Visiting Little Cottonwood Canyon and Snowbird Resort, Utah

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SALT LAKE CITY—With temperatures approaching 100 degrees Fahrenheit this afternoon, I decided to take in some sites in Little Cottonwood Canyon and the Snowbird ski resort to see how much snow was left on the mountains. I am still surprised seeing mountain snow from Salt Lake City, in the mid-summer heat.

One can travel from downtown Salt Lake City to Snowbird in Little Cottonwood Canyon in only 50 minutes. Driving is on freeways until the last 15 miles on the foothills and up the canyon. Salt Lake City sits in a bowl surrounded by mountains on three sides at an altitude of 4,200 feet. Snowbird, near the top of the canyon, is at 8,100 feet.

Upon entering the canyon, I was reminded of my younger days when I would rock climb with my brother-in-law on weekends. Like most summer climbers, we went early in the morning to avoid the heat on the rock. There were quite a few vehicles as I approached the Lisa Falls trailhead, so I decided to hike a hundred yards and see who was on the rock cliffs and how much water was still coming down the falls.

A young man was looking at all possible ways to find a spot to put his foot to continue climbing up the wall. The person belaying (holding the safety line) was just smiling as the man attempted every contortion possible to get up to the next handholds and footholds.

After watching for a few minutes and understanding his frustration, I said loudly, so he could hear me over the noise of the water, “The way I used to do it was to take a running leap, then grab the lip of the rock. …”

If you’re a purist, that’s cheating. I watched another group of climbers before going back down the trail to the car, remembering some fine times on the rock around the falls and the cool spray.

The road winds up the canyon’s north wall for another six miles. Competing cyclists appeared to be challenging the cars and trucks for the steep, narrow, winding roadway. They raced down the canyon road in groups with as many as six cyclists at speeds approaching 35 miles per hour. On the other side of the road were cyclists plodding up the canyon, wedged between the traffic and the long drop-off on their right.

I had wanted to stop about six times to take photos, but the traffic was moving too fast for me to pull over before I traveled beyond the small parking lanes. I thought that I should have known when to stop and then realized I had not been up the canyon in over six years.

When reaching the “bird” as the locals call it, I was struck by the pristine green on the mountainside. Salt Lake City and the surrounding areas have seen much rain the past few years. The hillside was beautiful.

The Snowbird resort is not limited to winter skiing. That day, the lower section had a large tent supporting the competitive cycling event. During summertime, the upper area is filled with activities and tourists from around the world. This weekend saw several live Mountain Music bands and individuals strumming their guitars and other instruments while explaining their techniques and telling stories. A child had just finished fishing in a small pond, but was empty-handed.

In the Snowbird Center, children and adults were taking turns on various rides and carnival-type activities. There was a short chairlift ride between the various buildings and the Zip Rider, which added great excitement. There was also an alpine slide as well as a climbing wall and bungee jumping for kids and adults, among other activities.

It was a pleasant 77 degrees Fahrenheit with a slight breeze. Couples, families, and children were making their way around the resort, eating, talking, and enjoying the beauty of the mountains. The variety of people was refreshing—New Yorkers, people from China, the Middle East, Europe, Africa, and more, were to be found among the visitors.

I decided to get a bird’s-eye view by taking the tram to the top of Hidden Peak at 11,000 feet. This is the fastest tram in the world, moving up to 125 people almost 3,000 vertical feet in just 7.5 minutes. Halfway up the mountain, the large buildings looked like board-game pieces. The temperature at the top was a cool 67 degrees Fahrenheit, but the warm sun made it very pleasant.

At the top, the scenery is spectacular. You can hike, climb, or put the family on an all-terrain vehicle and enjoy the trails for miles (or ski in the winter). However, if you are not accustomed to the altitude, take leisurely walks over at least a few days to build your capacity to handle the altitude. One should be prepared for sudden changes in weather and careful on the open ridgelines for high winds, falling rocks, and other hazards.

Long gone are the abandoned mine rails, mine cars, and equipment we used to hike around in Mineral Basin before the area was adapted to recreational use. The entire area is dotted with depleted hard-rock silver mines, the largest of which were in Park City, not far away.

I remember in the late 1980s watching two young red-tailed hawks practicing diving at each other. They would make very long vertical dives and turn into each other, then just as they were about to collide, turn their wings and bodies vertically as they passed inches from each other at high speed. The adult hawks and siblings were soaring quietly in the upper drafts, watching from above.

This diving practice went on for almost 20 minutes one afternoon while I was resting on a ledge during a climb up one of the cliffs. I wonder if their progeny are still practicing their dives in the area.

I then heard the gate rattling back at the tram, and it was time to return to the tram and go down to the resort. You can ride the tram back or walk down the trail.

Maybe I’ll go up again during the Oktober Fest and dance to the German “musik” on the stage with my daughter, as we did when she was young.