A New Sticker Program Makes It Easier To Get Up The Canyon

Winter driving is filled with hazards we are not used to seeing in the warmer months.
There is that moment when you get to the mouth of the canyon you are going to explore, slide down or sleep in and the highway patrol is there to make sure you have good tires, chains or whatever else the weather demands.  Cocoa?

If you are headed to Cottonwood Canyon this year you should be aware of a new program that can make that moment more stress-free. It’s the Cottonwood Canyon Sticker Program. Basically, you can have your vehicle pre-checked to ensure that it is ready for the rigors of the winter canyon roads.

Certain UDOT-approved locations will check 4-wheel drive and All-wheel drive Vehicles: for M+S tires. M+S stands for Mud+Snow, indicating that the tires are suitable for use in the winter (studded or non-studded winter tires). Or for 3PMSF tires. These have the official winter tire marking which is a snowflake symbol that represents '3 Peak Mountain Snow Flake' indicating that they are safe for demanding snow conditions. They will be making sure the tires have a tread depth of 5/32 minimum.

If you own a 2-wheel drive or a front-wheel drive you will need to have 3PMSF tires on all wheels with a tread depth of 5/32 minimum or chains. The chains must be in the vehicle at the time of the inspection.

Once your vehicle passes the inspection you get a sticker. The sticker tells the highway patrol that you have what it takes to get up that mountain.

It is free and it is optional, not required to go up, but will speed things along if there is a need for the checkpoint to warn of inclement weather.

Who knows if the program proves beneficial it might be expanded to other parts of the state.