Everything You Need to Know About Salt Lake City’s Insane Wildflower Season

25.09.2024 - 14:46 / matadornetwork.com

On the western slope of the Wasatch Range, Salt Lake City is well known for its giant lake and for being a winter playground, with an abundance of chairlifts, backcountry ski runs, snowshoeing trails, and more snowy activities within reach less than an hour from downtown. But locals know that Salt Lake City has just as much outdoor adventure to offer during the warmer months. In fact, from the expansive canyons of the neighboring Wasatch Range to the foothills that form the edge of downtown, Salt Lake City is a hotspot for summer wildflowers.

If you visit Salt Lake City between mid-June and August, rainbows of wildflowers brighten the surrounding slopes and line their trails. It’s a spectacle so delightful that it’s almost overwhelming — in the best way. Here’s the lowdown on Salt Lake City’s wildflower season, including when to see them, where to go, and what to do when you’re not admiring the flora.

Four areas of greater Salt Lake City stand out as wildflower hotspots. You can head into the mountains to hit the trails in Big and Little Cottonwood canyons, stay in town and visit Red Butte Garden and the Bonneville Shoreline Trail, or experience them all.

Photo: Sarah Boles

When I first set out to experience the wildflowers of Salt Lake City, every person I spoke with and every article I read seemed to agree that Albion Basin at Alta Ski Area in Little Cottonwood Canyon was the all-around best place — not just in Salt Lake City but in all of Utah. After visiting, I can confirm that Albion Basin is a winner to me, as well.

For being tucked in the back of a canyon, Albion Canyon is fairly accessible. To reach Alta Ski Area, you drive southeast of downtown, enter Little Cottonwood Canyon, and take the road all the way up. At the Albion Basin, you have options. You can park there and hike up to Albion Meadow, where you’ll find the greatest concentration of wildflowers. It’s a gradual climb on a trail that switches between dirt and rock, shaded and exposed, but the whole thing is lined with wildflowers and towering spruce and fir trees. From Albion Meadow, a side trail leads up to a parking lot. That’s the second option: If you need a shorter hike to reach the meadow, you can drive there from Albion Basin, although parking is very limited.

Photo: Sarah Boles

Once you reach Albion Meadow, wildflowers stretch in all directions as far as you can see. You can continue on this trail as long as you like. It eventually leads to a turn off for Cecret Lake and continues over the mountains into Big Cottonwood Canyon to my second favorite place for wildflower viewing around Salt Lake City. If you feel content after exploring the meadow, you can also return back to the basin the same way you came.

Early morning and late