After hitting up two national parks my sister, Shannon, and I had a bit of a dilemma when deciding where to head next on our Utah road trip. On the one had we could continue east toward Monument Valley and on the other we could start north toward Provo and the Wasatch Mountains. Either way was equally enticing and but the lure of fall foliage proved too strong and we decided to head north and made our way toward the Sundance Resort.

In 1968, Robert Redford purchased, Timp Haven, a small ski resort on Mt. Timpanagos just outside of Provo, Utah. Inspired by his character in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid the name was changed to Sundance and from it the Sundance Institute and the accompanying Sundance Film Festival were formed.

As a film fan, I’ve long been aware of the Sundance Film Festival but never really thought about the resort until researching our trip. But one look at its website and I knew it was a place I needed to visit. Luckily, Shannon shares my enthusiasm for fall foliage and an alpine atmosphere so she happily agreed. We contemplated staying overnight but after indulging in a cabin at Zion we opted for an inexpensive stay in Provo and headed to Sundance first thing in the morning.

We arrived just in time for breakfast and, as it was a weekday, quickly found a table at the Foundry Grill. It was a chilly morning but the fireplace was blazing and we were quickly warmed with fresh cups of coffee. We both enjoyed the Foundry House Breakfast, featuring ham, eggs and pancakes, while watching the leaves fall just outside the window.

The restaurant was so cozy we hated to leave but eventually teared ourselves away to start exploring.

Much of the resort is for overnight guests only but there are plenty of places day visitors can enjoy. We strolled around the general store which offered an array of beautiful artisan items as well as several branded products and found some wonderful souvenirs for our friends and family.

We also headed to the art studio where several classes are offered and handmade goods are sold. Lucky for us, the studio offers drop in workshops and we were able try our hands and candle making.

We chose hand-blown glass containers (made at the resort) and our favorite scents and, with the help of our instructor, made beautiful scented candles. As luck would have it, the candles took some time to set requiring us to return to the resort later that day. We used the time to explore the surrounding mountains.

We took a quick jaunt up the Alpine Loop but, unfortunately, most of the trees were bare.

Sp, we decided to head to Park City for a couple of hours and walk its famed Main Street.

While there we stopped at High West Distillery and tasted some amazing whiskey.

Thank goodness this was a road trip because the whiskey I purchased would not have fit in a carry on!

In the early evening we headed back to Sundance to pick up our candles. By this time, the resort’s famed Owl Bar was open and we decided to stop there for dinner. The Owl Bar is an authentic 1890’s bar that was moved to the resort from its original home in Thermopolis, Wyoming. Decorated with pictures from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid it has a cozy, western atmosphere. Unfortunately, photographs are frowned upon so I kept my camera in my purse and instead focused on my delicious dinner.

All too soon it was time to leave the resort and head back to Provo. Sundance was better than I ever expected it to be – it truly is a slice of paradise. Shannon and I both decided we would need to return but this time as overnight guests. I can’t wait to go back and spend a long weekend in the Wasatch Mountains.