The Tour of Utah—America’s Toughest Stage Race—is in full swing, and the pack will hit Big Cottonwood Canyon tomorrow for the individual time trial portion of the Tour. Widely known as home to the Greatest Snow on Earth, Big Cottonwood Canyon is also a mecca for cyclists, mountain bikers, climbers, hikers, and more during the summer months.

Seemingly made for a cycling race, Big Cottonwood is an ideal location for a stage race with its sweeping, winding turns, and dramatic elevation gain.

Starting at an elevation of 7,300 feet, the Stage 3 course provides a tough 5.6-mile ascent of Big Cottonwood Canyon Road, from the Donut Falls Trailhead parking at Reynolds Gulch to the front door of Brighton Ski Resort. The route passes Solitude Ski Resort and the turnoff to Guardsman Pass, flanked along the road by towering spruce trees and rock vistas that are part of the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest. With an average gradient of 5.5 percent, the course should favor a strong rider who excels at high altitude.

Get up to Big Cottonwood Canyon tomorrow and get in on the action. Ski City will be there in force. Look for the Ski City Airstream Trailer, and come by and say hi. We’ll have all kinds of Ski City gear to give away. And remember—the Canyon is where Ski City gets its drinking water, so leave the pets at home, tread lightly, and leave it better than you found it. See you up there.