Salt Lake County Council approves nearly $240k for temporary transportation through Cottonwood Canyons

Photo: Brighton Resort

SALT LAKE CITY — Getting to four of Utah’s ski resorts may have just gotten a whole lot easier.

The Salt Lake County Council approved nearly $240,000 in grant funds to provide temporary transit options through the Cottonwood Canyons at its meeting on January 10.

This funding was granted to Visit Salt Lake to help mitigate the impact of ski resort bus frequency reductions announced by the Utah Transit Authority in September.

Three bus routes that previously took winter sports enthusiasts to Alta, Brighton, Snowbird, or Solitude, have either been suspended or had their frequency reduced this season.

“This suspension and reduction in service has had an adverse effect on the traffic and access to and through the Cottonwood Canyons, posing a risk to air quality, visitor experience, and economic viability of these areas,” said a Salt Lake County Council staff report.

Visit Salt Lake will contract with Snow Country Limousine to provide additional transportation services in the form of mini-coaches and vans that will serve Alta, Snowbird, Brighton, and Solitude Thursday through Sunday from January 26 until April 16.

The service, entitled “Cottonwood Connect,” will initially have a weekly capacity of close to 780 passengers, increasing to nearly 1,120 passengers by the end of the first season. Rides will cost $10 per round trip and require a reservation. Information on how to reserve a ride has not yet been released.