Snow blanketed Big Cottonwood Canyon on Monday, Oct. 12, shutting down Brighton Resort's summer recreation and giving Draper-area residents their first taste of the coming ski season.
Brighton closed its mountain biking, disc golf and scenic lift rides on Sunday, Oct. 11, due to weather, KUTV reported. The resort stayed closed Monday as snow piled up around its lifts, Brighton said on X. The National Weather Service (NWS) said remnants of Tropical Storm Rachel collided with cold air from the northwest, dropping the snow level below 9,000 feet overnight into Monday morning.
The NWS forecast 4 to 10 inches of snow for the Upper Cottonwoods and up to two feet in the western Uintas, with precipitation expected through Wednesday, Oct. 14.
@BrightonResort: "IT IS SNOWING ❄️ Snow has touched down in Big Cottonwood Canyon and it looks like more is inbounds tomorrow."
Snowbird's cameras showed a dusting on its hillsides. Park City Mountain and Big Cottonwood Canyon both reported snowfall Monday, the Deseret News reported. The early accumulation follows last winter's exceptionally dry season, according to KUTV.
Ski season opening dates
Several Utah resorts have announced projected opening dates for the 2026-27 season, according to Ski Utah. The dates nearest to Draper:
- Solitude Mountain Resort — Nov. 20
- Park City Mountain — Nov. 20
- Snowbird — Nov. 27
Brian Head Resort is set to open first statewide on Nov. 6. Deer Valley Resort targets Dec. 5. All dates are tentative and subject to change based on conditions. Brighton has not yet announced its opening date.
Eagle Point Resort will not open this season due to the Cottonwood Fire.
Season outlook
A pre-storm forecast from OpenSnow projected Brighton would receive about 8 inches from the system, the Salt Lake Tribune reported. OpenSnow meteorologist Evan Thayer said he was optimistic about real accumulation, writing that models had trended wetter and that cold air would be in place.
More snow could be coming. But the longer-range outlook carries a caveat. NOAA has reported a 97% chance that El Niño will persist through early spring 2027, with an 81% chance of a very strong event through December, the Deseret News reported in August. Strong El Niño winters have historically delivered average to below-average snowpack in northern Utah early in the season, with totals picking up from January through spring.
Solitude is investing millions in new snowmaking equipment for the 2026-27 season after spending more than $5 million on improvements last year, KUTV reported separately. The upgrades add fixed and mobile snow guns to increase coverage across the mountain.
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