December 18, 2021 marks the first time Alta will require paid parking reservations at the resort. With overflowing crowds due to the Ikon Pass, as well as swelling outdoor recreation use as the result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Utah’s Little Cottonwood Canyon has seemingly reached a breaking point. In an attempt to bring order to the chaos, Alta Ski Lifts has enacted a paid parking reservation system for weekends and holidays. But nobody seems to be happy about this, notably the Town of Alta and backcountry skiers. Many skiers also complain that the new rules are confusing and non-sensical. So to help make Alta parking a bit more clear, here’s a breakdown of what to expect if you plan to ski in upper Little Cottonwood Canyon.
Alta Parking: A Primer
- Parking reservations will be required on all holidays and weekends at Alta stating December 18, 2021. This accounts for about 40 days of the season.
- Alta and Alta/Bird season pass holders are exempt. Those skiers will get a free parking code via email. Anyone purchasing day tickets online will have to pay $10.
- All others, including backcountry users, and Ikon or Mountain Collective passholders, will be required to pay $25 per reservation, per day.
- Reservations are required on weekends & holidays from 8am–1pm. Parking is not permitted in Alta lots from midnight to 8 am.
- Weekly dates include: Saturdays and Sundays: December 18 – April 3 and closing day.
- Holidays include Winter Break (December 23 – January 2), MLK Weekend (January 15-17), and President’s Day Weekend (February 19-21).
- Reservation are required in all parking lots and alongside the road, including Wildcat, Flagstaff (south side), Grizzly and Albion lots.
- If free passholder reservations are a no-show, then passholder reservation benefits will be paused until a $25 no-show fee is paid.
- The fine for parking without a reservation will be $75.
- Parking reservation can be made online only at https://reserve.altaparking.com
What Does Reserved Parking Mean for Backcountry Users?
Upper Little Cottonwood Canyon is perhaps the most popular terrain for backcountry skiing in the Wasatch. With zones like Mount Superior, Emma Ridge, Cardiac Ridge, Cardiff, Days Fork, Silver Fork, Grizzly Gulch and Patsy Marley, the area is nothing short of iconic. But many backcountry skiers begin touring in the early morning, especially those who need to “dawn patrol” for before-work turns. How are they to navigate parking reservation that don’t begin until 8am? To address that, Alta has a parking lot set aside for early morning parking.
- Early morning parking reservations will be required Monday-Friday from 6-8am. Weekends & holiday periods from 6am-1pm
- Users with reservations must park in the designated early morning parking area and adhere to “Early Morning” signage.
- Reservations for parking in the early morning parking area are not required daily after 8am except during Weekends and Holiday periods.
- Reservations will be $15 on non-Holiday weekdays and $25 on Weekends & Holiday periods.
- Alta season passholders’ parking codes cannot be used for early morning parking reservations.
- Early morning parking reservation may be purchased at www.altaearlyparking.com
Wasatch Backcountry Alliance Shuttle
To make backcountry skiing in Little Cottonwood Canyon easier, Wasatch Backcountry Alliance, along with Utah Mountain Shuttle, will be experimenting with a shuttle system. Details may change, but currently the plan is as follows:
- Shuttle will run on Saturdays starting January 8, 2022
- Reservations for up and down times will be made via Utah Mountain Shuttle
- Parking locations are still to be finalized but may include existing park and ride lots
- Initial schedule is planned to be:
- Up times: 5:30 AM, 7:00 AM, 8:30 AM, 10:00 AM, & 11:30 AM
- Down times: 7:45 AM, 9:15 AM, 10:45 AM, 12:15 PM, 13:45 PM
- Schedule may be adapted as season progresses and conditions change
- There will be a suggested donation of $5 per person per day and a punch card option is being considered.
Town of Alta is Not Happy
One stakeholder that is not thrilled with Alta Ski Lifts (ASL) and the new parking reservation system is the Town of Alta (TOA). In a nutshell, TOA and ASL have overlapping jurisdiction, which complicates the parking situation even further. TOA controls a limited number of parking spaces for town employees, residents, overnight lodging guests and other visitors. But those spaces are not enough. In addition, according to ASL’s Special Use Permit, they have the ability to control TOA’s parking spaces, which ASL intends to do with their restrictions on parking from midnight to 8 a.m.
The issue between ASL and TOA is complex and infuriating, so much so that Alta Mayor, Harris Sondak, wrote a letter outlining his frustrations with ASL. I highly suggest you read it, because it is eye-opening in regards to how ASL is strong-arming the town in order to enforce new parking requirements.
The Future of Skiing at Alta
Unfortunately, I fear that Alta’s parking reservation system is the future of skiing, and other resorts will follow. Solitude Mountain Resort in neighboring Big Cottonwood Canyon implemented paid parking in 2019. Solitude requires $25 per day, with fees going down on a sliding scale based on how many people are in the vehicle. This encourages carpooling. Skiers may also buy a season parking-pass for $275. The difference between Alta and Solitude is that at Solitude, all users must pay to park, regardless of the day or what type of pass you are using. This is less confusing than what Alta is doing.
Social media is filled with aggravated Alta skiers, who bemoan the new parking reservations. Even longtime, loyal Alta users say the resort has already lost its charm and vibe. Paid parking will further that trend as it may force out locals who can barely afford to ski, in favor of rich tourists.
Personally, I think something absolutely needed to be done to lessen the untenable parking situation at Alta. But as a backcountry skier, I’m frustrated that early morning restrictions will force users down-canyon to an already overwhelmed White Pine trailhead. But the pessimist in me think this is all a ploy by Alta to gin up support of the LCC Gondola. With enough skiers (both locals and tourists) as well as the Town of Alta upset about parking restrictions, perhaps their outcry will help convince UDOT to choose the gondola option in their Little Cottonwood EIS.
So what’s the solution for skiers who want to ski at Alta, or backcountry ski in upper Little Cottonwood Canyon? My suggestion is to avoid all that parking nonsense and just ride the damn bus.
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Ride the Bus???? Have you really tried it? The park and ride lots are all full or if you do get a spot the bus is full when it gets to the park and ride lot. I have tried to ride the bus many times and it was so bad that, I chose to sit in my car for 3 hours in stop and go traffic. What does that say? Fix the bus situation and this will go a long way to fixing the traffic problem. More park and ride lots with more parking and more buses especially during the high volume times of opening and closing.
I agree. More bus lots, more buses, and a dedicated express bus lane in the canyon is needed. In my opinion far more than a ridiculous gondola.