Visiting Sundance Mountain Resort as a Family

Visiting Sundance Mountain Resort as a family is one of our favorite things to do in Utah. (Utah happens to be our home state – GOOOOO UTAH)! We love being able to visit the mountains, explore the little Sundance village, and enjoy the amenities of Robert Redford’s stunning mountain resort.  If you are looking for things to do in Utah with kids, Sundance is a great place to start! Read on to find out the best things to do for a fabulous Sundance family excursion. 

Visiting Sundance Mountain Resort as a Family – What to Do

A Little Background on Sundance

Most people have heard of the world famous Sundance Film Festival, which occurs every winter in Utah. At the heart of the Sundance Film Festival is the mountain resort founded by actor Robert Redford in 1969. (Redford has a residence on property – here is a fabulous article about how Sundance all started Robert Redford The Sundance Kid.) Sundance is located at the base of the Alpine Loop Scenic drive through the towering peaks of American Fork and Provo Canyon and has some of the prettiest views in Utah County.

Sundance offers year-round luxurious adventure and also boasts some amazing dining. Here in Utah, Sundance is famous for being a perfect weekend couple getaway (it can be super romantic) however, it is a total blast to visit with your family. The best part? You don’t have to stay at Sundance to be able to play. It can be a more economical choice if you are wanting to have a fun day trip without the price tag of staying at the lodge.

The Perfect Utah Family Day Trip

Scenic Mountain Lift

Take a panoramic family scenic lift ride on Ray’s lift and then on to Red’ s. (Yes, the names are Ray and Red haha.) Stunning views of Stewart Falls and the back of the lovely Mount Timpanogos abound.  Becks LOVED watching the mountain bikes zoom down the mountain below. He also thought it was the greatest thing ever when he spotted some wildlife.

Once you get to the top, enjoy a walk around and set off on several fantastic hikes. The hikes range from easy to advanced. You can also head down the zip line. For more information on the hikes and trails, check out the website here – Sundance Summer Activities. It should be noted that our favorite hike is the Stewart Falls hike, also I have heard wonderful things about the zip line but it is still something that I need to do.

TIP: Bring sunscreen and keep in mind that this is a ski lift so there is just one bar covering the lap. The lift can be rather high and steep at times. If anyone in your family is SUPER wiggly or afraid of heights, you might want to bypass this activity.

Explore and Play at Sundance Village

This is the perfect place to play outside and enjoy nature! And isn’t nature the best playground? In the summer there are tons of butterflies to catch and lots of bridges and streams to play in. Throwing sticks and rocks into the streams is a Beckham favorite. There is also a fantastic spot where you can sit by a small pond and walk up among the lodges.

To really be able to access the pond and the resort area, there are several spots where signs say that you must be a guest at the lodge. We have stayed at Sundance several times but for this day trip we were not guests and we just ignored the signs and walked on up to the lodge only areas and totally broke the rules (we are such rebels – sssh). Nobody batted an eye and we had a great time. Beckham could seriously explore and throw rocks and sticks for hours but if this isn’t your cup of tea – embark on one of the many activities offered through the ticket office like mountain biking, fly fishing, horseback riding or zip line. Again, see website for further info.

Tip: Keep an eye out, the streams and rivers move FAST. It could be dangerous if someone fell in. We talked to Beckham beforehand how he was NEVER to approach the water without one of us and to stay near mom and dad the whole time and threatened to take away all of his toys (parents of the year over here haha). He stayed glued to our sides. Apparently, threats work :).

Grab a Bite to eat at one of the Sundance Restaurants

There are several restaurants on property and honestly, our favorite is the Foundry Grill but it is a little bit pricey and more adult oriented. For this excursion, it was not what we were looking for after roaming around, and Beckham was in no mood to sit down for a super nice lunch. We decided instead to try out the Sundance Deli and LOVED it!

Sundance Deli

This tiny deli is the perfect casual spot to grab a yummy bite to eat, especially after playing and exploring.  They have yummy giant cookies and many offerings to make even the pickiest eater happy. Not to mention the sandwich selection is delicious! Beckham loved the peanut butter, banana, and fresh honey sandwich, while I loved the turkey, bacon and avocado sandwich. (Stef had the buffalo chicken sandwich and thought his was better than mine, but I can assure you it was not :)).  

 There is a small area where you can sit on the bar stools inside, or there is plenty of outside seating. I prefer the outside seating for the lovely views. Also, don’t forget to grab a fresh raspberry lemonade!

Tip: With the outside seating, there is a stream that runs right through it and you will want to keep an eye out for running water. Also, the sandwiches are made fresh with the best ingredients, so the wait time for the food can be a little longer than normally expected.

What are some of your favorite things to do in your hometown? Are you visiting Utah soon? Does this day trip sound like something you would like to do with your fam when visiting Utah?

As always, let us know what you think!

Xoxoxo,

Kam

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