Big Cottonwood Canyon
Big Cottonwood Canyon is a 15-mile-long gorge in Utah’s Wasatch Range, about 12 miles southeast of Salt Lake City. It’s carved by Big Cottonwood Creek and sits in the Wasatch-Cache National Forest. The canyon is reached by the Big Cottonwood Canyon Scenic Byway (State Route 190), which runs along the canyon to Guardsman Pass and connects to Park City in the summer.
In summer the canyon offers hiking, biking, picnicking, rock climbing, camping, and fishing. Two ski resorts, Brighton and Solitude, attract winter skiers and boarders. Trails lead to lakes such as Mary, Martha, and Katherine, and the popular 3.1-mile hike to Lakes Blanche, Florence, and Lillian is considered strenuous.
Big Cottonwood Canyon is known for its rock formations shaped by the creek. It also hosts diverse plants, including the Wasatch shooting star, a rare plant found only here. Because the canyon is a drinking-water watershed for the Wasatch Front, pets and other domestic animals are not allowed.
Other highlights include Storm Mountain, a popular picnic site, and the S-Curve Area, a rock climbing spot with many bolted routes and striking overhangs about 4.25 miles from the mouth. The area has historical notes from the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. Notable geology includes rhythmites and cross-bedded sandstones.
A gondola proposal in 2011 to connect Solitude and The Canyons Resort through the canyon prompted concerns about the environment and watershed.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 17:00 (CET).