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547:
The canyon also includes Gate
Buttress, whose 80+ routes include the aptly named Schoolroom (5.6), a five-pitch route requiring a wide variety of techniques, along with routes ranging up to 5.12a in difficulty. Below the buttress and near the road is the Gate Boulder, a popular gathering spot shaded
462:. Both areas are well known for the amount of snow they receive each year with Alta averaging around 550 inches per year. The canyon is also well known for its backcountry skiing access, with over 300 named backcountry runs including one of the most prominent peaks in the canyon,
366:. The Little Cottonwood stock is intruded in its northeast corner by another unit called the White Pine intrusion, and other smaller igneous units, collectively about 27-26 million years old, which are the source of the inactive White Pine
555:
is one of the highest peaks to climb in the
Wasatch. The peak is usually climbed from the Red Pine Lake area, a ten-mile roundtrip climb that gains 3,700 feet. The peak was named after Chuck Pfeiffer, a Wasatch Club leader from long ago.
437:
often conducts wildflower walks at Albion Basin and in other locations in the canyon. The road is approximately 8.3 miles from the base of the canyon to the top with an average grade of 9.2%, making it a popular road cycling challenge.
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Face climbing is the predominant technique, typically using bolts and cracks for protection, but there are many notable crack climbs as well. Most routes are 2-4 pitches in length, with walkoffs involving still more scrub oak.
415:
considers Little
Cottonwood Canyon a protected watershed area. In order to prevent contamination of the watershed by fecal runoff, no dogs (except service animals and avalanche search dogs) are permitted in the canyon.
424:
Recreational activities in Little
Cottonwood Canyon include hiking, camping, fishing, mountain biking, rock climbing, Bouldering, skiing, snowboarding, and backcountry use. There are two resorts in the canyon,
539:
The highest-quality face routes are to be found on The Fin, an almost-featureless expanse high above the canyon. Its route The Dorsal Fin (5.10d) is a classic of the
Wasatch; first ascended by George Lowe and
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ski areas. A coalition of environmental groups opposed to the gondola have filed lawsuits against UDOT to block the gondola, claiming UDOT exceeded its authority and violated the
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routes in Utah. These routes vary in difficulty, from V0 to V16. Some of the most commonly climbed areas throughout the canyon include Secret Garden, 5 Mile, and White Pine.
521:– came to prominence through the rest of the 1960s and early 1970s. More recent climbers have pushed the standards to the highest levels, establishing several 5.13 routes.
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478:, granite, and granodiorite outcroppings, mostly consisting of smooth steep faces, some up to several hundred feet high. Local climbers informally refer to the rock as
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Jensen, C.J., Multi-stage intrusion and differentiation: petrologic development of the Little
Cottonwood stock, Utah: GSA Annual Meeting, Seattle, 2017
610:
275:
during the last ice age, 15,000 to 25,000 years ago. A number of rare and endemic plant species are found in the canyon's Albion Basin. Introduced
176:
399:, and its presence is probably a second-order control on the cause of the landslide, in addition to the elevation gradient caused by the nearby
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575:(UDOT) announced "Gondola Alternative B", a plan to build a Gondola transit system connecting the base of Little Cottonwood Canyon with
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761:"Multi-Stage Construction of the Little Cottonwood Stock, Utah: Origin, Intrusion, Venting, Mineralization, and Mass Movement"
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and elsewhere. Many of the major routes in Little
Cottonwood were established in the early 1960s by the
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The Little
Cottonwood Canyon watershed provides drinking water to much of Salt Lake County. The
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The intrusion and its associated ore deposit have several interesting features, including
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977:"UDOT identifies Gondola B as the preferred alternative in Little Cottonwood Canyon"
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With 529 climbs currently established, Little
Cottonwood Canyon has the second most
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is the primary access road to the canyon, running from the canyon mouth up to Alta.
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Near the top of Little
Cottonwood Canyon looking west toward the Salt Lake Valley.
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put up some routes before shifting to predominantly climbing on the quartzite of
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Access can be a problem. On the north side, the "Church Buttress" above the
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U-shaped valley carved by a glacier in Little Cottonwood Canyon (July 2008)
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quarried from the Little Cottonwood Stock near the mouth of the canyon.
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815:"Salt Lake Cycling - Salt Lake area rides - Little Cottonwood Canyon"
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in 1965, the bolts of this four-pitch were all drilled on the lead.
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in age, roughly 30.5 to 29 million years old, composed primarily of
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The earliest recorded climbing activity dates from the 1930s, when
433:, providing both summer and winter recreational opportunities. The
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Brigham Young University Scholars Archive-Theses and Dissertations
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252:
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18:
532:, sometimes scrambling through fields of enormous boulders.
949:"Outdoor bouldering highlights in Little Cottonwood Canyon"
497:, some in conjunction with well-known visitors including
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of the Alta Stock at the east end of the canyon (1997)
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that extends from the mouth of the canyon almost to
454:Little Cottonwood Canyon is home to two ski areas,
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120:
110:
100:
83:
919:"The Grand Illusion (V16) First Ascent - YouTube"
833:"10 Ski Resorts with the Deepest Snow in America"
482:, which is a close relative to quartz monzonite.
316:runs down the length of the canyon, beginning at
699:Little Cottonwood Creek (Salt Lake County, Utah)
214:
183:
288:the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
474:The lower third of the canyon is strewn with
8:
1101:Canyons and gorges of Salt Lake County, Utah
604:Fall Foliage in the canyon (September 2005)
395:The intrusion is also the footwall of the
80:
1121:Protected areas of Salt Lake County, Utah
897:"Boulders - Little Cottonwood Bouldering"
69:Learn how and when to remove this message
862:"Wasatch Backcountry Skiing Desktop Map"
32:This article includes a list of general
732:"Little Cottonwood Canyon Scenic Drive"
709:
594:
1001:"Gondola - LittleCottonwoodCanyon.org"
263:and "Community Council" designated by
397:East Traverse Mountain Mega-Landslide
7:
797:"Watersheds in the Salt Lake Valley"
754:
752:
750:
279:inhabit the surrounding mountains.
947:MacDonald, Cara (April 20, 2019).
694:List of canyons and gorges in Utah
392:, that occurred during intrusion.
38:it lacks sufficient corresponding
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1026:Bret Ruckman and Stuart Ruckman,
585:National Environmental Policy Act
573:Utah Department of Transportation
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656:
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381:, and other features related to
370:ore deposit in White Pine fork.
271:(U-shaped canyon), carved by an
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929:from the original on 2021-12-22
620:from Hidden Peak summit (2004)
526:Granite Mountain Records Vault
243:along the eastern side of the
1:
1111:Wasatch-Cache National Forest
241:Wasatch-Cache National Forest
225:Show map of the United States
222:Location in the United States
905:Recreational Equipment, Inc.
839:. 2017-01-31. Archived from
718:"Hiking in Utah's Mountains"
1137:
1096:Canyons and gorges of Utah
1005:littlecottonwoodcanyon.org
783:Central Wasatch Commission
1049:Utah Native Plant Society
1030:(Chockstone Press, 1991,
435:Utah Native Plant Society
359:, and granite, with some
304:Latter Day Saint pioneers
169:
88:
885:Pfeifferhorn Trip Report
571:On August 31, 2022, the
388:processes, and possibly
255:. The canyon is part of
247:, roughly 15 miles from
237:Little Cottonwood Canyon
84:Little Cottonwood Canyon
759:Jensen, Collin (2019).
442:Skiing and snowboarding
420:Recreational activities
413:National Forest Service
375:quartz-bearing porphyry
314:Little Cottonwood Creek
290:was built of blocks of
53:more precise citations.
16:Canyon in Northern Utah
1116:Climbing areas of Utah
1028:Wasatch Climbing North
451:
332:The Little Cottonwood
324:and flowing westward.
154:40.57333°N 111.77639°W
126:Wasatch Mountain Range
115:Salt Lake County, Utah
957:Deseret Digital Media
491:Big Cottonwood Canyon
449:
159:40.57333; -111.77639
1068: /
785:. 27 February 2020.
567:Gondola Controversy
150: /
1072:40.571°N 111.707°W
452:
347:ski resort. It is
267:. The canyon is a
106:5,400 ft (1,646 m)
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635:(September 2005)
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548:by large trees.
476:quartz monzonite
357:quartz monzonite
292:quartz monzonite
284:Salt Lake Temple
265:Salt Lake County
245:Salt Lake Valley
239:lies within the
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197:Show map of Utah
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509:. The Lowes –
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464:Mount Superior
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866:wbskiing.com
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845:. Retrieved
841:the original
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819:the original
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668:granodiorite
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553:Pfeifferhorn
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450:Mt. Superior
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383:hydrothermal
372:
353:granodiorite
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300:granodiorite
281:
236:
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191:Location in
65:
56:
37:
1075: /
1063:111°42′25″W
953:www.ksl.com
651:(July 2004)
649:Wildflowers
511:George Lowe
499:Fred Beckey
386:ore deposit
318:Cecret Lake
157: /
145:111°46′35″W
132:Coordinates
51:introducing
1090:Categories
1060:40°34′16″N
1010:2024-02-28
986:2024-02-28
962:2019-11-22
933:2020-08-12
871:2020-08-12
847:2020-08-12
705:References
561:bouldering
503:Layton Kor
368:molybdenum
142:40°34′24″N
59:March 2022
34:references
837:Adventure
664:Xenoliths
530:scrub oak
519:Jeff Lowe
515:Greg Lowe
407:Hydrology
390:volcanism
377:, pebble
349:Oligocene
341:intrusion
102:Elevation
927:Archived
801:USDA.gov
688:See also
616:View of
581:Snowbird
456:Snowbird
431:Snowbird
364:enclaves
345:Snowbird
338:granitic
111:Location
591:Gallery
480:granite
328:Geology
296:granite
257:Granite
47:improve
1034:
907:, 2019
517:, and
505:, and
302:which
298:, and
36:, but
379:dikes
361:mafic
336:is a
334:stock
122:Range
1032:ISBN
579:and
577:Alta
551:The
460:Alta
458:and
429:and
427:Alta
322:Alta
282:The
259:, a
253:Utah
193:Utah
666:in
587:.
320:at
286:of
261:CDP
1092::
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979:.
955:.
951:.
925:.
921:.
903:,
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799:.
781:.
763:.
749:^
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767:.
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72:)
66:(
61:)
57:(
43:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
