Long-time local and retired physician, Beverly Hurwitz, has published a gem of a book! Park City locals will certainly want to grab a copy for the home library and get busy dog-earring its pages. Even if you think you know Park City well, you’ll never really know it until you walk it! Amble your way through 30 wonderful walks sprinkled throughout Park City proper and its extended areas, most less than 4 miles in length, and all conveniently indexed and described with pictures, helpful maps and pertinent details. Makes a wonderful gift too. We love it so much we’ve decided to give a copy to all our clients!
When a shoulder injury forced Beverly off her bike, her preferred Park City activity, she was faced with having to explore other options. If you’ve ever been challenged by an injury or illness that interrupts your normal habits, you know that it can cause you to stumble upon something previously unexplored – and that may open up a whole new area of interest for yourself and your life. Beverly still had two good feet so she began walking, and soon learned she really enjoyed the new perspective.
The walks outlined in this handy guidebook are not “pedestrian” by any stretch. Bad pun, I know. What I mean is Park City is one of the world’s best loved travel destinations, so Hurwitz certainly had great raw material from which to work. But Hurwitz has done the leg work and gives us the inside scoop on how to best experience the town’s magnificent mountain scenery and colorful western/mining roots, with the immediacy that being on foot brings you. As Hurwitz explains, many of the trails in her walks are not found on the Mountain Trails maps, nor are they visible from Google Earth because they are canopied by trees. Beverly has been our advance scout, trekking down dead-ends and discovering through a trial-and-error process the perfect loop, safe street connector, or special access to beautiful vistas.
Spring in Aspen Springs, photo by Ken Hurwitz, MD
Many guide books are not user friendly; I find this one incredibly easy to follow. You can look up a walk by area, by order of difficulty (length, elevation gain), or by the various amenities found along route, including urban or wild landscapes. A brief foray into the pages and you will be inspired to head out your front door, and soon be able to choose the perfect walk for those out-of-town visitors (we’re always wondering what to do with) according to their abilities and interests.
Remember, these are not “hikes” they are “walks” that you can incorporate into your daily routine. Fueled by a passion for improving Park City’s walk-ability quotient, Beverly’s goal with this project has been to share her knowledge and enthusiasm and get people walking. The beautiful pathways are there; she simply strives to build awareness. “Park City is a wonderful place to walk”, says Hurwitz. “In addition to its phenomenal trail system, Park City and its suburbs are rich with parks and mountain neighborhoods that provide delightful walking routes through spectacular scenery.”
Her book is really part of a larger commitment to her town – insuring Park City’s future livability for its residents and success for the resort town. “Park City is moving in the right direction” acknowledges Hurwitz. “We have paved paths along Kearns Blvd and all along its entry corridor. The under passes and decorated tunnels are great pedestrian features, and Main Street’s new sidewalks should also invite walking. There is a ‘Walkable Park City’ map at parkcity.org. There are “hike only” trails on the trails maps of the nonprofit mountaintrails.org.” But there is still more to be done, she says. For example more pedestrian connections to amenities and more adaptations for winter walking would be helpful.
Let’s face it a slot canyon accommodates a finite number of cars; we are all starting to feel the effects of these very real limitations. And global warming is a real threat to the ski industry. “If we are promoting ourselves as a four season resort mecca, we need to appeal to a much larger group than just skiiers, mountain bikers and hikers, and we need to get people out of their cars,” explains Hurwitz. In a recent scoring of ski town walkability, Park City was ranked #10 with a score of 78. “I wonder, how much lighter and brighter Park City’s future could be if its walkability and clean air became its top attractions.”
Walking is exercise, recreation and transportation all at once. It’s free, requires no equipment and all ages can do it. Finding ways to capitalize on recent efforts and broaden the town’s walkability is in everyone’s best interests. This book is a real contribution to the community. Pick one up today!
Books are available for purchase with the following fine local merchants:
The Market at Park City, Cole Sport, Dolly’s Bookstore, Right At Home
St. Regis Boutique, Silverstar Ski & Sport, Snow Park Lodge at Deer Valley Resort
J.W. Allen Toys, Indigo Highway, Park City Hospital Gift Shop
Available at Amazon.com or order directly from the publisher ($17.06 ea., or 10 or more for $11.37/ea.) Outskirts Press
Dr. Hurwitz’s guidebook also offers practical information about fitness, feet, and footwear from the perspective of a seasoned physician. Her medical career includes training in physical medicine, pediatrics, neurology and acupuncture, and decades of clinical experience managing acute and chronic injuries. Dr. Hurwitz currently serves as an independent medical examiner for the Utah Department of Labor. In addition to being an avid walker, she enjoys skiing golf, skating and just about everything else that Park City has to offer, except traffic.
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