Brighton, UT

Brighton is an incorporated town at the head of Big Cottonwood Canyon, named for William and Catherine Brighton, who homesteaded there in 1870. Their cabin and rustic hotel became a stopping place for miners and summer visitors; timber and silver ore came out of the canyon, and the Cardiff Mine remained active until 1961. The Brighton ski resort opened in 1936, long after the pioneer hotel era. Residents voted to incorporate in 2018, and the Town of Brighton began in 2020. Brighton is a high-canyon place where mining, cabins, and skiing share the same road.