Visitors Guide
Visitors Guide
Driving Tips & Tricks
Drive safe.
The most important part of your day is getting to the mountain and then home safely. Utilize the following resources to ensure your car and tires are ready and to plan your mountain commute.
Be Road-Ready
Before heading up the canyon, stock your car with the essentials in case there is traffic or a road closure.
- Ensure you have a full tank of gas. Travel times can take longer than expected, and there is no gas station up Little Cottonwood Canyon.
- Make sure to have some snacks, water, warm clothing and a phone charger in case of emergencies.
- Have a snow brush and/or ice scraper to clear your windshield of snow.
- Use the restroom before departing.
- Download the Snowbird App before departure and opt-in to notifications for the latest on canyon road conditions, parking inventory and traffic updates.
- Leave extra distance between you and the car ahead of you when roads are icy. Take it slow.
Winter Tire Checklist
Get ready for winter driving by ensuring your car is equipped with the right tires with good tread. It’s the law.
- At a minimum, 4-Wheel Drive or All-Wheel Drive vehicles must have approved snow tires on all 4 wheels of the vehicle.
- Approved tires can be identified by an M+S (mud and snow) or a snowflake symbol on the sidewall of the tire.
- Tires must have sufficient tread to be effective.
- 2-Wheel Drive vehicles must have 3PMSF tires or tire chains properly fitted on all 4 tires of their vehicle before entering the canyon.
- Properly sized tire chains must be in your possession if snow tires are not mounted to your vehicle.
Traction devices are not standard issue on cars rented within Utah. If you are renting a car, UDOT has partnered with several companies to pre-inspect and approve rental vehicle tires via the UDOT Cottonwood Canyons Sticker Program. It is strongly encouraged that you rent a vehicle that has been approved via this program, which will be marked with a sticker.
Travel Times
Consider traveling during non-peak times and making a parking reservation to ensure a smooth experience. The highest traffic volume in Little Cottonwood Canyon is around the scheduled opening (9 am) and closure (3:30-5 pm) of mountain operations. You can avoid what locals call the “red snake,” aka the string of brake lights snaking up and down the canyon during heavy traffic periods, by:
- Heading up well before lifts open on weekends and holidays—when parking lots often reach capacity—to secure your spot. Break your wait by having breakfast at the Rendezvous or The Forklift.
- Making an online parking reservation in advance, take advantage of valet parking at The Snowbird Center or begin your day after 10 am to avoid peak uphill traffic.
- On days where parking fills, spaces usually start to open up after 1 pm.
- Avoiding peak downhill travel times (3:30 - 5 pm) by skiing or snowboarding until lifts close and then spending the après-ski hours on Snowbird’s sunny Plaza Deck, in the retro SeventyOne Lounge or make a dining reservation for one of our restaurants.
Carpool (3+)
If you're skiing with your friends, carpool with your friends. Snowbird offers incentives to those who carpool through surprise giveaways on select Canyon Carpool Club days and carpool-only parking spots in the Pond Lot, Upper Gad Valley Lot on the south side and Superior Lot on the north side (see map for details). New for the 2024-25 Season: earn exclusive rewards when you carpool and use the Snowbird App. Every time you carpool or ride the bus, scan the QR code at the resort. After you carpool 10 times, you'll get a code to scan with a discount just for you. There are 3 levels of achievements, so make sure you carpool every day.
Explore Alternate Transportation Options
Be the passenger princess you were born to be and let the experts take the wheel. There are a range of private and public transportation options available to get you to and from Snowbird, without the hassle of driving yourself.
Lodging & Airport Transportation
Snowbird works with Alta/Snowbird Shuttle, which can get you to and from Salt Lake City International Airport with ease. Add-on a private van or a spot in a shared van when you book lodging or through the Alta-Snowbird Shuttle site.
UTA Ski Bus
Utah Transport Authority (UTA) provides the Ski Bus service to Little Cottonwood Canyon through Saturday, April 13, 2025. Snowbird season passholders ride for free. For UTA Ski Bus fares, routes and information, visit rideuta.com.
Rental Cars
When renting a car during your visit, please be prepared for snowy road conditions and the Traction Law to be in effect during your stay by renting a 4WD/AWD car with snow tires. The following companies have snow tires at their Salt Lake City and Salt Lake City International Airport locations:
- Enterprise
- National
- Go Rentals
- Alamo
- Budget
- Rugged Rentals