Big Cottonwood Canyon is a canyon in the

Wasatch Range The Wasatch Range ( ) or Wasatch Mountains is a mountain range in the western United States that runs about from the Utah-Idaho border south to central Utah. It is the western edge of the greater Rocky Mountains, and the eastern edge of the G ...

southeast of

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, th ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

. The -long canyon provides hiking, biking, picnicking, rock-climbing, camping, and fishing in the summer. Its two ski resorts, Brighton and Solitude, are popular among skiers and snowboarders. The canyon is accessed by The Big Cottonwood Canyon Scenic Byway (SR-190), which runs its length to Guardsman Pass at the top of the canyon, allowing travel to

Park City Park City may refer to: a city in Utah. Places * National Park City, London, England, UK; see parks and open spaces in London in the United States * Park City, Illinois * Park City, Kansas * Park City, Kentucky * Park City, Montana * Park City, ...

in the summer months. Guardsman Pass is closed during the winter months and is a popular snowshoe hiking destination for many Utahns. Hiking to the canyon's mountain lakes is popular, with many trails leading to lakes such as Mary, Martha, and Katherine. The canyon's most popular hiking trail leads to Lakes Blanche, Florence and Lillian. The trail is long and a strenuous hike. Since the canyon was formed by Big Cottonwood Creek, the V-shaped canyon has many impressive rock forms. The canyon is also a frequent destination for Utah Native Plant Society wildflower walks and for

University of Utah The University of Utah (U of U, UofU, or simply The U) is a public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the flagship institution of the Utah System of Higher Education. The university was established in 1850 as the University of De ...

botanical field trips. The canyon and the adjoining

Little Cottonwood Canyon Little Cottonwood Canyon lies within the Wasatch-Cache National Forest along the eastern side of the Salt Lake Valley, roughly 15 miles from Salt Lake City, Utah. The canyon is part of Granite, a CDP and "Community Council" designated by Salt L ...

contain significant

biodiversity Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic (''genetic variability''), species (''species diversity''), and ecosystem (''ecosystem diversity'') l ...

and are home to a number of rare and endemic plant species. One example is the Wasatch shooting star, ''Dodecatheon dentatum'' var. ''utahense'' which is only known from Big Cottonwood Canyon. Big Cottonwood Canyon is a watershed canyon that supplies drinking water to the

Wasatch Front The Wasatch Front is a metropolitan region in the north-central part of the U.S. state of Utah. It consists of a chain of contiguous cities and towns stretched along the Wasatch Range from approximately Provo in the south to Logan in the nort ...

, therefore, pets and other domesticated animals are not allowed. In November 2011, a proposal to construct a gondola linking Solitude Ski Resort through Big Cottonwood Canyon to the Canyons Resort in Summit County drew criticism over concerns about its potential effect on sensitive terrain and watershed impacts.Canyons unveils proposed SkiLink gondola to connect with Solitude
The Deseret News, November 17, 2011. Parts of two little known

slasher film A slasher film is a genre of horror films involving a killer stalking and murdering a group of people, usually by use of bladed or sharp tools like knife, chainsaw, scalpel, etc. Although the term "slasher" may occasionally be used informally as ...

s, '' Berserker'' (1987) and '' Iced'' (1988), were shot in Big Cottonwood Canyon. Parts of ''

How the Grinch Stole Christmas ''How the Grinch Stole Christmas!'' is a Christmas children's story by Theodor "Dr. Seuss" Geisel written in rhymed verse with illustrations by the author. It follows the Grinch, a grouchy, solitary creature who tries to cancel Christmas by st ...

'' (2000) were filmed at Solitude Mountain Resort, in Big Cottonwood Canyon.

Storm Mountain

Storm Mountain is a popular picnic site. Over one hundred years ago, R.D. Maxfield Jr. carved out a home for himself and his family. It soon became a relaxing place for picnics. In the 1930s, the

Civilian Conservation Corps The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was a major part of ...

built a small stage area for public events. The Storm Mountain area is also notable geologically for its

rhythmite A rhythmite consists of layers of sediment or sedimentary rock which are laid down with an obvious periodicity and regularity. They may be created by annual processes such as seasonally varying deposits reflecting variations in the runoff cycle, b ...

s (a sea-level sedimentary deposit that records the cycle of the tides) and cross-bedded sandstones.

S-Curve Area

S-Curve Area is a popular rock climbing area in Big Cottonwood Canyon. Most of the routes are bolted and offer a variety of grades. Most distinctive about this climbing area is the impressive overhangs that exist on many of the routes. The S-Curve Area is located just from the mouth of the canyon.

Gallery

References

Big Cottonwood Canyon Scenic Byway
''Utah.com''

''Utah Outdoor Activities''
Trails - Big Cottonwood Canyon
''Salt Lake Ranger District - USDA Forest Service''. *https://web.archive.org/web/20061011150938/http://www.byways.org/browse/byways/2004/overview.html

Sources

External links