Hotel at a Glance: Zermatt Resort

The AAA Four Diamond Zermatt Resort offers a Swiss-inspired retreat just across the Wasatch Range mountains from Salt Lake City. Enjoy a breakfast of fresh baked goods before hitting nearby ski resorts.

• Shuttle service available to Park City and Heber City ski resorts
• Press accolades: Fodor’s says “the rooms feel both modern and chalet-style Old World, and the mountain views are superb.”
• In-room amenities: Guest rooms have flat-screen TVs, down comforters, and free WiFi. Choose a one-bedroom villa for a little more room, plus a walk-out patio and a full kitchen.
• Where to eat: The onsite Z’s Steak & Chop Haus serves prime aged steaks, seafood, and bone-in rib eye. Or grab a few pastries at the European-style bakery, Backerei and Eis.
• The Spa at Zermatt Resort offers a full menu of treatments as well as a dry sauna, an aromatherapy steam grotto, an indoor pool, and a hot tub with a waterfall.

Heber Valley, Utah: Lush Alpine Scenery Close to World-Class Skiing

Since Salt Lake City hosted the 2002 Winter Olympic Games, the neighboring Heber Valley—another top-notch outdoor-recreation spot—is sometimes overlooked. But this alpine area, located less than 20 miles from Park City, across the Wasatch Range, has bragging rights of its own. Here, you’ll find a wealth of hillside hiking trails, rolling golf courses, and mountain streams teeming with rainbow trout. In the winter, Heber Valley’s towns are noted for their laid-back atmosphere and proximity to four world-class ski resorts. Among them is Deer Valley Resort, named one of the Best Ski Resorts in North America by Outside magazine for its upscale amenities, including heated sidewalks. At Deer Valley, more than 100 runs spread out across several peaks and cater to a variety of skill levels; hardcore skiers will find plenty of steep trails near the peaks.

One of the main towns of Heber Valley is Midway, whose Soldier Hollow Resort hosted the 2002 Winter Olympic cross-country skiing events. The city’s other claim to fame is the Homestead caldera, a natural hot spring and one of the only warm-water scuba-diving spots in the continental United States. Surrounded by a 10,000-year-old limestone dome, the swimming hole—known locally as “The Crater”—remains a balmy 90 to 96 degrees year-round.

Heber City, the valley’s other major community, has been called “Switzerland of America” thanks to its pastoral farms surrounded by towering mountains. Don’t miss the Heber Valley Railroad, which takes passengers along a historic three-hour route into alpine Provo Canyon via 100-year-old restored steam and diesel trains.

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