An updated visitor use study commission by the Central Wasatch Commission demonstrates the proximity of Big and Little Cottonwood and Millcreek canyons are a big draw, attracting roughly 3.2 million visitors per year in an area spanning roughly 80,000 acres.
By comparison, Arches National Park — one of Utah’s beloved national parks — receives about 1.8 million visitors per year.
Despite the high level of use, Central Wasatch visitors are quite satisfied with their experiences.
These data and findings serve as a base of information that can be used to inform the decisions of the USDA Forest Service, the many entities represented on the Central Wasatch Commission, and other stakeholders interested in the future of outdoor recreation in the Salt Lake Valley.
A team led by Jordan Smith, director of the Institute of Outdoor Recreation & Tourism, and professor in the Department of Environment and Society at Utah State University, conducted the multiyear data collection and analysis for the CWC’s Visitor-Use Study and has updated the data sets illustrating annual visitation to “third sites,” or ski resorts in the Cottonwood Canyons to more realistically reflect visitation to ski resorts.
Skiing is the most common outdoor recreation activity in both Big and Little Cottonwood canyons. There are an estimated total of nearly one million national forest visits (985,704) involving skiing in Big Cottonwood Canyon, with nearly as many (955,573) in Little Cottonwood Canyon. Skiing accounts for 67.9% and 72.8% of all recreational visits to the national forest recreation sites within Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons, respectively.
Hiking/walking is also a common activity in these canyons, with over 507,000 visits involving the activity in Big Cottonwood Canyon and over 333,000 in Little Cottonwood Canyon.
The Central Wasatch provides a diverse spectrum of recreation opportunities and receives many visitors.
Perceived crowding across all site types is generally low, which likely reflects people’s expectations for the kinds of sites they visit, the types of activities they participate in, and the capacity of the area to accommodate more visitation.
A substantial portion of the visitation to both Big and Little Cottonwood canyons comes from general forest area visits. This includes all visitation to undeveloped areas in the national forest, excluding congressionally designated wilderness. General forest areas are commonly used for hiking, mountain biking, undeveloped camping, and other outdoor recreation activities.
Visitor satisfaction is also high, despite reports of high volume traffic during ski days.
One a scale of 1 to 5, visitor satisfaction came in at 4.7 for the Wasatch-Cache-Uinta National Forest, while satisfaction ticked up a little for the trio of canyons at 4.8.
“Individuals are very, very satisfied when it comes to the recreational opportunities provided within these canyons,” Smith said in a video detailing the survey.
That satisfaction is also driving repeat visits.
“One thing that is particularly surprising is the frequency in visitation,” Smith said.
The Uinta-Wasatch-Cache Forest as a whole roughly receives 35 visits per year per visitor. For Big Cottonwood Canyon that jumps to 45.3 visits per year per visitor; Little Cottonwood Canyon sits at nearly 56 visits per year per visitor, while Millcreek gets 61.4 visits per year per visitor. The report does note that Millcreek is a particular favorite among locals.
