SANDY, Utah — Skiers, snowboarders and anyone else who ventured up Little Cottonwood Canyon on Saturday was stranded for some time after the highway was closed for avalanche mitigation.
The Utah Department of Transportation announced the closure shortly after 1 p.m., saying State Route 210 was closed to uphill traffic at the mouth of the canyon, while downhill was closed at Snowbird Entry 1.
Both directions were reopened around 4:20 p.m. However, UDOT warned that there would still be delays as many cars are traveling down the canyon, leaving Snowbird and Alta.
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UDOT said the canyon will close again at 12:30 a.m. and is expected to remain closed until 8 a.m. Sunday morning for more avalanche mitigation.
A Snowbird spokesperson told FOX 13 News that the resort got 19 inches of new snow on Saturday alone.
Due to the fresh snowfall and the necessary plowing measures, the canyon road saw delays earlier in the day.
Shortly after announcing the closure for avalanche mitigation (which generally includes intentionally triggering controlled slides), UDOT shared videos of one avalanche that ended up covering the highway. They have since been working to clear the snow from the road, which UDOT said is from their mitigation work.
🚧 Road Closure Update 🚧
— UDOT Cottonwood Canyons (@UDOTcottonwoods) January 4, 2025
SR-210 OPEN: @UDOTavy avalanche mitigation & @UtahDOT road operations complete
Crews are working in canyon for PM commute to/from @AltaCentral @AltaAlerts @SnowbirdAlerts.
‼️ A lot of visitors today: expect downhill travel delays and stopped traffic. pic.twitter.com/dKu3lAfk1o
As of 3:15 p.m., UDOT said they do not yet have an estimate on when the highway will be back open.
See a live look via UDOT traffic cameras below:
