Photo by Walt Haas

Background

Little Cottonwood Canyon, in Utah's Wasatch Mountains, lies entirely within Salt Lake County. Most of the land in the canyon is owned by the US Forest Service and is part of the Wasatch-Cache National Forest.

The canyon is an important source of drinking water and recreation for the residents of Salt Lake City. Parts of two designated Wilderness Areas lie within the canyon. Mule deer, mountain goats and many smaller species make the canyon their home.

Visitors to the canyon enjoy world-class hiking, skiing and rock climbing in spectacular scenery. Camping and picnicing are available in areas near Utah highway 210, which runs along the bottom of the canyon.

The incorporated town of Alta, at the head of the canyon, is home to one of America's oldest ski resorts. Down canyon to the west is Snowbird, a ski resort and conference center which endeavors to provide year-round services. Snowbird is also home to Wasatch Powderbird Guides, a helicopter skiing service which carries skiers into this and other nearby canyons.

Related Topics Alta (resort) Alta (town) Salt Lake City watershed Snowbird topo map

Articles

Realignment of Canyon Road Sought
Deseret News  July 19, 2004.  Two ski resorts and the town of Alta have asked the Utah Transportation Commission to consider spending about $40 million to realign Little Cottonwood Road.

Little Cottonwood Canyon
SKI Magazine .  ...Bass' plans for Snowbird are far from complete, I learn. First he wants to build a 50,000-square-foot summit lodge on top of Hidden Peak where the tram disgorges its passengers. Then, he tells me, he wants to install a summit-to-summit tram that would link the new lodge to neighboring American Fork Twin Peaks!

Forest Service does hand to weed combat
Deseret News August 12, 2001.  Forest Service employees spent the morning Friday getting their hands dirty for the good of the native wildflowers in the Albion Basin.

New Rules Target Canyon Pesticides
The Salt Lake Tribune June 1, 2001.  Beginning July 1, canyon residents must apply for a permit from the city's Public Utilities Department before spraying pesticides or herbicides. City Council members approved the new requirement Thursday.

Superfund status sought for Davis site
Deseret News December 3, 2000.  ... The EPA also announced Friday the proposed addition of the Flagstaff and Davenport smelter sites at the mouth of Little Cottonwood Creek to the Superfund list.

Two Sites May Be Listed For Superfund Cleanup
The Salt Lake Tribune December 2, 2000.  At the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon, the EPA has proposed placing the "Flagstaff-Davenport Smelters" on the Superfund list.

Rolly & Wells: Same Tune: Rocks Still Roll In the Canyon
The Salt Lake Tribune December 17, 1999.  Two weeks after contractors for the LDS Church promised Salt Lake County commissioners they would stop hauling granite for the church's new assembly hall from Little Cottonwood Canyon, the flatbed trucks still are hauling.

Granite Mining May Be Complete
The Salt Lake Tribune December 2, 1999.  The LDS Church's granite-mining project in Little Cottonwood Canyon is finished as far as Salt Lake County officials are concerned. But a church spokesman says additional extraction work still might be necessary next spring.

Alta Wants Snowsheds To Keep Roads Open
The Salt Lake Tribune September 11, 1999.  Alta Mayor Bill Levitt and most of the town's 400 residents are weary. They are tired of being stranded, along with thousands of skiers, several times a year when avalanches cover state Road 210 in Little Cottonwood Canyon.