Home of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games, the Utah Olympic Park is full of tradition, inspiration and history. What most people don’t realize is that it’s still in existence over 20 years after the Olympics and it’s better than ever. If you’re looking for the best activity to do in Park City with kids, Utah Olympic Park is always our top recommendation.
Details:
Location: 3419 Olympic Parkway, Park City
Utah Olympic Park is free to visit the museum and walk around the grounds and facilities. Activities require purchasing a ticket.
Flying Aces Aerial Show: Saturdays and Sundays in the summer at 1pm
Cost: Adults $15, Children ages 3-12 $10
Park City’s magnificent Utah Olympic Park is a must-see during the summer months. With a mix of informative, fun, and exciting experiences for all ages, it promises to be an unforgettable adventure that your family will remember forever.
Visiting the Utah Olympic Park with Kids
When you arrive at the Olympic Park, be sure to pay a visit to their main Welcome Center. Inside, there is an interactive museum that showcases both ski and olympic sports – completely free of charge! In addition to this amazing experience, you can also purchase entry tickets and find out all the information regarding any activities hosted in the park. Start off your day by visiting the museum; it’s a great way not only learn about its history but also get involved with their ongoing legacy! The activities in the Welcome Center are free, but many of the other activities have a cost associated with them.
Utah Olympic Park Museum
We took our kids ages 5-15 to the museum and they all loved different aspects of it. The Alf Engen Ski Museum located on the main level was full of captivating exhibits and displays regarding snow, skiing races, and winter sports in general. Some of the highlights that are bound to draw excitement from children include an original chairlift seat, an interactive ski jump simulator, a thrilling avalanche exhibit display as well as various trophies collected over time. But when we reached the vintage ski fashion section it was nothing short of ridiculous for kids seeing what exactly mom and dad used to wear on the ski hill in the 80’s!
The upper gallery of the museum is an ode to the 2002 Olympic Games, and it was our absolute favorite part! Our children were captivated by all that this section offered, and felt like they could truly witness the Olympics come alive. While our kids have seen their share of televised olympics, personally seeing all the olympics memorabilia and reading the personal stories of olympians and torch bearers made it all come to life.
Freestyle Ski Jump Pool and Fflying Aces Aerial Show
For a truly impressive show, make sure that you attend a show by the Flying Aces Ski Team. This is a team of freestyle ski jumpers that puts on performances on weekends during the summer. They go off jumps and launch up to 60 feet in the air, all while doing complex aerial maneuvers. It’s an incredible show that takes place in the ski jump pool, next to the welcome center. There are a few different ticket options, but make sure that you get there about 30 minutes before the show as the performances usually sell out and are CROWDED.
The show is really impressive and by the finish, several of my kids had decided that they should become freestyle aerial skiers. Tickets start at $15 for adults and $10 for kids ages 3-12.
Zipline at Utah Olympic Park
Utah Olympic Park offers two zipline courses: the Extreme Zip and the Freestyle Zip. The Extreme Zip is the longer of the two, with a total length of 3,000 feet and a maximum speed of 50 mph. The Freestyle Zip is shorter, with a total length of 1,400 feet and a maximum speed of 40 mph.
Both are great options! Everyone on the zipline will sit through a brief safety presentation, have wear harnesses and helmets for the whole time.
Adventure Course at UOP
Discovery Ropes Course – Lower to the ground and great for beginners
Our 5-year old’s first ropes course adventure was a success, thanks to the Discovery Course! It’s situated right next to an incredible climbing playground – perfect for children of all ages. Not only did our oldest have a blast getting started with low rope elements and other challenges, but our toddler had just as much fun while we watched his brother from the playground. As a mom, I was relieved to know that all climbers remain securely fastened into their safety system throughout the entire course. It’s not as high as other ropes courses (approximately 15 feet off the ground on average) but still include many of the same challenge elements found in other courses. My son’s highlight though? A fun zipline at the end where he could go right over my head – he got a kick out of it!
Canyon Adventure Ropes Course – intermediate ropes course at UOP
Our older children had a wonderful time exploring the Canyon Adventure Ropes Course at Olympic Park. At 15-35 feet high, it offers an ideal combination of beginner and expert obstacles that kept them entertained throughout the experience. What’s more, they felt so much more confident since they were always roped in. We had a friend with us who totally froze up half way though the course, and the staff there were champs at helping her work through her fears and keep going. If you’re afraid of heights, we’d suggest avoiding these ropes courses. But even if the fear only kicks in when you’ve already started one, there’s no need to panic; the staff at Olympic Park will be more than happy to help make it a positive experience! Our personal experience was truly amazing: their guidance made this an enjoyable confidence-boosting activity instead of a traumatic nightmare.
Tickets for all ropes courses is $22
Activities For Younger Kids at Utah Olympic Park
Parents, your kids will be over the moon with excitement when you take them to Utah Olympic Park! Our toddler particularly loved exploring all of the captivating exhibits and displays. Get ready for plenty of bouncing around in bobsleds, testing out luge and skeleton sleds, watching fun little videos – there’s something here that children of all ages can enjoy.
When you’re outside, be aware that Olympic Park is quite spread out. So getting from one activity or area to another will involve a great deal of walking – albeit the paths are generally suitable for strollers. For activities designed specifically with younger children in mind, head down the hill and east toward Discovery zone; this is where you’ll find the playground, beginner ropes course, picturesque chairlift – and possibly the most important, and ice cream shop! If you have small children, the only available activity is the Discovery ropes course which they can do with an adult once they reach 35 pounds. The scenic chairlift also allows kids to ride although those under age three should be carried in a child carrier (which feels a little silly, but hey, RULES). To make sure everyone enjoys themselves, plan to take your family to watch Flying Aces show on the weekend – this event is ideal for all ages!
Best Ages For Utah Olympic Park
While there’s a little something for everyone, the Utah Olympic Park is really best suited to kids who are over 35 pounds. I think that ages 5 and older is the perfect age for a visit. If you’ve got older kids or teens, you can have an absolute BLAST HERE! This would be one of our top choices for a teen birthday party with a couple of friends!
Best Time To Visit Utah Olympic Park
While the park is open all year, we think that summer is the best time to visit Utah Olympic Park with kids. The weather is perfect, you won’t have to worry about the cold, and they’ve got some amazing activities that are only available in summer. Weekends can get a little crazy with the crowds, but that’s the only time the Flying Aces shows are. If you don’t want to see the Flying Aces, go midweek, otherwise, Saturdays are the best day to visit UOP with kids.
What to wear to the Utah Olympic Park with Kids
Most of the adventure activities require closed toed shoes, so that’s essential. Otherwise, sunscreen is your best friend. With the elevation of Park City right around 7,000 feet, sunburns are intense and happen FAST!