Parking Changes
in Alta

The following parking changes were implemented at Alta Ski Area on December 18, 2021:

• Parking reservations are required during weekends & holiday periods between 8am and 1pm.
• All daytime ski area parking lots are closed between midnight and 8am daily, except for a limited amount of early morning parking starting at 6am.
• Parking reservations are required daily for early morning parking starting at 6am in the South Flagstaff parking area.

A recent change made to Alta's parking system based on learnings from the first couple of weeks:

• The cancellation policy has moved from 48-hours to 24-hours.

The number of people coming to upper Little Cottonwood Canyon exceeds the parking capacity on most weekends and holiday periods. During the 2020-21 ski season, Alta’s parking lots often filled early in the morning and hundreds of vehicles were either turned away or parked outside of ski area parking lots in a manner that created public safety concerns, illegal parking and traffic congestion.

This issue has increased in severity over the past five years in concert with increases in Utah’s population and an exponential explosion of visitors to the private and public lands located adjacent to the ski area. Alta has explored a variety of solutions to address the parking shortage with the Town of Alta, the U.S. Forest Service, UDOT and other interested parties. During the summer of 2020, Alta proposed two options for adding additional parking, including the creation of a backcountry skier parking lot with restrooms on the north side of State Road 210. Alta Ski Area offered to pay for the construction of the backcountry skier parking lot. Both solutions that increased parking in Alta were rejected by the U.S. Forest Service as being inconsistent with the Forest Management plan and lacking sufficient local support, despite the growth of non-ski area visitors to upper Little Cottonwood Canyon. Instead, the ski area was directed to explore solutions to more effectively manage existing parking areas, such as paid parking.

During the summer of 2020, Alta proposed two options for adding additional parking, including the creation of a backcountry skier parking lot with restrooms on the north side of State Road 210.

Solutions that increased parking in Alta were rejected by the U.S. Forest Service.

Alta determined that a paid parking reservation system had the best chance of managing visitors and provide a method for visitors to ensure that they would have a parking space when they arrived at Alta. Rather than implement a paid reservation system for every day the ski area is open, parking reservations are only required during the peak periods. For parking outside of peak periods, a reservation is not required after 8am.

Why are Alta’s parking lots closed from midnight to 8am?

The closure allows Alta to prepare the base area for skiers. Parking lots are being plowed, grooming equipment is working around base areas, and facilities are being prepared for Alta skiers. Ski area facilities for shelter, restrooms, tickets, retail and rental services, and food services are not open until 8am, which leaves visitors sheltering in idling cars before the ski area facilities open. While we have worked around a few early morning visitors in the past, we have reached the tipping point and need to enforce our midnight to 8am posted parking lot closures. Please respect this closure and plan your arrival after 8 am. Otherwise, you can use public transportation or make an early morning parking reservation.

Why is Alta implementing an early morning paid parking reservation system?

We recognize there are skiers who would like to recreate before most of Alta’s regular parking lots are open for public parking. We can provide a limited amount of early morning parking in our special use permit that does not interfere with ski area preparations starting at 6am. Since the number of those desiring early morning parking significantly exceeds available parking, providing this parking on a first-come, first-served basis would create an uncontrolled early morning rush to secure a parking spot and would result in more vehicles coming to Alta than available early morning parking. This impacts snow removal, parking that has been allocated for other users and ski area and Town of Alta operations and facilities. It often results in illegal parking and public safety issues. A reservation system allows the ski area to provide early morning parking that is managed and minimizes the impacts of early morning parking. We hope the limited number of early morning parking reservations will result in more carpooling—which is better for our environment and reduces canyon congestion. Fees for reservations, cover the cost of the reservation system, enforcement costs, snow removal costs and encourage carpooling and reduce reservation no-shows.

is Alta restricting access to public lands?

Alta is facilitating—not restricting—access to the private and public land located adjacent the ski area. Alta recognizes that its parking areas are some of the most popular and convenient access points to public and private lands in upper Little Cottonwood Canyon. Alta has allowed access to, and use of, its private lands adjacent to the ski area for decades. This has led many to believe these lands are publicly owned, but in fact, most of the land on the north side of the canyon from Mount Superior through Grizzly Gulch is privately owned land which must be crossed to access the ridgeline on the north side of the canyon. Both the Flagstaff South and Grizzly parking lots were developed and are maintained by the ski area. They are not USFS trailhead-developed parking areas. Alta’s parking management plan is designed to allow some use of its parking areas for visitors desiring to access the private and public lands adjacent to the ski area. Please see the land ownership map below:

A work in progress.

The implementation of a paid reservation parking system was not an easy decision to make but a necessary one given the popularity of recreating in upper Little Cottonwood Canyon. We ask for your patience and understanding as we refine and adjust the system to address unforeseen issues and needs. It is a work in progress.

We recognize that the parking reservation system will take some of the spontaneity out of skiing in upper Little Cottonwood Canyon, We also recognize that on some days, not everyone who wants to ski upper Little Cottonwood Canyon will be able to do so. Our goals are to manage parking so that visitors know they will have parking when they arrive at Alta and to provide some early morning parking that is legal and does not interfere with ski area operations.

Sincerely,
Mike Maughan | Alta Ski Area General Manager