Wildflower Festival in Full Bloom!

Wasatch Wildflower Festival showcases Utah’s mountain beauty

Tracie Kirkham

August 16, 2006

Mark Pollish of Alta Ski Lifts giving a wildflower tour in the Albion Basin.
Flower enthusiasts, hikers, tourists, local visitors, and many others ascended to Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons for the 2006 Wasatch Wildflower Festival on July 28th - 30th.  Visitors came out in droves to learn about and see the vibrant colors of Indian Paint Brush, purple colored Penstemon and Lupine, white flowers of False Hellbore, and pink petals of Sticky Geranium, and so many more.  Volunteer naturalists were trained by the Cottonwood Canyons Foundation at three field sessions during early summer.  After attending the training sessions, volunteers were ready to be wildflower tour guides for the weekend festivities. 

During the short few months the locals call “summer” in the upper canyon areas, the flowers are quickly growing their way out of the remaining snow, hoping they still maintain a relationship between their “significant pollinators”.  Pollinators may include moths, bumble bees, other bees, hummingbirds, and ants.  Each flower has a unique relationship with various insects or birds that allows them to reproduce and bloom again in the next season.  

Solitude Mountain Resort, Alta Ski Lifts, and Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort participated in this year’s wildflower events.  Solitude Mountain Resort offered tours on Friday afternoon and provided a free lift pass up the mountain for easier access to the flowers currently in bloom. 

Alta Ski Area showed off its bright colors on Saturday afternoon in the Albion Basin, which is where Little Cottonwood Creek begins its journey down the canyon.  In addition to the providing tours around Catherine’s Pass in the Albion Basin, Alta Community Enrichment (ACE) had a kids’ craft table, a “Birds of Prey” exhibit by Tracy Aviary, and a few musicians for entertainment. 

Last but not least, Vanessa Welsh and Tracie Kirkham answered questions and displayed information about Salt Lake City Public Utilities and our new “Keep It Pure” – drinking water protection campaign.

Wildflower tours in the spectacular Albion Basin in Little Cottonwood Canyon.

Left to Right: Tracie Kirkham and Vanessa Welsh provide information at the Keep It Pure booth located at Snowbird.
On the last day of the festival, we headed down to Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort.  Snowbird provided a Tram ticket to the top of Hidden Peak and there were several wildflower tours from this point. Exploring the geology of the canyon was an option for hikers.  The geology tour started from the top of the Tram and traveled back down the mountain to the Snowbird Plaza. Short hikes were offered near the plaza deck on a great trail called the “Barrier Free” trail.   

The festival continues to grow with numbers of visitors each year.  This reflects the great success of the Cottonwood Canyons Foundation and the partnerships that have been created.   With an incredible diversity of flowers, variety of mountain resorts, and fun, there was something for everyone!