Little Cottonwood Canyon — Beckey Route
Salt Lake City
Location
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Conditions at the crag
Quick Facts
Pitches
3
Approach
30 min drive from Salt Lake City on UT-210, then 15-min approach walk from the Gate Buttress parking area
Climb time
3-5 hours
Elevation gain
120m
Best season
May, June, July…
Total Day
half day
Best months to climb
About This Route
The Beckey Route on Gate Buttress in Little Cottonwood Canyon is the canonical introductory trad climb in the Wasatch Range — a three-pitch line on granite that climbers have used for decades to introduce partners to crack climbing, natural protection, and multi-pitch movement. Fred Beckey put up hundreds of first ascents across North America and this route carries his name accurately: accessible, well-protected, memorable, and positioned on stone that will teach you something. The granite in Little Cottonwood is a high-quality quartz monzonite — coarse-grained, good friction, and dramatically different from the desert sandstone that defines the rest of Utah climbing. The canyon itself is spectacular: a narrow glacially carved U-shaped valley with walls rising 2,000 feet, and on a clear Wasatch morning the light on Gate Buttress is exceptional. The canyon road can close for avalanche control November-April; always check UDoT conditions before driving up.
Crux
Pitch 2 — the central crack system: 5.8 finger-to-hand crack on solid Wasatch granite, 25 meters, the crux is a transition from finger crack width (Camalot #0.75) to a hand crack (Camalot #2) where the crack flares slightly and the hand jam feels unreliable until you find the correct rotation angle for the rock.
Before You Go
What to master at your local gym before attempting Little Cottonwood Canyon — Beckey Route
Lead Grade
Lead 5.8 indoors consistently and have taken a trad intro course or equivalent — natural gear placement is required
Outdoor Days
5+ outdoor days including at least 2 with natural gear placement (trad or gear-assisted top-rope)
Fitness Level
Beginner-Intermediate — three pitches at 5.8, good for first trad multi-pitch experience
Skills to practice before the trip
- Placing cams in granite cracks: quartz monzonite has uniform parallel walls, which means placements are straightforward but visual assessment of crack width is still required
- Reading multi-pitch route finding: the Beckey Route has a clear line but pitch transitions require judgment
- Anchor building at two-point gear anchors on a granite wall
- Managing wind at a belay station — the canyon funnels gusts that make communication difficult
Train at your gym before you go
- Crack technique fundamentals: if your gym has crack features, spend 30 minutes per session working hand jams and finger locks before moving to face climbing — LCC granite rewards crack technique
- Anchor rehearsal: practice building a two-point equalized anchor from scratch at your gym or on a practice wall until you can do it in under 5 minutes
- Wind communication drill: practice communicating rope-management commands by hand signals in case verbal communication fails on a windy belay
Warnings
- The LCC road (UT-210) closes for avalanche control November-April — check UDoT road conditions at udottraffic.utah.gov before driving up. Closures happen with no advance notice.
- Little Cottonwood is a watershed protection zone. No dogs allowed in the canyon — this is strictly enforced by rangers.
- The canyon sees heavy traffic: hikers, climbers, and cyclists all share the road. Park only in designated climbing pullouts — illegal parking results in towing.
- Afternoon thunderstorms are common July-August. Descend before 1PM on summer afternoons when cumulus clouds develop over the Wasatch crest.
Gear required
- Single rack: cams 0.5-3 inch (Camalots #1, #2, #3 are the money sizes)
- 4 nuts (#4-8 Black Diamond)
- 60m rope
- Helmet
- Rock shoes with moderate stiffness — granite rewards a stiffer sole than gym slippers
- 2L water
- Wind layer — the canyon funnels strong gusts even on warm days
Minimum gear
- cams 0.75-2.5
- 3 nuts
- rope
- harness
- helmet
- belay device
Photo Gallery
Guided Options
Guided
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Where to eat
- $10-18
Laziz Kitchen
Lebanese street food, Salt Lake City
- $14-26
Squatters Pub Brewery
Craft beer and pub food, SLC
Where to stay
- free
Broads Fork Trailhead Camp
Dispersed camping in LCC
- $110-190/night
AC Hotel Salt Lake City Downtown
SponsoredModern hotel
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What climbers say
“Perfect first trad multipitch in the Wasatch. The granite is friendly, the route is well-traveled so the holds are polished just enough to feel secure, and the 3-pitch format gave us enough time to figure out our anchor system without rushing. Drove down from SLC in 30 minutes.”
“Wasatch granite after a week of Indian Creek is a revelation. The friction on this stone is extraordinary — you trust your feet in a completely different way than on sandstone. The Beckey Route is the right introduction to this type of climbing.”
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Local guides & shops
- Visit site →
Wasatch granite guiding — trad multi-pitch, rescue courses, intro trad programs
- Visit site →Utah Mountain AdventuresGuide Service
Year-round Wasatch guiding: ice climbing Nov–Mar, rock climbing May–Oct
- Visit site →REI Salt Lake CityGear Shop
Full rack selection, rope, helmet, and approach shoe rental desk
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