cottonwood canyon

chrismoore

Hi, I'll be in Utah the first week of February and plan to spend 3 days in Big/Little Cottonwood Canyon. Are there any specific locations you can suggest for shooting or is it more "you'll see when you get there" kind of thing? Just don't know what to expect, I've seen some gorgeous shots from Big Cottonwood posted here and didn't know if they were from the mainstream or out of the way type places.
Thanks
Chris

Nodnarb725

I stayed on the main road and was very happy with the shots I got. Most of the drive is absolutely amazing and you will want to stop around every turn. I must say you have to stop at the power plant. I got some great shots there.

chrismoore wrote:

Hi, I'll be in Utah the first week of February and plan to spend 3 days in Big/Little Cottonwood Canyon. Are there any specific locations you can suggest for shooting or is it more "you'll see when you get there" kind of thing? Just don't know what to expect, I've seen some gorgeous shots from Big Cottonwood posted here and didn't know if they were from the mainstream or out of the way type places.
Thanks
Chrhis

catspaw

Most can be got from the road or the resorts (assuming you ski with the camera ) -- however be aware that there ARE areas of the road you canNOT stop in this time of year because of avalanche controls. And this is no joke -- the ratings for avalanches in little cottonwood canyon is extremely high for a good reason. It's a steep and narrow canyon.

BTW, it's worth the non-skier fee to take the tram to the top of Mt. Baldy (11,000 feet) at Snowbird resort. They allow non skiers during the winter as well as summer.

http://www.snowbird.com/events/winteractivities/tram.html

Just be warned, no matter how 'warm' it is at the base (for winter, that is), even the slightest wind makes the peak cold as heck.

chrismoore

Thanks for the input. I saw some beautiful photos on flickr from stairs gulch, seems like it is a hiking trail off the main road that ends in a waterfall. anyone know if this is open for hiking in the winter?

catspaw

chrismoore wrote:

Thanks for the input. I saw some beautiful photos on flickr from stairs gulch, seems like it is a hiking trail off the main road that ends in a waterfall. anyone know if this is open for hiking in the winter?

No idea since in winter I ski, not hike, but REI and their staff (and hiking book collection!) is definitely going to be a good resource for you there's two REI stores out here, the one in SLC (vs. Sandy) is rather massive and you'll have a blast there