Little Cottonwood Canyon Climbing

This digital Little Cottonwood Canyon climbing guidebook gives you GPS navigation, verified topos, and beta for hundreds of climbs. Explore classics and hidden gems with offline access to maps, directions, and beta videos. Whether it's your first visit or fiftieth, KAYA makes your Little Cottonwood Canyon days smoother, safer, and more dialed.

Little Cottonwood Canyon’s climbing area sits just 20 minutes southeast of downtown Salt Lake City and stands as one of North America’s most concentrated city-side climbing spots. Both local and professional traveling climbers have spent decades developing the canyon, which now boasts over 5,000 boulder problems. 

The canyon’s granite walls have drawn climbers’ attention for more than 40 years, however, the area has experienced rapid growth over the last several years—now hosting two of the hardest problems in the country, “The Grand Illusion” an... Show more

This digital Little Cottonwood Canyon climbing guidebook gives you GPS navigation, verified topos, and beta for hundreds of climbs. Explore classics and hidden gems with offline access to maps, directions, and beta videos. Whether it's your first visit or fiftieth, KAYA makes your Little Cottonwood Canyon days smoother, safer, and more dialed. Little Cottonwood Canyon’s climbing area sits just 20 minutes southeast of downtown Salt Lake City and stands as one of North America’s most concentrated city-side climbing spots. Both local and professional traveling climbers have spent decades developing the canyon, which now boasts over 5,000 boulder problems. The canyon’s granite walls have drawn climbers’ attention for more than 40 years, however, the area has experienced rapid growth over the last several years—now hosting two of the hardest problems in the country, “The Grand Illusion” and “Sosa,” both (V16). Little Cottonwood’s unique quartz monzonite walls give climbers a unique granite experience, with some small pockets of limestone throughout—particularly at the mouth of the canyon. The rock is characterized by crystal-heavy slopers and crimps lower in the canyon, tighter grained rock at higher elevations, friction dependence, and slippery, textureless holds on more popular climbs. Season: Little Cottonwood Canyon’s best climbing happens during fall and spring. The canyon’s climbing conditions reach their sweet spot in October/November. Temperatures stay between 66°F highs and 44°F lows. Nearly all areas will be accessible during these months.The spring also offers great conditions, however climber’s will have to navigate the melting snowpack, the degree to which varies year-to-year. History: Mike Beck began climbing in the mid 1980s. In 1988, following a bouldering trip to the world-famous Fontainebleau, France, Mike Beck was inspired upon returning back home to Salt Lake City. At the time, there were maybe 50 problems in the canyon, maximum. That visit to France kicked off an explosion of him and his friends seeking out and developing the bouldering in LCC in a concerted effort. He and his friends collaborated to create The Black Bible, a guidebook to Utah bouldering. Mike lead the charge on the LCC chapters and this was the primary source of recorded bouldering information for many years. In more recent years, Mike teamed up with a newer climber and data geek, Scott Stoddard. Together, using Scott’s technical and organization skills and Mike’s historical knowledge, they authored a new and extremely comprehensive guidebook for Little Cottonwood Canyon on KAYA. Read the full article for everything you need to know when bouldering at Little Cottonwood Canyon: https://blog.kayaclimb.com/essential-lcc-climbing-guide-when-where-how-to-boulder-in-little-cottonwood/ Take the 6200 South exit from I-215 and follow the ski resort signs. The canyon road (Route 210) guides you straight to the climbing spots, and you'll park along the road to reach most areas. Use KAYA to navigate the approaches directly to your climb of choice. Due to the city-side nature of the canyon, you are never more than 20 minutes from snacks, gas, food, and water. There are numerous great places to eat in Salt Lake City, but climber favorites include Central 9th Market, Pretty Bird Hot Chicken, and Spitz.