Cottonwood Canyons Foundation

What Cottonwood Canyons Foundation does

Cottonwood Canyons Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN 74-3058673) headquartered in Holladay, Utah, that supports the environment of the Cottonwood Canyons through two integrated program areas: Stewardship and Education. The Stewardship programs include a professional Trail Stewardship crew that builds and maintains sustainable trails across Millcreek, Big Cottonwood, and Little Cottonwood Canyons in coordination with the U.S. Forest Service, a Plants Stewardship Program that maps and manages invasive species using ArcGIS Pro and ArcGIS Collector and restores native plants through partnerships with Dryland Horticulture, and the Adopt-A-Trail sponsorship program. The Education programs comprise free public offerings — public snowshoe tours, Ski with a Ranger tours, Kids' Days at Solitude and Alta, the Silver Lake Visitor Center (operated with the USFS), student field trips for 4th and 5th graders, the Trail Steward volunteer training program, and the annual Wasatch Wildflower Festival — alongside digital resources including the Trails. Online. five-part series, the Resource Center, the third-edition Wildflowers guidebook (sold via REI), and the Public Weed Mitigation Guide.

The foundation operates under formal partnership with the U.S. Forest Service Salt Lake Ranger District and Salt Lake City Public Utilities (the canyons provide approximately 60% of Salt Lake City's drinking water), with all four Cottonwood Canyons ski resorts (Alta, Snowbird, Brighton, Solitude) serving as host venues and in-kind partners, and more than twenty additional community, foundation, and corporate supporters including the National Forest Foundation, REI, Petzl Foundation, AllTrails, Scheels, the Noorda Foundation, and the Lyon Family Foundation. Its revenue model is donation-based and diversified across individual giving (monthly gifts plus a five-tier major gift ladder from $500 to $10,000), corporate sponsorships ($1,000-$10,000), Adopt-A-Trail sponsorships (from $2,500), the Deep Powder Passes program (fully transferable season passes to four ski resorts, currently waitlisted for 2026/2027), and grants from government and foundation funders. The foundation is led by Executive Director Joanna Wheelton and supported by a Board of Directors that includes executives from each major ski resort, REI, Petzl America, Salt Lake City Public Utilities, the Utah Division of Outdoor Recreation, and the USFS. With three named staff directors, a seasonal trail crew, and a base of 1,700+ volunteers contributing over 10,000 hours annually, the foundation has engaged nearly 20,000 students on field trips over the past decade in a service area that receives 5 million+ visitors each year.

Name

Cottonwood Canyons Foundation

Legal name

Cottonwood Canyons Foundation

Website

https://cottonwoodcanyons.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cottonwood Canyons Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that protects the Cottonwood Canyons in Utah through professional trail and invasive-plant stewardship programs, in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service and four ski resorts, and free environmental education for school groups, families, and visitors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Salt Lake City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Recurring monthly gifts and one-time donations from individual supporters. Monthly giving starts at $20. Major gift levels range from $500 (Clematis Level) to $10,000 (Bluebell Level), with perks including personalized tours and festival sponsorships.
2. Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorships ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 supporting stewardship, education, and wildflower programs with corporate incentives.
3. Deep Powder Passes: Fully-transferable season ski passes to Snowbird, Alta, Solitude, and Brighton ski resorts. Proceeds fund the foundation's programs. Currently on waiting list for 2026/2027 season.
4. Adopt-A-Trail Sponsorships: Sponsorships starting at $2,500 for a one-year adoption of hiking trails, with sponsor names displayed on official trail signage at trailheads.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Cottonwood Canyons Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers environmental stewardship and education programs across the Cottonwood Canyons of Utah. Its stewardship work includes a professional trail crew that builds and maintains sustainable trails, an invasive plant management program that uses GIS mapping for restoration, and the Adopt-A-Trail sponsorship program. Its education offerings include guided snowshoe tours, Ski With a Ranger tours, operation of the Silver Lake Visitor Center, student field trips for 4th and 5th graders, Kids' Days at ski resorts, the annual Wasatch Wildflower Festival, and the Wildflowers of the Cottonwood Canyons guidebook.

Product overview

Cottonwood Canyons Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization supporting the environment of the Cottonwood Canyons through two core program areas: Stewardship and Education. The Stewardship programs include the Trail Stewardship Program (professional trail crew building and maintaining sustainable trails), the Plants Stewardship Program (managing invasive weeds and restoring native species), and the Adopt-A-Trail sponsorship program. The Education offerings encompass the Trail Steward volunteer program, public tours (snowshoe tours, ski with ranger tours), the Silver Lake Visitor Center, Kids' Days events, student field trips, and the annual Wasatch Wildflower Festival. Additional offerings include online education through the Trails. Online. series, the Resource Center with educational materials, the Wildflowers guidebook, and the Deep Powder Passes fundraising program. The organization also provides the Public Weed Mitigation Guide as an educational resource for invasive species identification and management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Trail Stewardship Program A professional trail crew that builds, improves, and maintains sustainable trails across Millcreek Canyon, Big Cottonwood Canyon, Little Cottonwood Canyon, and along the Wasatch Front in collaboration with the US Forest Service.
• Plants Stewardship Program Program that scouts trails, campgrounds, picnic areas, and ski areas to identify and manage invasive weed populations using mechanical and chemical control and restores native plant species through revegetation with locally collected seeds.
• Adopt-A-Trail Program Sponsorship program allowing corporations, family groups, and foundations to support trail maintenance through donations starting at $2,500 per one-year adoption, with sponsor names displayed on official trail signage at the trailhead.
• Watershed Protection Education Education program on the protected watersheds of Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons that teaches visitors about keeping water pure, watershed rules, and the canyons' role supplying approximately 60% of Salt Lake City's drinking water.
• Public Snowshoe Tours Free guided snowshoe tours offered at Alta Ski Area and Spruces Campground during winter months, including Moonlight Tours at Spruces Campground and tours highlighting the natural history of Little Cottonwood Canyon.
• Ski With a Ranger Tours Free guided ski tours with Volunteer Naturalist Rangers at Alta, Snowbird, Brighton, and Solitude resorts teaching geology, history, winter ecology, watershed, and wildlife, running January through March.
• Silver Lake Visitor Center Visitor center operated in partnership with the US Forest Service featuring an accessible boardwalk with interpretive signs around Silver Lake and staffed by Interpretive Naturalist Guides seven days a week from May to September.
• Kids' Days Free events at Solitude Mountain Resort (Solitude Kids Day) and Alta Ski Area (Alta Kids Day) giving children hands-on environmental activities with partner organizations; participants receive passports stamped at each station.
• Student Field Trips Free field trips for 4th and 5th grade students, including fall sessions at the Silver Lake Visitor Center covering watershed importance and aquatic macroinvertebrates and winter snowshoe field trips at Spruces Campground covering winter ecology, with equipment and transportation support.
• Wasatch Wildflower Festival Multi-day annual event hosted at four Cottonwood Canyons ski areas celebrating the diversity of wildflowers in the Wasatch Mountains with guided walks at varying difficulty levels, kids' crafts, music, food, and watershed stewardship awareness.
• Trails. Online. Ecology on the Trail Education Series Online five-part education series teaching science concepts using the Cottonwood Canyons environment, with curricula covering geology, history, wildlife, trees and plants, watershed awareness, and human impact; designed for individuals, families, and teachers/homeschoolers.
• Wildflowers of the Cottonwood Canyons Guidebook (3rd Edition) Third edition guidebook by botanist Tim Remkes with color photos of 192 species of forbs, shrubs, and trees including native, non-native, and invasive species, sold at REI stores in the Salt Lake City area with proceeds supporting stewardship and education.
• Deep Powder Passes Fully-transferable season pass to Snowbird, Alta, Solitude, and Brighton ski resorts with no blackout dates; proceeds fund the foundation's stewardship, education, and wildflower programs and is currently on a waiting list for the 2026/2027 season.
• Public Weed Mitigation Guide Comprehensive guide covering the Utah noxious weed classification system and Tri-Canyons-specific invasive species, with identification information and management recommendations for 15 invasive plant species.

Quantifiable outcome

• Led nearly 20,000 students on field trips over 10 years
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• US Forest Service, Salt Lake Ranger DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary government partner providing authorization and oversight for all stewardship projects, trail maintenance, and visitor education programs within the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest. Collaborates on trail construction, invasive species management, and operation of the Silver Lake Visitor Center.
• Alta Ski AreacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost venue for Kids Day events, snowshoe tours, Ski with a Ranger program, and Wasatch Wildflower Festival. Partner in Upper Albion Meadows Trail projects.
• Snowbird Ski and Summer ResortcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost venue for Ski with a Ranger, snowshoe tours, and Wasatch Wildflower Festival. Snowbird Play Forever Fund provides dedicated funding for stewardship.
• Brighton ResortcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost venue for Ski with a Ranger tours, Kids Days, and Wasatch Wildflower Festival. Adopt-A-Trail sponsor for Brighton Lakes trail.
• Solitude Mountain ResortcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost venue for Kids Days, Solitude Nordic Center management of Silver Lake in winter, and Wasatch Wildflower Festival. Adopt-A-Trail sponsor for Sol-Bright trail.
• Salt Lake City Public UtilitiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWatershed protection partner; the Cottonwood Canyons provide approximately 60% of Salt Lake City's drinking water. CCF supports watershed protection efforts.
• Utah Division of Outdoor RecreationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment partner providing funding and support for trail stewardship and outdoor recreation programs.
• Central Wasatch CommissionmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative body supporting stewardship efforts in the Central Wasatch region, including trail maintenance funding.
• Dryland HorticulturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner cultivates native wildflower seedlings over winter from seeds hand-collected from CCF worksites. Seedlings are planted at restoration sites the following spring/summer.
• Trails UtahmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner supporting trail maintenance projects and volunteer coordination.
• Salt Lake Climbers AlliancemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner collaborating on trail projects and climbing area stewardship.
• Wasatch Mountain ClubmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdopt-A-Trail sponsor for Mount Olympus trail and partner in trail stewardship activities.
• Alta Environmental CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-host of Alta Kids Day and partner in environmental education programs at Alta ski area.
• TreeUtahminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for tree-related education and planting programs.
• Tracy AviaryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization for Kids Days events providing wildlife education.
• Wasatch Adaptive SportsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner providing outdoor recreation opportunities for people with disabilities, collaborating on inclusive programming.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• American Hiking Society: National nonprofit that advocates for and supports trails and hiking. Functions as an umbrella/incumbent to local organizations like CCF and is referenced as part of CCF's broader partner network (American Trails Foundation is named in its funding partners).
• The Nature Conservancy (Utah): Global conservation nonprofit with an active Utah chapter working on watershed, forest, and biodiversity protection. Operates at a much larger scale but shares CCF's conservation and stewardship orientation in the same state.
• National Parks Conservation Association: National independent nonprofit dedicated to protecting National Park System lands. Comparable to CCF in the visitor-education, advocacy, and stewardship model, but operating at a national scale around NPS units rather than National Forest canyons.

Direct peers

• Wasatch Mountain Club: Historic Salt Lake-based outdoor club and Adopt-A-Trail sponsor for Mount Olympus trail. Operates in the same canyons, organizes volunteer trail work, and is structurally similar to CCF in mission and geographic focus.
• Trails Utah: Statewide Utah trails advocacy and stewardship organization. Listed as a CCF community partner; shares the trail-building, volunteer coordination, and policy work that anchors CCF's Trails Stewardship Program.
• Save Our Canyons: Utah-based nonprofit focused on protecting the Wasatch canyons from over-development. Closest direct peer to CCF, with overlapping mission, geography (Big/Little Cottonwood, Millcreek), and advocacy/stewardship work; both organizations appear together in regional press coverage of canyon conservation.
• National Forest Foundation: National 501(c)(3) that raises and deploys funds for stewardship of National Forest System lands. CCF lists NFF as a principal funder, and NFF operates the same model of on-the-ground project funding and partner enablement across the U.S. National Forest footprint.

Emerging players

• TreeUtah: Utah nonprofit focused on tree planting and urban forestry. Listed as a CCF partner for tree-related education and planting programs; smaller and more urban-focused but shares the trees/forest restoration and education ethos.
• Salt Lake Climbers Alliance: Local nonprofit focused on climbing access and stewardship in the Wasatch. Listed as a CCF community partner collaborating on trail projects and climbing area stewardship; narrower use case (climbing) but intersecting mission and footprint.
• Leave No Trace: National nonprofit that delivers outdoor ethics education and training. Overlaps directly with CCF's Trail Steward volunteer education, public snowshoe, and Ski with a Ranger programs in teaching responsible recreation.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CottonwdCynsFdn
• Facebookfacebook.com/CottonwoodCanyonsFoundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/cottonwoodcanyonsfoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cottonwood-canyons-foundation

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Cottonwood Canyons Foundation