Cottonwood Heights and Holladay residents who ski Eagle Point or hike the Tushar Mountains have lost their primary canyon route indefinitely. The Utah Department of Transportation confirmed Monday, Aug. 3 that the Cottonwood Fire melted several culverts beneath State Route 153, leaving structural voids under the pavement that make the road unsafe.
No reopening date has been set.
The paved western section of SR-153 remains closed. UDOT said it hoped to allow traffic on the Junction (east) side to milepost 18 by approximately Saturday, Aug. 8, though the agency has not confirmed whether that partial reopening occurred.
Crews are working to replace the damaged culverts and reopen the road as soon as conditions allow, UDOT said in a statement reported by ABC4.
How it started
The Cottonwood Fire ignited June 22 near SR-153 in Beaver County and burned more than 97,000 acres by mid-July. On July 19, a thunderstorm over the burn scar triggered a massive debris flow that shut down I-15 in both directions and washed out multiple sections of the highway, according to the National Weather Service Colorado Basin River Forecast Center.
UDOT closed SR-153 indefinitely on July 21 after flash flooding destroyed road sections between mileposts 7.5 and 10.5. Near milepost 14, floodwater washed roughly half the roadway into the river.
"If we have another storm, water and debris could come down the canyon again and cause additional damage," UDOT Region 4 Deputy Director Jared Beard said in the agency's July 21 press release. "We've been seeing thunderstorms every afternoon, and right now, neither side of the mountain is safe."
What it means locally
SR-153, also known as the Beaver Canyon Scenic Byway, is a roughly 40-mile route from Beaver to Junction that climbs to about 10,000 feet. Cottonwood Heights and Holladay residents use it for summer access to hiking, camping and fishing in the Tushar Mountains, as well as winter skiing at Eagle Point.
That ski access is now off the table entirely. Eagle Point Resort announced Monday, Aug. 3 that it will not open for the 2026-27 winter season due to fire and flood damage, according to Townlift. The resort is currently reachable only by an unpaved route from Junction, limiting inspectors and contractors.
Beaver County declared a state of emergency after the flooding and is seeking state and federal aid. UDOT has not released a cost estimate for repairs.
UDOT has not set a reopening date for the paved section. Eagle Point, reachable only by that unpaved detour from Junction, will stay dark through the 2026-27 ski season.
