Sundance

One of the smaller Salt Lake City resorts, 13 miles from Provo and in the shadow of the magnificent Mount Timpanogos, Sundance's claim to fame is its owner, Robert Redford. It takes its name, of course, from the movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. At 6,100ft, the village is lower than its more famous neighbours Snowbird and Alta; and it doesn't always get quite the same magnificent snow. However it is a very appealing resort, with an attractive base area. The three chairlifts give you access to some serious challenges among its 40-odd trails and the vertical drop is 2,150ft. As befits its owner, Sundance was founded with a commitment to combining art and nature in a mountain community. The Tree Room restaurant, opened in 1969, was literally built around a massive tree that Redford didn't want to destroy. The restaurant also houses a wide variety of Native American art and memorabilia from his private collection. Don't miss the "Confederate Rug" in the Tree Room, a 20'x10' rug made of sewn-together Confederate jackets. A large totem pole sits near the Sundance Creek adjacent to the resort's base buildings, and the resort is scattered with sculptures depicting Native American themes. Sundance's Art Shack, opened in the late 1990's, offers year-round courses and workshops in a variety of artistic endeavours, like print-making, glass-blowing, painting and much more. But the resort's most famous artistic event is the Sundance Film Festival, which takes place each year in late January.