The Edit · Travel
The Edit · Travel
Every desert summer has a point where the smart move is simply to leave for a few days — and few escapes repay the trip like Sundance. Founded by Robert Redford in 1969 on the principle of "develop a little, preserve a lot," the resort sits beneath the 12,000-foot silhouette of Mount Timpanogos in 5,000 protected acres of Provo Canyon: part ski mountain, part artist's retreat, part nature conservancy. An easy drive from Salt Lake, a world away from everywhere.
The One Unmissable Thing
Start at the Owl Bar, because the story is even better than the drinks. The bar itself is the original 1890s Rosewood Bar, which began its life in a rough saloon in Thermopolis, Wyoming — a watering hole for Butch Cassidy and his Hole-in-the-Wall Gang. Decades later, Redford found it buried under Formica and shag carpet in a Wyoming biker bar, bought it, spent roughly eighteen months restoring it, and hauled it to Sundance in the mid-'90s. Look closely and you can still find the original bullet holes in the wood.
Today it's a low-ceilinged mountain tavern with a stone fireplace and a streamside patio — live music most Thursday through Saturday nights from around 8. Winter: claim the fire. Summer: the patio by the water. Either way, you're drinking at the same rail the Wild Bunch once bellied up to.
Where to Stay
Book The Inn. Opened in early 2026, it's the resort's only hotel and its first new lodging since Redford broke ground on Sundance itself. Set at the base of the Outlaw Express lift, its two wings join by a footbridge over the North Fork Provo River — and true to the founding ethos, nothing rises above the surrounding trees. The mountain, not the building, stays the star.
Inside it's warm and quietly luxurious — natural woods, a saturated forest palette, local art on every wall. The rooms were designed with a sleep specialist: crisp cotton, humidifiers for the dry mountain air, blackout shades, and a window seat made for morning coffee with the summit outside. Mornings begin with a European-style breakfast in the Living Room lounge; a short walk away, The Springs is a tucked-away trio of soaking pools built for doing absolutely nothing.
Nothing at Sundance is built above the tree line — the mountain, not the building, is always the star.
Cool air, outlaw history, and a few slow mornings under Timpanogos — the desert will still be there when you get back. Planning an escape, or a home built for this kind of quiet? Marta is always happy to trade notes.