Wasatch Backcountry Alliance

Protecting the Park City Ridgeline and Central Wasatch for ALL human-powered winter users!

Wasatch Backcountry Alliance (WBA) is the recognized voice of the backcountry community, dedicated to protecting backcountry terrain and access in the Central Wasatch. An important area of our work is the Park City ridgeline — an irreplaceable corridor of open space linking Park City to the Cottonwood Canyons. These mountains offer world-class backcountry skiing, and we work to preserve the balance between undeveloped landscapes and surrounding development.

Since our founding in 2013, WBA operated entirely on volunteer power. We earned respect as a trusted stakeholder, built powerful grassroots campaigns, and helped safeguard iconic backcountry terrain. But the pressures on the Wasatch are growing. Development threatens to chip away at the very character of this landscape. To meet these challenges, we’ve leveled up by hiring a director to ensure that the backcountry community has a constant, credible, and professional voice at the table.

Your donations directly fuel advocacy that protects the places you love. With your support, we:

• Helped stop Ski Link and ONE Wasatch interconnect proposals that threatened to link ski resorts along cherished backcountry terrain.
• Helped save Bonanza Flats, preserving critical open space.
• Launched the Backcountry Shuttle and continue pushing for smarter transportation solutions.
• Partner with decision-makers to protect backcountry parking.
• Collect and publish trail use data through our innovative Trail Counting Program.
• Represent the backcountry community on the Central Wasatch Commission and in meetings with mayors, resort managers, the Forest Service, and state and federal leaders.
• Fight to keep Little Cottonwood Canyon gondola-free and advocate for balanced solutions.
• Restored public access in Cardiff Fork and continue to defend public lands across the Wasatch.
• Build community through Powder Parties, Membership Program, The Uptrack podcast, and year-round education and outreach.

We’ve proven what a passionate, organized community can achieve. Now, with your support, we’re ready to protect backcountry open space, defend access, and ensure that the Wasatch backcountry endures for generations to come.

What We’re Working on This Season

This season, we’re showing up wherever backcountry access and open space are on the line. WBA is:

• Engaging in development proposals in Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons to prevent resort interconnect from returning.
• Serving on the Central Wasatch Commission Stakeholders Council to represent the backcountry community in land-use planning.
• Partnering with Outdoor Alliance and Winter Wildlands Alliance to advocate for public land protections and smart recreation policy.
• Supporting fuels reduction projects that improve forest health and wildfire resilience.
• Working with partners to brainstorm better multi-use management between motorized and non-motorized recreation around Guardsman Pass.
• Publishing new Uptrack Podcast episodes to keep our community informed.
• Building an interactive backcountry parking map to make parking in the Cottonwoods easier to navigate.
• Continuing our Trail Counting and Backcountry Shuttle programs. 

Together, we can advocate for the Wasatch backcountry, but we need your support!