A Mountain Retreat in Utah With Movie Stars and Bandits
Sundance is synonymous with its indie film festival, but the mountain town from Robert Redford has much more to offer.
Utah owes its world-famous Sundance Film Festival to the business instincts of Robert Redford. In the late 1960s, the movie star bought a ski area just 35 miles southeast of Salt Lake City and named it Sundance, after his role in the Oscar-winning Western film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. This hugely successful film classic was shot in Utah’s Zion National Park so, in a way, Redford owes his world fame to Utah, too.
Because the new resort was located at a lower elevation than other ski resorts in the area, Redford decided to compensate for the shorter ski season with a bit of glamour by hosting an independent film festival here. This festival later merged with another in Park City to become the Sundance we know today, drawing some 50,000 visitors each year.
Even after the film festival moved to Park City, Redford’s Sundance Resort remained a popular retreat for those who spend their mountain holiday in the glow of some old Hollywood charm. One of the restaurants, the Tree Room, is decorated with Redford's private collection of Native American art. Meanwhile, cocktails are served at The Owl Bar, which was originally built in the 1890s in Thermopolis, Wyoming, but was moved to Sundance. It's said that the real Butch Cassidy and his Wild Bunch frequented the original bar.
Outside of the short ski season, the focus at Sundance is on a wealth of outdoor activities. One of these, the impressive Sundance ZipTour, boasts vertical drops of 2,100 feet—the most of any zip line tour in the U.S. There are also scenic lift rides, some even by moonlight, gliding to the top of Ray’s Summit. Mountain biking opens in June with nearly 25 miles of single-track trails, all accessible by lifts, while more casual biking experiences are offered along the Provo River. Horseback riding is also an option, as are the 10 miles of alpine hiking trails for all fitness levels.
Finally, Sundance wouldn’t be Sundance without a bit of theater. The Sundance Summer Theater has been a tradition since 1970, and from July 21 to August 13 in 2022, a reinvented Broadway adaptation of the classic Disney Cinderella will be set beneath the shadow of Mount Timpanogos.
Chat with a travel curator below and Origin can help you plan your next trip to Sundance.
Photos courtesy of Sundance Resort