Alta
News, businesses and events in Alta. Each story links to the outlets and records it is based on.
Alta at a glance
Salt Lake County · Utah
Alta sits at the head of Little Cottonwood Canyon, where a former silver-mining settlement became a mountain recreation community. State Route 210 connects the town with the Salt Lake Valley. Its setting includes alpine meadows, forest and steep mountain terrain rather than the street grid of a valley suburb.
The town’s own history traces its first verified silver claim to 1865 and the construction of the Collins ski lift to 1938. That transition from mining to skiing helps explain the landscape visitors see today. The surrounding watershed is also part of Alta’s identity; town information is a useful starting point for understanding the area before a visit.
Events and meetingsBusiness directoryRegional news
Places and local character
Resident essentials
Your local briefing · Oct. 20, 2026
This week in Alta
- Little Cottonwood's avalanche towers: what changed, and what the records don't yet show
UDOT installed 16 remote-controlled avalanche towers on Mount Superior in 2024 to cut back on artillery over Alta.
Around town
- Outdoors & skiing · Feature
Little Cottonwood's avalanche towers: what changed, and what the records don't yet show
UDOT installed 16 remote-controlled avalanche towers on Mount Superior in 2024 to cut back on artillery over Alta. Public records confirm the equipment change; none reviewed measure its effect on road closures.