Alta, UT

Snowbird's top-floor dining room in the Cliff Lodge, with floor-to-ceiling windows, a modern-American menu, and a sushi bar tucked off to the side. It leans special-occasion, with one of the deepest wine lists in the canyon.

Snowbird's classic steakhouse at the Snowbird Center, in business for decades and built for the post-ski splurge. Think aged cuts, a seafood tower, and a creekside patio that runs heaters into the cool evenings.

Utah's highest restaurant, perched atop 11,000-foot Hidden Peak a few steps off the aerial tram. The kitchen builds organic, French-rotisserie-leaning plates with a barbecue streak; no burgers or fries here, which is the point.

A quieter, French-leaning bistro in Snowbird's Lower Village Lodge, away from the base-area bustle. Seasonal small plates and mains like hanger steak and salmon make it the spot for a slower, sit-down dinner.

A full-service European-style bistro on the third floor of Alta's mid-mountain Watson Shelter, where you trade ski boots for slippers and have an unhurried sit-down lunch at 9,300 feet. It is the rare on-mountain meal that feels like a destination rather than a refuel.

A French-inspired chateau on twenty wooded acres near the mouth of the canyon, with gardens, peacocks, and a long-running fine-dining kitchen. It is the valley's big special-occasion address and an easy drive down from Alta for a dressed-up dinner.

A stylish pan-Asian dining room and lounge at the base of the Cottonwood canyons, doing modern takes on Vietnamese and broader Asian cuisine. It is the most interesting sit-down option for a guest heading down the canyon for dinner.

A working distillery and restaurant in Cottonwood Heights, pouring spirits made on-site alongside hearty American plates in a converted space with old jail-cell booths. It is the relaxed, lively choice near the canyon mouth for a drink-and-dinner combination.

A casual, Southern-leaning neighborhood bistro in Sandy, a direct shot down from the canyon and built for an easy post-mountain meal. Comfort plates and a friendly room make it the unfussy counterpoint to the lodge dining rooms.

The canyon's classic family hike, a short out-and-back from Albion Basin to a glacial lake under Devil's Castle. It is rocky but brief, climbing through wildflower meadows that peak in mid-summer.

A moderate climb from upper Albion Basin to a high saddle on the ridge between Little and Big Cottonwood, opening onto the Brighton lakes and Sunset Peak beyond. It is the gateway hike for ridgeline objectives without the all-day commitment.

A moderate summit hike that builds on the Catherine's Pass climb, finishing on an 10,600-foot peak with views over Lake Catherine and three drainages. It is the best big-view payoff in the basin that a fit hiker can do in a morning.

A long, steep climb up an old mining road in upper Little Cottonwood to a high alpine lake in a granite bowl. This is the canyon's serious day hike, quieter than the Alta-side trails and notably more demanding.

A demanding loop linking two granite lake basins beneath Pfeifferhorn, sharing the White Pine trailhead. It rewards strong hikers with two distinct alpine cirques and far fewer crowds than the Alta-side classics.

A short, steep spur off the Cecret Lake area that climbs toward the base of Devil's Castle's rock fin. It is a quick add-on that gets you under the basin's most dramatic wall without committing to the exposed scramble above.

The skiers-only resort at the top of the canyon, famous for some of the deepest, lightest powder in North America and a no-snowboards tradition. It is unpretentious and terrain-focused, the reason most guests are in the canyon at all.

The big four-season resort just below Alta, with steep terrain, the aerial tram, and a base village that stays busy into summer. Snowboarders welcome here, and it anchors the canyon's lodging and nightlife.

A wheeled alpine coaster that winds down the mountain near the base of the Peruvian lift, the centerpiece of Snowbird's summer activity lineup. It runs alongside the alpine slide and tubing, making the base a kid-friendly afternoon when the lifts aren't spinning for skiers.

Snowbird's full-service spa on the top floor of the Cliff Lodge, with treatment rooms, a yoga studio, and a rooftop pool and hot tub looking straight up the canyon. It is the grown-up counterpoint to a day of skiing or hiking.

Utah's only aerial tramway, climbing 2,900 vertical feet from the Snowbird Center to Hidden Peak in about ten minutes. A rooftop deck lets you ride outside on top of the cabin, and in summer it doubles as the lift to high-country hiking.

A small glacial tarn cupped beneath the cliffs of Devil's Castle in Alta's Albion Basin, reached by a short rocky climb from the trailhead. It is the postcard alpine lake of Little Cottonwood and the reward most first-time canyon hikers come for.

The 11,000-foot summit at the top of Snowbird's aerial tram, with 360-degree views across the Wasatch and down into Mineral Basin. You can ride up and walk a few steps to the overlook, or use it as the launch point for ridge hikes.

The high meadow bowl above Alta that erupts with one of the densest wildflower displays in the Rockies for a few weeks each summer. It is also the gateway to Cecret Lake and Catherine Pass, so it doubles as the canyon's main summer trailhead hub.

The glacier-carved granite canyon that climbs from the Salt Lake valley to Alta, walled by 400-foot quartz-monzonite cliffs that draw climbers worldwide. The drive itself is the attraction, tightening past waterfalls and boulder fields as it gains the high basin.

The jagged rock fin looming over Cecret Lake, instantly recognizable as the backdrop to every basin photo. The summit ridge is a serious exposed scramble, but the base is an easy goal that frames the whole Albion Basin.