What Is Interlodge?

Interlodge is a shelter-in-place order for the upper part of Little Cottonwood Canyon, where Alta and Snowbird sit. While it's in effect, residents, employees and lodge guests must stay indoors so avalanche crews from Alta, Snowbird and UDOT can bring down slides safely. Most orders run overnight and lift by morning, but in a big storm interlodge at Alta and Snowbird can last days.

If you're staying up the canyon, it's part of the experience. If you're flying in or out, it can change your plans, which is why it's worth understanding before you book.

What interlodge means

The word describes the rule: you stay in your lodge. Under an interlodge order, moving outdoors between buildings is prohibited. That includes a short walk to a neighboring lodge, your car or a restaurant across the road.

At Alta, the order is issued by the Alta Town Marshal's office under town ordinance (Town of Alta Ordinance 5-4-1 is cited for the Marshal's authority). Alta's own write-up on interlodge names residents, employees and lodge guests as the people who must shelter in place. If you're staying at Snowbird, ask your lodging how it tells guests when an order is in effect.

During the most serious events, Alta has used a stricter version. In February 2021, a Maximum Security Interlodge told all lodge guests, residents and employees to shelter in designated lower-level areas away from windows.

Why interlodge happens

The upper canyon gets a lot of snow and sits under steep slopes. Alta averages 543 inches of snowfall between October 1 and April 30, and about 80% of the buildings in the Town of Alta sit in avalanche slide paths.

The road is exposed too. SR-210 is a 13-mile dead-end road that crosses 64 avalanche paths, and Alta says it has the highest avalanche hazard index of any major road in the US. After heavy snow, crews from the ski areas and UDOT trigger slides on purpose so they come down when nobody is in the way. Interlodge keeps people out of the runout zones while that happens.

How long interlodge lasts

Alta says most interlodge orders run from midnight until 8 a.m. That lines up with how UDOT works the road: it often closes SR-210 overnight for early-morning avalanche control, and an overnight interlodge is common when that happens.

The length can vary a lot, though. During long storms, orders can last days. February 2021 is the example Alta points to:

Alta describes that event as the longest interlodge order in recent memory. It's the outlier, not the norm, but it shows why a storm-day schedule needs slack.

After a long interlodge, there's sometimes a "Country Club" day: the interlodge lifts but the road stays closed, so the lifts may run just for the people who waited out the storm up the canyon.

Interlodge and the road are separate things

Interlodge and a road closure often happen together, but they aren't the same order, and they affect different people.

UDOT closes uphill and downhill travel in stages during avalanche control. Once the upper lots are closed to downhill travel, Alta and Snowbird guests and backcountry users can't leave until mitigation is complete, and the reopening time can slip if slides cover the road. Our guide to Cottonwood Canyon road conditions explains how closures and the traction law work.

How to plan a trip around interlodge

You can't predict an interlodge order weeks ahead, but you can build a trip that handles one.

Arrival day. Check the UDOT Cottonwood Canyons road status when you land, not the night before. If SR-210 is closed, the drive up waits until it reopens, so have a plan for a few hours in the valley. The Alta travel guide and Snowbird travel guide cover the airport side of the trip.

Departure day. This is where interlodge bites. If a storm is forecast for your last night, a tight morning flight is risky because you may not be able to leave the canyon until crews finish. Check Alta's and UDOT's updates the evening before and again early in the morning. If your flight is early and a big storm is forecast, it can be worth spending the last night in the valley.

While you wait. Keep medications, chargers and anything you need for a day in your room rather than in the car. Walking to the car is going outside, and that's not allowed during interlodge.

Who to follow. Alta points to @AltaAlerts on X and the SR-210 cameras on its driving page. UDOT posts road status on its Cottonwood Canyons site and @UDOTcottonwoods.

Day trips from Park City or the valley

If you're skiing Alta or Snowbird for the day from Park City or a valley hotel, interlodge orders are aimed at the people staying up the canyon, but the road closures that come with them affect you too. On storm mornings the road may open late, and if UDOT closes the road to downhill travel while you're up there, you wait until it reopens. Our Park City to the Cottonwood Canyons guide covers the winter route and timing.

When you know your dates, you can request a private transfer for the canyon leg. And whatever you book, check the road before you go.