South Jordan, Utah

The trail head for Butler Fork is 8 miles up Big Cottonwood Canyon on the left side of the road. Throw your gear on and head up the trail. Continue along the skin track and after about 20 minutes you'll come upon a fork in the trail. The right trail will take you up the East Fork towards Butler B...

Mt. Superior, and its close neighbor, Monte Cristo, are two of the most iconic peaks in Little Cottonwood Canyon. Looming over Alta and Snowbird Ski resorts from the north side of the canyon, these two peaks dominate the Little Cottonwood skyline. Mt. Superior tops out at 11,132 feet, and Monte C...

This is an intermediate to advanced hike. Scrambling up the ridge is more difficult but can be done by anyone with patience and a few maneuvering skills. It is best climbed in the summer months when the ridge is free of snow. However, it makes for a good winter climb for more technical experience...

Drive up Little Cottonwood Canyon until the first entrance into Alta. Park in the Collins lift parking lot, throw your boots on, and head over to the nordic track. Its just next to the tow rope that runs through Albion Basin. Now thats left to do is to step into your skis and ski. The track has a...

The Trail Follow the trail for just a little bit and when it forks, stay to the left and you will arrive to Donut Falls. Once at the waterfall, climb up the rocks to get to the cave at the top, which is not visible from the bottom. To take pictures inside of the cave, you will most likely get yo...

Kessler Peak is a 10,403-foot peak located in Big Cottonwood Canyon. From the top, you can see all the way to the Uintas to the East, The tram at Snowbird to the south, and the Salt Lake Valley to the west. To the north is Mount Raymond and Gobblers Knob.  Kessler Peak is the terminus and highes...

Located in the Wasatch Mountains, less 30 minutes from Salt Lake City, Big Cottonwood Canyon, provides some of the best rural dark-sky viewing of the Milky Way in the Wasatch.The Donut Falls trail head/Mill D trail head, close to the ski resorts of Brighton and Solitude, additionally provides one...

The trail starts from the same trailhead as Donut Falls which is extremely popular. In the winter, the gates are closed and you need to park just off the highway. Follow the road and crowds along the trail but once you cross the bridge continue straight ahead instead of following the trail that c...

Drive up Big Cottonwood Canyon until you reach the Mill D South parking lot (aka Donut Falls parking). Head up the main road until you reach the bathrooms at the Donut Falls trailhead. Here you can either keep straight past the bathrooms, but the best way to go is to keep right along the road. Yo...

Cardiff Fork and Donut Falls share the same parking lot, so depending on what time of week you go exploring here, it may be the most packed parking in all of the Wasatch. Head up on a weekday for less crowds.  The Cardiff Fork trailhead is follows the rocky jeep road around the parking lot to the...

It's no secret that Little Cottonwood Canyon (LCC) is home to some of the best skiing and snowboarding in the lower 48, if not North America. What many people are not aware of is the extremely easy and quick access from Salt Lake City.Enter the Dawn Patrollers. Skiers and snowboarders from Salt L...

Starting at the parking lot near the Albion Basin gate, travel up the summer road until the second switchback. Just past the second switchback and cabins, leave the summer road heading east. The Trail heads northeast into Grizzly Gulch. It should be easy to follow—it gets a lot of traffic. From h...

Early spring is a unique time to photograph the Milky Way due to its low angle and the distinctive perspective of its galactic core. The low angle position of the Milky Way arc during the early morning hours, prior to dawn, allows for some striking panoramas, with the still snow-covered Wasatch M...

Do you like hiking? In ski boots? Good.You start the hike from the gate to Snowbird at the EBT near the top of the Sugarloaf lift. The start of the bootpack is at 10,500 ft of elevation. From there, follow the likely well established boot pack to the top of Baldy. There is one rather steep sectio...

At Albion Basin, wildflowers you will see include lupine, Indian paintbrush, American bistort, sunflowers, fireweed, and many more! Drive to the very top of Little Cottonwood Canyon and park at the Albion Grill. There is a trail just behind the Grill that takes you through a variety of wildflowe...

The out-and-back trail from Albion Basin to Cecret Lake climbs a gentle slope and along the way there are interpretive signs with information about the basin, its plants, animals and geology. From the lake you can return the same way you came, or explore the area more. If you head there during t...