Park City approves Deer Valley’s Fox US Open mountain biking event

Park City has cleared the way for Deer Valley Resort to bring the Fox US Open of Mountain Biking back to the Wasatch Back, a move city leaders and the resort are banking on for both national attention and local spending. The Park City Council unanimously approved a special event permit for the four-day competition, which Deer Valley plans to stage on Bald Eagle Mountain in the Snow Park area.

The timing matters for Summit County businesses. Deer Valley estimates the race week will bring about 10,000 visitors, a crowd large enough to fill hotels, restaurants, shops and transportation services across Park City and the surrounding valley. The resort says general admission will be free, though spectators will need to RSVP through an online ticket system once details are released.

There is one wrinkle in the event calendar. TownLift reported the competition as running Sept. 10-13, while Deer Valley’s event page lists Sept. 11-13, with pro finals set for Saturday, Sept. 12. Visit Park City describes the race as the final round of the Pro Downhill Series and the Official US National Mountain Bike Championship, with professional, amateur, youth and adaptive athletes expected to take part.

For Deer Valley, the US Open is part of a broader effort to keep the resort central to summer recreation as well as winter tourism. The mountain bike park now offers nearly 60 miles of trails spread across six mountains and accessed by three chairlifts, and summer operations begin June 19, 2026. The resort is also still pushing its Expanded Excellence project, which it says will add 3,700 acres of skiable terrain.

Carly Driscoll, Deer Valley’s director of marketing, told council members the event fits naturally with the resort’s role in developing both professional downhill riders and younger athletes. The Fox US Open also carries added weight in the wider racing scene: the Monster Energy Pro Downhill Series says its 2026 season will include five races and calls itself the official USA Cycling national downhill series.

The event’s return also reaches back into local mountain-bike history. Deer Valley hosted NORBA National Championship Series racing in 2000, and the Fox US Open dates to 2003, giving the 2026 stop the feel of a homecoming as much as a new showcase. For Park City, it is another bet that marquee sport can deliver enough economic lift and branding power to justify the traffic and public attention that come with it.