Little Cottonwood Canyon lies along the eastern border of the Salt Lake Valley where the Rocky Mountains meet the Great Basin, roughly 25 miles from Salt Lake City, Utah. The canyon is a popular sightseeing destination and is a glacial trough - ("U" shaped canyon) carved by an alpine glacier during the last ice age approximately 15,000 to 25,000 years ago.

Mormon pioneers quarried blocks of quartz monzonite from the Little Cottonwood Stock near the mouth of the canyon to build the Salt Lake Temple. Mountain goats inhabit the surrounding mountains.

Wilderness Areas are located on both sides of the steep canyon. Summer recreational activities here include rock climbing, camping, picnicking, botanizing and hiking.

The canyon is home for two of Utah's ski and summer resorts. At Snowbird, Utah's only aerial tramway carries visitors up to a panoramic view from 11,000-foot Hidden Peak. One mile further up the canyon is Alta, home of the Alta Ski Area. Notorious for shootings in its 26 saloons during the mining days of the 1860s and 1870s, Alta died quickly, but livened up again in 1939 as the seat of Utah's first ski resort, now famous for its light abundant snow. The Albion Basin at Alta is famous for wildflowers and is one of the most photographed areas in northern Utah. The Utah Native Plant Society often conducts wildflower walks at Albion Basin and in other locations in the canyon. A number of rare and endemic plant species are found in the area.