Through the dense forest of Big Cottonwood Canyon to the meadows of Albion Basin and atop Hidden Peak at 11,000 feet, Utah's colorful wildflowers are in full bloom.

Some 300 species of flowers cover the watershed area in the Cottonwood canyons, including alpine sunflower, Jacob's ladder, columbines, Engelmann aster, Perry primrose and dusty maiden.

This weekend, ski resorts Solitude, Alta and Snowbird hope locals will head up the Salt Lake County canyons for the annual Wasatch Wildflower Festival's guided hikes.

"That really gets people to think, 'Whoa, this place is awesome,' " said Patrick Nelson, executive director of the Cottonwood Canyons Foundation, one of the groups helping to organize the event. "It's unbelievable how much it's blooming up there right now."

Nelson said the intention of the festival is not to bring more people into the canyons but to educate them about the habitat. Little and Big Cottonwood canyons are protected watershed areas. The water runoff in the canyons is used by Salt Lake Valley residents and must be heavily regulated for pollutants.

"What we're doing is trying to get people to understand the diversity of the mountains up there. We want people to think about what a special place the canyons are, so they'll take care of it," Nelson said. "That sort of education really adds up in people's ethics of stewardship."

The canyons, carved by glaciers, feature rivers and lakes that keep most of the flora lush and vivid during the spring and summer months. In addition, the canyons are home to wildlife, such as deer, moose and mountain goats.

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Now in its fourth year, the festival's Web site says it started "when some crazy Alta locals decided they needed an excuse to have a block party." The festival, always held at the end of July, is a joint effort of numerous Cottonwood Canyon organizations, including the foundation, ski resorts, town of Alta, Alta Community Enrichment and the U.S. Forest Service.

Some 25 trained volunteers work at the festival, guiding groups on hiking and walking tours. On Friday, hikers took wildflower hikes and walks through Solitude, near the Sunrise Lift. Today, guided walks start at 10 a.m. at Alta's Kickstand Cafe. And Sunday, the festival concludes with geology hikes at 8:15 a.m. at Snowbird.

For more information, visit wasatchwildflowerfestival.org.


E-mail: astowell@desnews.com

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