Industry News
Little Cottonwood Canyon, UT, opened temporarily last night, Saturday, April 8, 2023, from 7:00 – 10:00 p.m. for Downhill travel only before closing again. The Utah Department of Transportation (‘UDOT’) advises that the road will open on Sunday, April 9, 2023, for both downhill and uphill traffic from 6 a.m. – 9 a.m.
Little Cottonwood Canyon will be closed to all traffic after this period. No update for a downhill window has been announced yet for Sunday. It is anticipated that State Route 210 will reopen at 7 p.m. for downhill traffic, but this will depend on prevailing conditions.
UDOT warns that prolonged closures of State Route 210 are possible and could begin Monday. Travelers to Alta or Snowbird need to plan and be prepared to adjust plans.
Parking Restrictions are in place at Snowbird for Sunday, April 9. All parking lots will be free, first come, first-served. Parking is only permitted at Main Lot, Wilbere Hill, Lower Gad Valley Lot, Batch Plant Lot, Pond Lot, and the Cliff Lodge Parking Structure (link in bio to parking map). All other lots are closed. Due to the minimal nature of parking for Sunday, all existing reservations will be canceled and automatically refunded.
Alta Ski Area plans to run all lifts with Wildcat on standby. The Alta Shuttle will run from The Cliff Lodge Portico to Alta’s two parking lots. The White Pine parking lot will be closed. Parking reservations are still required at Alta. If you have a paid parking reservation for Sunday and cannot make it to Alta, the resort will automatically refund your payment.
Rising temperatures are expected from Monday to Thursday, and the coming days are feared to create a wet snow avalanche hazard. This warming may impact the status of State Route 210 in the coming days, and extended road closures should be anticipated. Terrain status at Snowbird and Alta may be limited.
Please monitor the UDOT website or Twitter regularly for updates.
Also, note that all Easter festivities have been canceled.
The potential exists for large, destructive avalanches that could affect infrastructure and/or damage buildings. Please check @UDOTavy for updates on avalanche mitigation measures.
Utah Avalanche Center lists the region as being in considerable avalanche danger, and many backcountry areas are subject to closure for avalanche mitigation measures. Little Cottonwood Canyon Full North Side will be closed on April 9, 2023, from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. from Gate B to Grizzly. Please monitor all closures on @UACwasatch and @utavy. UDOT uses explosives and artillery to trigger avalanches that threaten public roads, so please respect closures and steer clear of the area.
