UDOT avalanche forecasters and maintenance crews fight against Mother Nature to keep canyons safe during historic winter
April 6, 2023
Crews work around the clock, brave high avalanche danger during snowiest winter in 70 years
The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) has closed the Cottonwood Canyons – SR-190 and SR-210 – more than 30 times this winter to keep residents and visitors safe from avalanche danger. More than 66 feet of snow has fallen so far this season, and as of March 28, there had been more than 30 avalanches large enough to destroy cars or wood-frame homes.
UDOT’s avalanche forecasters and road operations crews have been on the front lines all winter long to keep drivers and canyon visitors safe from avalanche danger. They have worked around the clock to assess conditions, reduce risk by intentionally triggering avalanches, and clear snowfall and avalanche debris from the roads.
Check out these resources to find current conditions from these crews and others:
- The udottraffic.utah.gov website and app for statewide road condition information. The UDOT Traffic Operations Center also tweets at @udottraffic.
- UDOT avalanche crews share back country closure information related to their work on the UDOT Avalanche Safety page and tweet at @udotavy.
- And, for information specific to Little and Big Cottonwood Canyons visit the Cottonwood Canyons website and @udotcottonwoods on Twitter.