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Backcountry guides say a lack of permits makes the Wasatch canyons less safe and harder to access

The Salt Lake Ranger district has paused even temporary permits for outfitters and guides.

(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) John Lemnotis watches as Todd Passey climbs up behind him in Big Cottonwood Canyon near Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023. Neither guide will be able to take clients into Big Cottonwood, Little Cottonwood or Millcreek Canyon starting in January after the Salt Lake Ranger District paused issuing six-month, temporary permits for the lands it oversees in the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest. The district said it made the decision because of staffing shortages.

(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) John Lemnotis watches as Todd Passey climbs up behind him in Big Cottonwood Canyon near Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023. Neither guide will be able to take clients into Big Cottonwood, Little Cottonwood or Millcreek Canyon starting in January after the Salt Lake Ranger District paused issuing six-month, temporary permits for the lands it oversees in the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest. The district said it made the decision because of staffing shortages.

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