What to know before you park in Big and Little Cottonwood canyons this summer

Alta Ski Area in the summer is awash in iconic mountain scenery making it a popular destination in Little Cottonwood Canyon. Photo: Tim Peterson // Unsplash

PARK CITY, Utah — Visitors to Big Cottonwood Canyon and Little Cottonwood Canyon are now required to pay for access to designated Recreation Enhancement Act fee areas as of June 1.

REA fee areas are zones managed by the USDA Forest Service that include parking lots, trailheads and roadside parking within posted boundaries.

In Big Cottonwood Canyon, fee areas include Mill B/S-Curves and Donut Falls, both in summer only, and Cardiff Fork and the Silver Lake Recreation Complex year-round. The Spruces Winter Trailhead requires payment in winter only. In Little Cottonwood Canyon, fees apply year-round at the Grit Mill and White Pine trailheads.

Payment is required for any vehicle parked within a fee area unless a valid pass is displayed. Passes must be visible from the outside of the vehicle. Fees are charged per vehicle, not per person.

Accepted passes include Uinta-Wasatch-Cache day-use passes, USDA Forest Service annual passes, and America the Beautiful Interagency passes.

Day passes can be purchased at on-site fee kiosks near Cardiff Fork, Donut Falls and White Pine trailheads, as well as at the Brighton Store, Cottonwood Canyons Foundation at the Silver Lake Visitor Center, Gear Room, IME/International Mountain Equipment, Skimo Co. and Solitude Mountain Resort. Passes are also available online at recreation.gov.

All fee sites in the Salt Lake Ranger District are cashless. Discounted Senior, Military, Fourth Grader and Access America the Beautiful passes are available at the Salt Lake Ranger District office, located at 6914 S. 3000 E. in Salt Lake City, open Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Under the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (REA), at least 80% of fees collected stay with the national forest where they are generated, with the exception of online sales of America the Beautiful Interagency passes. In the Cottonwood Canyons, that funding supports trail and recreation site maintenance, parking and access improvements, sanitation, resource protection and restoration, and visitor safety infrastructure.