Hours of Operation
9:00am-6:00pm (Open Daily)
Admission: Free
2026 Will & Jean Pickett Intermountain Ski Hall of Fame on August 20th, 2026: Click here for Ticket Information
Just 30 miles from downtown Salt Lake City, Brighton is known as “The place where Utah learns to ski and snowboard – and keeps on learning.” They boast five-star grooming as well as chutes and trees for those who like white knuckle terrain. Three awesome terrain parks link the top of the mountain to the base, and all trails can be reached by high-speed quads. Families ride together, take different trails, and meet at the bottom.
In 1936, members of the Wasatch Mountain Club installed a rope tow at Brighton, creating one of the first lift-served ski areas in the country.
William Stuart Brighton, a native of Scotland who immigrated to the area in the 1850s, staked an official claim of 80 acres at the top of Big Cottonwood Canyon. This high-alpine tract was situated near the pristine waters of Dogwood and Silver Lake. His early settlement laid the geographic foundation for what would eventually transform into Brighton Ski Resort.
Inspired by a visitor named Joseph R. Walker who praised the family’s irresistible alpine hospitality, William Brighton expanded his operations. He constructed a two-story wooden hotel featuring seven small bedrooms, a communal dining and sitting room, and a lean-to kitchen. Catherine Brighton managed the kitchen, earning a stellar reputation among travelers for her excellent cooking.
To accommodate the growing influx of summer guests, the Brightons built several rustic one- and two-room cabins for vacationing families. Each individual cabin was outfitted with a traditional wood-burning stove for warmth. Without modern utilities, nightly illumination in these mountain rentals was provided entirely by kerosene lamps or simple candles.
As more residents from the Salt Lake Valley sought a cool escape from the blistering summer heat, a grand three-story wooden hotel was built at the site. This substantial upgrade reflected the area’s growing reputation as a premier summer retreat. The larger facility allowed the destination to accommodate dozens of travelers simultaneously.
An 1895 Brighton resort brochure advertised the property as a new, commodious structure boasting 50 light and airy rooms available for $2.00 a day. Guests flocked to the canyon to enjoy savory meals, trout fishing, evening bonfires, a lively dancehall, and fields of alpine wildflowers. Additionally, the resort expanded its services by opening a general store and a post office inside the original one-room cabin.
