In this guide
Brighton is at the top of Big Cottonwood Canyon. It has more beginner terrain than any of the other Cottonwood resorts, lifts that run until 9pm, and a base elevation of 8,755 feet, the highest of the four. It is where a lot of Salt Lake learns to ski and snowboard, and it has more for strong skiers than its size suggests.
By the numbers
| Average snowfall | 500″ |
| Vertical | 1,745 ft |
| Base and peak | 8,755 ft and 10,500 ft |
| Skiable acres | 1,050 |
| Runs | 77 |
| Terrain | 22% beginner, 40% intermediate, 38% advanced |
| Lifts | 9 |
| Night skiing | Monday through Saturday until 9pm |
Figures are Brighton’s, as reported through Ski Utah.
Who it suits
Beginners, families, snowboarders, anyone teaching someone else, and anyone who can only ski after work. It also suits intermediates who want to start skiing trees, because the glades here are widely spaced and you are rarely far from a groomed run. If you want long, sustained steep runs, Snowbird has almost twice the vertical.
How the mountain is laid out
Almost everything starts from one base area, which makes it hard to get lost and easy to meet up.
- Explorer and Majestic are the learning lifts, right at the base.
- Crest 6 is the main lift up the middle of the mountain and the one most people lap.
- Snake Creek Express and Great Western Express serve the east side.
- Milly Express is on the west side on Mount Millicent, with the most advanced terrain and its own small base.
Brighton connects to Solitude by the SolBright trail when there is enough snow.
A first three days
Day one: the middle. Beginners should stay on Explorer until stopping and turning are automatic, then move to Majestic. Everyone else can warm up with a run on Majestic and then lap Crest, which has groomed runs of every grade and easy trees along their edges.
Day two: the east side. Ride Snake Creek and Great Western. The runs are longer and feel less busy. Great Western is the place for intermediates to try ungroomed snow, with groomed runs nearby when it stops being fun.
Day three: Milly. Save the steepest lift for when you know the mountain. On a storm day, go the other way: stay in the trees off Crest and Snake Creek, where you can see.
Mistakes to avoid
- Driving up on a weekend morning without a parking reservation. You need one before noon. See below.
- Heading straight to Milly on a powder morning. So does everyone else. The rest of the mountain has the same snow and shorter lines.
- Skiing a full day and then staying for night skiing. Pick one. Tired legs under lights is how people get hurt.
- Dark goggles at night. Bring a clear or yellow lens.
Parking this season
Every vehicle arriving before noon needs a reservation on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. On those days it is $25 for a car with one to three people and $10 with four or more. Monday through Thursday is free, and every day is free after noon, which covers night skiing. Qualifying season passholders park free with a reusable code.
Holiday dates and release times are in the parking, traction law and ski bus guide. Brighton’s own page is here.
Getting there
Brighton is at the end of the Big Cottonwood road, a couple of miles past Solitude. The road closes for avalanche work less often than Little Cottonwood’s, but the traction law applies in the same way, so check UDOT before you leave. The UTA ski bus runs up the canyon to Solitude and Brighton.
Solitude is the neighbor; see the Solitude guide. For the choice between canyons, see LCC vs BCC.
Checked October 2026 against Brighton’s own pages and Ski Utah’s resort statistics.