28.8
PDI
10.5 mi
DISTANCE
3,998 ft
GAINED
7.2 %
AVG. GRADE
FULL CLIMB STATS
Page Contributor(s): Bruce Hamilton, La Quinta, CA, USA; Stacy Topping, Tacoma, WA, USA
INTRO
"Little Cottonwood Canyon is a very difficult and scenic climb just south of Salt Lake City into the Wasatch Mountains with a steep walled canyon. Called the most dangerous road in the U.S. (avalanches) the steepest section is over its bottom half through gentle turns along the north side of the drainage. Ski areas soon appear and the grade eases as you climb higher. The ride ends at a parking area within a scenic bowl just above the Alta Ski Resort where the pavement turns to dirt. The descent of Little Cottonwood is one of the quickest as its mostly gentle curves funnel you down the hill. There is an annual hill climb race on its slopes as well." (This quote is presented with the approval of John Summerson, from his book, 50 Climbs (by Bike) in Utah, pg. 92.)
PLAN YOUR ROUTE
We've partnered with Sherpa-Map.com to bring you the best route planning tool. With a PRO Membership you can use this climb as a reference when creating your route. 7.2% average grade to 10 full miles makes this a challenging bike climb. The steepest quarter-mile of the climb is 11.7% and the steepest continuous mile is 10%. 14% of the climb is at 10% grade or greater.
Roadway: The paved portion of the road was in excellent shape as of 2019. The last two miles are on dirt which is easily manageable by road bike.
Traffic: Little Cottonwood Canyon can be a moderately busy roadway and traffic does pass by at 50 mph or so on stretches of the road. If you are traffic averse you may want to reconsider this climb. Traffic does thin out substantially as we climb and the second half of the climb is much less troubling than the first.
Parking: Free parking at the Little Cottonwood Parking Lot at the beginning of the climb. Map; Street View.
Gear: You do not need a gravel or mountain bike for this climb, in spite of the dirt road for the last two miles.
Clothing: You are traveling to high altitude (9,400') so consult the PJAMM Weather Tool for the forecast at the finish of your climb around the time you expect to finish.
Food/Drink: There are facilities at both Snowbird Resort and Alta that should be open for you to get something to eat or drink if you need it.
Before heading out on any cycling adventure check out our Things to Bring on a Cycling Trip and use our interactive check list to ensure you don't forget anything.
Although it is a bit of a trek to get to Little Cottonwood from Park City, we prefer that town as our cycling hub when riding in and around the Salt Lake City-Park City area. See PJAMM's climb area - Park City, UT.
If you are staying in Park City there are many great resorts and hotels to choose from. If your stay is going to be longer term, there are several condos and homes to rent in this popular ski area.
There are some closer hotel options near the start of this climb too.
ROUTE MAP
MEMBER RATING
CURRENT WEATHER
PJAMM TRIPS ADVENTURE STARTER BUNDLES
Check out PJAMM Adventure's prepackaged (self-guided) cycling trips. They will help you plan, document and conquer your next adventure.
NEARBY CLIMBS (0) RADIAL PROXIMITY
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MEMBER REVIEWS & COMMENTS
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marqnielson
Great climb. The road has a good shoulder and motorists seem accustomed to cyclists. For me, this is a small ring all the way up kind of climb, so it is definitely challenging. That being said, it isn't terribly long and the descent goes quickly. The scenery is great, that is if you don't have your head down going up and aren't focused on not crashing coming down. Getting up to the ski resorts under your own power is fun, give it a try!
sbstephenson
The roads and scenery in LCC are great. Traffic on a Tuesday morning in July was light and the bike lane on the uphill side provided plenty of room. The descent was very smooth and only a couple of curves required feathering the brakes (my bike has rim brakes). I think the lower humidity levels (if you’re used to the sauna like conditions of the SE as I am) also made this easier than I was led to expect. As an additional FYI, I rode this on my first full day in SLC after driving a U-Haul from NC to help my son move to Utah so the legs and lungs were not their freshest.
manatee44
My favorite canyon to climb in SLC for the scenery but you have to work for that view as it is definitely the hardest of the SLC canyons. Super fun descent.
