Big Cottonwood Canyon

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Big Cottonwood Canyon is a canyon in the Wasatch Range roughly 25 miles southeast of Salt Lake City in the U.S. state of Utah. The canyon's entrance is a few miles north of Little Cottonwood Canyon.

The 15-mile-long canyon provides hiking, biking, picnicking, rock-climbing, camping and fishing in the summer. During winter, its two ski resorts, Brighton and Solitude, are popular among skiers and snowboarders.

Hiking to the canyon's mountain lakes is a popular activity, 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 3.1 miles long and is considered strenuous.

Big Cottonwood Canyon is a watershed canyon, therefore pets and other animals are not allowed.

In Spring, it is not uncommon for the snow to reach 15 feet deep at the top end of the canyon while there is none at the mouth of the canyon less than 15 miles away.

[edit] Storm Mountain

Storm 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 built a small stage area for public events.