Big Cottonwood Canyon, Utah — It’s no secret that Utah’s ski industry has some serious traffic problems. Limited parking spaces and insufficient public transit options have lead to bumper-to-bumper traffic at the ski resorts situated closest to Salt Lake City, known as the Red Snake.
In response, three of the four ski resorts in the Cottonwoods require reservations, with the outlier, Snowbird, having some spots available for reservation as well. In Big Cottonwood, reservations have resulted in a reduction in morning traffic.
Solitude, which started paid parking in 2019, has transitioned to both a reservation and paid parking model. Fridays-Sundays (and select Mondays) require parking reservations if you arrive before 11 a.m., while the other days have paid parking before 1 p.m. Over at Brighton Resort, they have had parking reservations since the 2023-24 season. Parking reservations are required Fridays-Sundays (and select Mondays) before 12 p.m. In addition, the town of Brighton requires reservations for parking in a portion of SR-190 during weekends and holidays.
While this has helped reduce traffic jams in the morning, it also means that more people come up in the afternoon. Drivers wait in traffic to get up to the ski resorts and then stay in the lots until they can find a vacant parking spot. I can confirm this happens because this is literally what I experienced when I visited Solitude during a Powder Day in January.
The Salt Lake Tribune reported last week that this has led to a traffic nightmare for the ski resorts, the residents that live in these communities, along with emergency personnel who are trying to get past these jams.
During a crowded day last month, an extensive traffic jam around Brighton and Solitude was so bad that it caused Brighton to hire more parking attendants and extend their hours on Sundays to 5 p.m.
“It was kind of just the worst case scenario that I’ve ever seen. I’ve been a Brighton pass holder for over 30 years, and an employee for 23 years — I’ve never seen it be that bad. It’s just dealing with a problem that we’ve never seen be a problem,” said Jared Wrinkler, the Director of Marketing at Brighton Resort, to the Salt Lake Tribune. “That’s just an insane amount of congestion, and people coming and going later in the day — and so just seeing that there was a problem, and trying to do the best we can to help with that problem.”
The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) is currently trying to find solutions to these issues. The plan is to make various improvements, like converting SR-190 into a toll road and creating a lane exclusively for bus drivers. In addition, UDOT is currently conducting an environmental study to improve the traffic in Big Cottonwood Canyon.
Here are a few ideas I have that could help reduce traffic:
1.) Construct the Mobility Hub at the Gravel Pit Already: This has been talked about for years, which would construct a large parking lot/mobility hub for UTA busses next to Wasatch Boulevard. The current problems with the public bus network are that there are a limited amount of busses and the bus stops have limitedparking spaces. This lot would help change that.
2.) Have Ski Resorts Create Their Own Shuttle Services: Other ski resorts have their own private shuttles that operate, which pick up people from various spots. Examples of ski resorts who do this include Bridger Bowl, Crystal Mountain, and Grand Targhee. While the Cottonwood ski resorts do contribute to UTA bus service, it would also be beneficial to the experience if they had buses of their own to carry guests. These buses could include better services than the UTA busses, like personal racks for gear and refreshments. They could even charge money for it! Ok maybe ignore that last sentence.
3.) Incentivize Carpooling with Actual Benefits: Carpool with four or more people? Give them a free drink, lunch, or something that makes it worthwhile.
To learn more about the perspectives of locals who live in Brighton and the Utah Department of Transportation, you can read the Salt Lake Tribune’s piece in full here.
Image/Video Credits: KUTV 2 News
