Little Cottonwood Canyon is on the east side of the Salt Lake City Valley. Get there by following I-215 to the east, taking exit 6 off the interstate and heading east toward the mountains.

Follow 6200 South which becomes Wasatch Blvd for 1.8 miles to the stop light and signs for Big Cottonwood Canyon. Continue south (straight) through the light an additional 2.3 miles to a junction and light. Stay left here, reaching the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon in an additional 1.6 miles.

From the mouth of Little Cottonwood, travel up the canyon 8.1 mile, where Our Lady of the Snows Center is on the left. (Across from the Alta Lodge, just before the Shallow Shaft Restaurant.) Park here, just after a dirt road leaves on the left.

To The Summit (1.9 miles / about 2000’ of gain / 2 hours)
From the trailhead, follow the road north and east as it climbs up through a small neighborhood. At the third switchback is trail junction. Right goes toward Grizzly Gulch. Go left toward Cardiff Pass as the trail steepens. About 4 switchbacks after the first junction is a second less defined junction with an old mining road leaving on the right. Take this less road as it climbs and zig zags up to an old mine tailing pile. The road ends here at the mine. The path? Straight up the grassy slope! Work up the slope, trending a bit west to the obvious low point on the ridge.

Once you reach the ridge, a good social trail heads east (right) up to Flagstaff Mountain. The USGS maps mark the top as near where the trail reaches the top. The highest peak, however, is the peak north of the ridge. A lesser used social trail goes down on the east side around a rock outcropping, then continues to the true summit. (for the purists!)

Ridge to Grizzly Gulch (1.9 miles / 1 hour)
If making the ridge run, head east from the peak along the well-defined social trail. It meanders around Days Fork, and both forks of Silver Fork before reaching Davenport Hill. There are a few social trails leaving the ridge, stay on the most used trail near the ridgeline. It is never away from the ridge for more than a few minutes.

At Davenport Hill, a more prominent junction is reached. Go right, on the south side of Davenport Hill. Left descends into Silver Fork. At first, right does not look as well travelled, but soon becomes well defined. Once around Davenport, the trail drops to a saddle at the top of Silver Fork. Continue east a few minutes to where the trail climbs out of the saddle and meets the old mining road to Prince of Wales Mine / Grizzly Gulch.

Down Grizzly Gulch (1.75 miles / 40-60 minutes)
Go right on the old mining road. As it passes through the upper meadows, wildflowers are likely to abound. Stay on the old road that becomes more defined as you descend toward the bottom of Little Cottonwood. It reaches a stream, and bends east, descending a very rocky old section of road.

Shortly after the ruins of the Michigan Utah Mine are on the right. Keep on the old road, going straight when you reach a gate and junction. Past the gate, the road is very well travelled. A sign shows the trail junction where it leaves the road. If you descend this single track, you reach the Little Cottonwood Canyon road about 0.2 miles above where you parked. This is likely the fastest way back. Or, stay on the road and go left at the next junction. This route re-traces a bit of the first part of the hike.