Summit Watch versus Mountainside

[GregT]

All,

Our family did a quick getaway to Park City for a few days when the opportunity arose. We are at a VRBO property, a block off Main Street and two blocks from Summit Watch.

We are still recent arrivals but I am really impressed by Park City (my first trip here). The shopping and restaurants are awesome and the town lift for Summit Watch is easier access than I had realized. I had always thought Mountainside was the preferred spot for the hard core skier (which I am not) because of ski-in/ski-out but I am thinking Summit Watch would be my preferred spot because of Main Street.

I haven't spent much time over by Mountainside yet (will try today) and they may have the same vibe, but I'm really impressed with this location. I can especially see it as desirable during its slow season (or the biking season) because of Main Street's charm.

Would love to hear more from PC experts, and wish Puck was still active because he always loved Summit Watch. Thanks!

Best,

Greg

 

[jlp879]

I also love Summit Watch, and owned it for many years. I love it most for its location. As you mentioned, it gives the best of both worlds. Quick ski hill access via Town Lift and then all the shopping and nightlife options right outside your door. It worked incredibly well for my family for many years. However, I noticed that with the expansion of the two resorts, the Canyons and Park City, staying at Summit Watch means I have to go further to access skiing at the Canyons side. Not really a big deal, because the resort has the on mountain gondola option plus buses run between the two bases.

The only drawback I see for Summit Watch is that for skiing, your participants have to a) already be intermediate skiers and b) not wanting to partake of ski school activities. If either of those are not true, then Mountainside would be the preferred MVC location.

I also give Mountainside a slight edge in the pool and hot tub area. That said, I do love my Summit Watch.

 

[Fasttr]

We had a great time at Summit Watch a couple summers ago and loved the easy access to Main Street and all that offers. If you have time, take the funicular ride up the mountain and eat at J&G Grill at the St. Regis at Deer Valley just up the road. Your kids will get a kick out of it.

 

[funtime]

I own at Summit Watch and I have stayed at both and skied from both. Mountainside is great for skiers because you can ski in and out. It is right next to the Payday lift. I purchased at Summit Watch because their Platinum weeks also include Presidents week. Also we try and reserve for the Sundance Film festival. People attending Sundance greatly prefer the downtown location and you can command very high rents.

 

[mjm1]

Greg, glad to hear you are enjoying Park City. I’ve been there but haven’t stayed at either MVC resort. However, we will be staying at Mountain Watch for a few days in June and are looking forward to it. Would appreciate any tips regarding restaurants, etc. in the area that you like.

Enjoy the rest of your trip.

Best regards.

Mike

 

[jme]

Greg, we went to Park City 6 years running when our two kids were ages 9&12 to 15&18. They learned to ski there.
We stayed 3 times at Summit Watch and 3 times at Mountainside, sort of alternating. Each time we stayed somewhere,
we said "this is our favorite". We never decided which one really was. Mountainside was extremely convenient
for skiing in and out, especially at lunchtime when we could run up to the condo,
and of course each morning it was super-fast to walk or ski down to the lift. For lunch or dinner the restaurants "at the top"
were somewhat limited, so if we wanted to go in town, we had to catch the bus (still easy, tho).

From Summit Watch, the Town Lift was very easy, and fun actually, and you get on and exit only a short 10-min walk
from the resort.
The bus stop 1 min away also was easy to catch to ride up to the Park City slopes if you'd rather. The best part of Summit Watch was being downtown, only minutes from the wonderful restaurants, and we have many memories of walking the town.
It was REALLY fun.

(We particularly liked Zoom, 30 yards from the end building, owned by Robert Redford, and an amazing place, our favorite. Now it's permanently closed, too bad. Another great Italian place, Cisero's, is no longer there, too, I think ....sheesh, those were fantastic.....
BUT great restaurants still remain!!!!!)

I'd say if you're a serious bunch of skiers, and ski from first minute of day until dark, and don't mind
catching the bus into town (6-7 minutes), Mountainside is best. The outdoor heated pool at MS is awesome,
and you can sort of watch the slope.
But if you're into "experiencing it all", Summit Watch is wonderful. Both resorts should be experienced,
so it doesn't matter which comes first, just try them both and see......you'll enjoy the differences.
Just a note, if you're a light sleeper, at Mountainside you could sometimes hear the snow-grooming machines
all night, and that was annoying. The two resorts are so different.

If you're talking summer or shoulder seasons, probably a wash, flip a coin. I personally cannot imagine
being there except to ski. Hiking, biking, or climbing, etc are not our things. Enjoy

 

[tugcccsp]

I own both Summit Watch and Mountainside. I have Summit Watch in the summer and Mountainside in the winter. I love the easy ski-in and ski-out of Mountainside. Also, all the different hot tubs and large main pool are great right after skiing. I always have a car so I drive to downtown for eating. Also, there is a shuttle. Summit Watch has a tiny pool.

For Summit Watch, I enjoy being downtown in the summer time. The warm weather makes it enjoyable to browse the many shops and attend outdoor concerts. I enjoy having a car to get around to many places: hiking, fishing, boating, and mountain drives.

 

[sea&ski]

It is truly a toss-up. Owned at Mountainside since inception, stayed at Summit Watch during summer months. The absolute only drawback to Summit Watch for ski season is the ability of your ski group to return to the home pod at quitting time. The runs leading down to the chair base at Summit Watch can be challenging. But, there is always a bus that goes that direction from the base of Mountainside, only a minor inconvenience. I would also add that we walk from Mountainside into Park City main street almost every night we visit, but we are dedicated excercisers and undaunted by the cold. In the summer, this would be a snap. Summit Watch is quieter in the summer, Mountainside focus remains the pool area, which is smack in the middle of the resort.

 

[Travel1]

We stayed at Summit Watch this past April and enjoyed it and they had great social activities for the adults (wine tasting night, bingo with more wine tasting, social get-together with cheese and more wine tasting...I guess it was off-season so they were trying to make it fun for everyone).

Checked out Mountainside and as mentioned by others, right on the slopes and had a much nicer pool area. Summit located right in the town of Park City. Can't go wrong with either resort.

 

[StevenTing]

How long are you in town? I may have to drive up to PC just to say hello.

I've only stayed in Mountainside because of the pool. Summit Watch has a very different feel to me but I was only there during mud weeks and not actual winter.

 

[hangloose]

We have stayed at both Mountainside and Summit Watch, both during Christmas/NYE, both also via II exchanges using Grande Vista! One year, our Mountainside 2BR exchange over Christmas was obtained with a 1BR MGV week via II. Perhaps our best trade ever!

In any event. Good comments above. We stayed first at Mountainside over Christmas. LOVE the ski-in/out right at PayDay lift! It is perfect if you have a group of skiers, especially if they are novice skiers. We felt the bus into town was pretty easy. Our second stay was at Summit Watch over NYE. We thought we would like Summit Watch more, since it had the town lift to ski PLUS was actually in town (restaurants, shopping, nightlife, etc). While it certainly had pros to being directly in town, I personally found I liked the location of Mountainside better. Mainly because we went to ski. Mountainside is truly ski-in/out...whereas Summit Watch you have to hike your skis a little ways to get to the Town lift. Not far, but does require a little bit of a walk. I'd vote..Mountainside if you are truly skiing. If restaurants/shops/nightlift are a higher priority, stay at Summit Watch. Either way, both are great locations and can get to the slopes and town fairly easily.

One last note as sea&ski noted....the run back via the Town lift to Summit Watch is a little more challenging than the base of Mountainside (bunny hills). So, if you have very novice skiers...this may make them nervous returning late via the Town lift. We ran into this issue once...where it was late, dark, snowing hard, and one family member was not comfortable going back via the Town lift after a full day on the slopes. As such, we got off at Payday lift via Mountainside and took the bus (with our skis) back to Summit Watch. Not a huge deal, just a few extra logistics and an extra 20 mins.

 

[NYFLTRAVELER]

Which is better for a mid-July visit (and what is there to do there for say 5 days in July)?

 

[Fasttr]

Which is better for a mid-July visit (and what is there to do there for say 5 days in July)?

You have kids, correct? Here are a couple of links to some activities they may enjoy.

https://www.visitparkcity.com/things-to-do/sports-outdoors/ziplines-coasters-slides/

https://rootsrated.com/stories/10-reasons-you-must-visit-utah-olympic-park-next-summer

 

[NYFLTRAVELER]

Thank you


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[bizaro86]

dwish Puck was still active because he always loved Summit Watch. Thanks!

I can't believe I hadn't noticed this. I was planning to make a thread on the amazing performance of the Tampa Bay Lightning this year. They are first in the NHL by a pretty fair margin.

I am personally hoping for a repeat of the 2004 Stanley Cup Final (lightning vs my Flames). Seems at least plausible as TB is first in the east and Calgary is first in the West at the half way point.

 

[GregT]

How long are you in town? I may have to drive up to PC just to say hello.

I've only stayed in Mountainside because of the pool. Summit Watch has a very different feel to me but I was only there during mud weeks and not actual winter.

Steven, thank you for the note and sorry to have missed you. We return today but will definitely be back!

I appreciate all the comments on the two properties and I really love the town itself. We will try Mountainside next until the kids are improved skiers but I suspect Summit Watch will be the long term option. Thanks again for the comments!

Best,

Greg

 

[Superchief]

Which is better for a mid-July visit (and what is there to do there for say 5 days in July)?

Mountainside definitely has a much nicer pool area and grills, but the resort can be overrun with children on summer weekends visiting from SLC area. It has been a few years since we stayed at Summit Watch, but I recall it having an indoor or indoor/outdoor pool with limited lounge chairs. There is a lot to do in the area during warm weather months, including hiking, rafting, and sightseeing. We really like the Mirror Lake area, and it has never been crowded when we were there (even on holidays). The mountains are beautiful. We prefer early June or late Aug after schools are back in session in Utah.

 

[Marathoner]

Many have made very good points above. I am also a weeks owner at both locations.

Both are great resorts. The ideal location really depends on who you are with. When I am with my kids, we primarily tend to cook in & eat in the villa and the kids prefer the better hot tubs & pool. Moreover, the kids want to be signed up for the ski lessons at PCMR which means that Mountainside is more convenient since the town lift doesn't start til 9am and the ski lessons start at 9:30am.

However, when I am in Park City with adults, Summit Watch is much more convenient to the restaurants and bars. The hot tubs are plenty good at Summit Watch and the truss bridge decor in the pool area is pretty interesting. As everyone mentioned, the walk back from the No Name Saloon or any of the Main Street restaurants is so much more convenient than a bus or taxi to Mountainside

 

[BocaBoy]

We are not skiers and we prefer to go in mud season without kids, so for us it is a no-briner in favor of Summit Watch.

Summit Watch and Harbour Club were the two Marriotts we have stayed at which far exceeded my rather modest expectations going in. We would happily go back to Summit Watch again.

 

[Fairwinds]

We are not skiers and we prefer to go in mud season without kids, so for us it is a no-briner in favor of Summit Watch.

Summit Watch and Harbour Club were the two Marriotts we have stayed at which far exceeded my rather modest expectations going in. We would happily go back to Summit Watch again.

Us too. Except rather than mud season our favorite week in PC is Labor Day week. We get a Saturday or Sunday check in; enjoy the Miners Day festivities and then for the rest of the week crowds are thinned out, weather is still great. We pick a different walk for each day and enjoy the town in the later part of the day.

 

[Carlsbadguy]

We are owners at Summit Watch for over 20 years and have stayed at both. Will be at Mountainside the week after next and Summit Watch 2 weeks later. The units at Summit Watch are larger and the resort does not seem as congested since it is more spread out. The gym at Mountainside is larger and the ski in/out feature is better unless you like to ski at Deer Valley where the bus is closer.

Mountainside seems to have more activities during the week, including a movie theater.

The pool area at Mountainside is nicer, but if it is really cold I like the inside area at Summit Watch. Summit Watch is more convenient for dining as there really are no decent restaurants within walking distance of Mountainside.

 

[GregT]

All,

Just curious, how likely is it to trade into either Summit Watch or Mountainside during Q1? I just make a Shadow Ridge Enclaves reservation for Feb 2020 (TDI 150) and deposited a 1BR, and placed a trade request for the entire Q1 2020 for either SW or MOU.

Can TUGgers comment on their experience trading (ski season) into either of the two properties (and into a 1BR)?

I have to think it is a very difficult trade — please advise and thanks!

Best,

Greg

 

[Carlsbadguy]

I traded into a studio at Mountainside for a week starting this Sunday and then have a 2 bedroom at Summit Watch starting Feb 1. For the last 5 or 6 years, I have always traded for one or both of those weeks. This was the first time I got a 2 bedroom except for a last minute retrade.

 

[Marathoner]

Trading into a studio or 1BR is not hard during the ski season if you have an OGS from 12 months prior with another Marriott. In fact, I deposited a bedroom and a studio for Jan 2020 at Summit Watch last month. Never saw it show up online so I assume that an OGS picked it up. Getting a 2BR is much harder since there are much fewer deposits.

Some last minute availability shows up a week before checkin.

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[Colt Seavers]

While I have to admit an extreme bias for MountainSide due to the number of times we have stayed and enjoyed there, the only advantage I see for Summit Watch is the proximity to Main Street. The pools, lift access, amenities, activities, views (2 out of every 3, at least), and overall feel at MountainSide are all better for us. We love taking the bus around the area or even walking the 10-15 minutes to Main Street when we want to eat or shop.

For those going in the summer I would add that the area with the alpine slide, alpine coaster, and zip line are all right behind MountainSide which is great for the kids. They used to sell all day passes at Costco but I am not sure if they still do.

For restaurants there are a couple in the base area next to Mountainside but none are really anything special. On Main Street we always go to the Eating Establishment, Davanza's, and our favorite, Bangkok Thai.