Trail difficulty
Green
Elevation Gain
1,090.00 ft (332.23 m)
Trail type
Loop
Distance
5.60 mi (9.01 km)
Please respect the outdoors by practicing Leave No Trace. Learn more about how to apply the principles of Leave No Trace on your next outdoor adventure here.

Little Cottonwood Trail is a short hiking and mountain biking trail located just at the mouth of the famous canyon by the same name. The path starts out from a parking lot just across from the Snowbird/Alta Park & Ride. Also located here is the historic temple quarry path, which is a very short historic nature trail that shows you where the LDS Temple's granite stones were quarried.

The trail starts heading east directly from the parking lot as a wide singletrack consisting of hard-packed dirt. The trail is exposed at this point, but fortunately most of it is under foliage, making it a great afternoon hike in the summer. Giant granite walls hug the canyon on both sides with great fall colors in September and October. The trail has a steady incline, but nothing crazy. It hugs Little Cottonwood Creek and has several bridges and waterfalls along the way. Further up the trail gets pretty rocky and there are many small rollers, which makes the descent on a bike quite fun and slightly technical. There are also ruins of houses and structures from earlier inhabitants as well as abundant small wildlife and some flowers in spring. It is easy to access and not very long, so it is a popular spot for people doing a hike or ride after work.

Logistics + Planning

Preferable season(s)

Summer
Fall

Congestion

Low

Parking Pass

Not Required

Pros

Easy access. Beautiful setting. Mostly shaded.

Cons

Not very long.

Pets allowed

Not Allowed

Trailhead Elevation

5,424.00 ft (1,653.24 m)

Features

Historically significant
Rock climbing
Waterfalls
Bird watching
Wildlife
Wildflowers
Fishing

Suitable for

Hiking

Location

Nearby Adventures

Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest
Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest

Nearby Lodging + Camping

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