by a spectacular fireworks display shot from the base of the Park City Resort against the mountains.

Here is a link to an interesting article that I found in Travel + Leisure GOLF Digest. It is an article from a writer who has been here in the winter time but came out last summer and played several of our beautiful mountain golf courses. Enjoy the article, and if you are a golfer I hope this will entice you visit Park City in the summer, as we all know how spectacular the winter is. If you are lucky enough to visit Park City this summer, please stop in the Prudential office at the bottom of Main Street and say “hello”.

http://www.travelandleisure.com/tlgolf/articles/golf-the-greening-of-park-city

July 4th Week

Today starts the July 4th holiday week as well as the official start to summer in Park City. Finally! The holiday is a very festive time in Park City with free concerts both Wednesday and Thursday evenings at Deer Valley and The Canyons resorts and then on Friday the Utah Symphony comes to Deer Valley. July 4th is a special time in Park City with the parade down Main Street in the morning, activities in the City Park all afternoon and then fireworks that evening. There is nothing quite as much fun as a small town July 4th parade. Kids on bicycles, skate boards and in-line skates, families that are gathered for the holiday and various service groups combine to bring much revelry to the day.

This past weekend we had national off-road biking championships at Deer Valley. This is an annual 3 day event and always attracts the top riders throughout the country. We’re also gearing up for the annual girl’s fast pitch softball tournament, which runs for about three weeks. This tournament continues to draw more and more entries every year, has expanded from its original two weeks to three and we have built several new softball fields to accommodate the girls.

It is a spectacular time of year to hike and bike the numerous trails around town. The wild flowers are in full bloom and the mountains are as green as I have ever seen them at this time of year. The mid-mountain trail is the most popular trail and runs from Deer Valley to The Canyons Resort. This trail follows a contour at about 8,000 feet and traverses the Wasatch Range across many ridges, gullies and streams. With many entry and exit points to this trail it is very easy to get on it and hike or ride whatever distance is comfortable.

July is great time to be in the mountains. The days are warm, the evenings are cool and the weather is as good as it gets!

Summertime in Park City

This past Friday Park City celebrated the summer solstice with a party on Main Street featuring live music and great food. We revisited an old Park City tradition by putting a long table down the center of Main Street with restaurants serving dinner to guests. This was accompanied by live jazz music of which the highlight was the Park City High School Jazz Band. The Park City High School Jazz Band has won numerous awards throughout the country and was definitely the hit of the evening. Music and revelry lasted well into the night.

This week we are enjoying the calm before all of the 4th of July festivities start. This Wednesday really kicks off the summer season with the first of the free Deer Valley Wednesday Night Concerts. These free concerts feature local musicians and are the highlight of each week. Residents and visitors turn out in great numbers to sit on the lawn at Deer Valley with dinner and wine, re-acquaint themselves with friends they haven’t seen over the winter, and enjoy a beautiful summer evening.

All of the golf courses are open and going strong. The course maintenance people have done a spectacular job of bringing the courses back from a very long winter and while there is still snow in the mountains, it’s wonderful to see the lush, green fairways of our local golf courses. The new Jack Nicklaus Signature Course at Promontory is now in its first full summer of play and the word is that it is perhaps the best course in Utah. I hope to be able to make this determination personally in the next couple of weeks. Meanwhile I have played the Mark O'Meara course at Tuhaye several times over the past month and have thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The views and terrain changes at Tuhaye are spectacular and make for a very interesting round of golf.

In real estate news, we are definitely seeing an increase in business. Summer visitors are here and are now looking to purchase properties that they saw last winter, and in anticipation of the upcoming ski season. As I have mentioned several times, the summer months are the perfect time to pick up a vacation property. It is easy to get into all of the properties and sellers tend to be more willing to negotiate now than during the busy winter season. So plan a vacation, come to Park City in the summer, and experience the warm days and cool nights of summer in the mountains.

Summer Arrives

Finally the winter that would not go away has ended and summer arrived this past weekend. Temperatures are in the high 70s to low 80s and everyone is finally out enjoying Park City. While the mountains still have snow and many of the mountain bike trails still have patches of snow on them, enough is open that hiking and biking are in full swing and the aspens are greening up nicely. This is a very interesting time of year watching the aspen trees leaf out in stages starting at the lowest elevations and working to the mountain peaks. The top of the mountains still have not leafed out yet, which will make for a very short growing season.

This weekend we are reviving an old tradition in Park City with a dinner and party on Main Street. This used to be called “Taste of Park City” where there would be one long table down the middle of Main Street where everyone would dine at their favorite restaurants, enjoying music and conversation. This has been revived as a benefit for the Park City Jazz Festival and will be a two day event with dinner on Main Street Friday night and a picnic in the park on Saturday. All of this will be accompanied by various Jazz groups as a prelude to the Park City Jazz Festival in August.

In Real Estate news, there seems to be an increased interest in Deer Valley condos in the last couple of weeks. Just recently three condos, all over a million dollars, have sold. With a four bedroom in Deer Lake Village setting a new price for that area. Whether this is an indication that we have bottomed out or not remains to be seen.

Snow on June 11

Have I mentioned that spring in the Rocky Mountains is never predictable? Neither is summer. These photos were taken this morning.

The historic and oft-photographed Miner's Hospital.

A few inches up here at Silver Lake, Deer Valley.

The Sterling lift at Silver Lake, Deer Valley.

And the Silver Lake Express in Deer Valley.

Local Press of the RMRA Event

We had an excellent turnout for the Rocky Mountain Resort Alliance meetings this last weekend, particularly to the event where the NAR's chief economist, Lawrence Yun, spoke about the current market and housing trends. In addition to realtors, the local news media were present.

Utah housing market faring well; tax credit may help even more – KSL TV

Expert: Housing market will rally – Salt Lake Tribune

Hope for housing in Utah – Deseret News