Moonbeam Lift Queue in Brighton (Utah) — Live Webcam

Moonbeam Express Lift Webcam in Brighton

This live camera broadcasts the queue at the Moonbeam Express lift — one of the key chairlifts at Solitude Mountain Resort. If you're planning a trip to Brighton, Utah, this is exactly where the real-time webcam is pointed: you'll see how many people are waiting to board, what condition the waiting area is in, and what the weather is like on the slope right now. The stream comes from the Moonbeam base parking lot, where the ascent to the resort's beginner trails begins.

Moonbeam Express Lift: What You Need to Know

Moonbeam Express is a high-speed chairlift that services the Little Dollie trail, one of Solitude's longest beginner runs. This is where novices and intermediate skiers make their first runs of the day. The lift departs from the Moonbeam base area (lower parking lot), which provides quick access to the lifts without needing to ascend from the main lodge.

The queue area is equipped with orange mesh fencing on blue posts that channel the flow toward the boarding platform. Near the lift entrance sits a blue terminal building with a glass facade and metal supports — clearly visible on the camera. Solitude was one of the first major resorts in the U.S. to implement an RFID ski pass system to speed up lift lines — now passing through the turnstiles takes just seconds.

Summer Season: Solitude Bike Park

When the snow melts off the Wasatch slopes, Moonbeam Express doesn't sit idle — the lift switches to summer operations. From June through October, it serves mountain bikers and hikers, providing access to the Solitude Bike Park trails. That's why you might see people in protective helmets on mountain bikes on the camera — they're waiting for the lift to take them uphill so they can descend on specially prepared trails of varying difficulty.

In summer, the queue area looks different from winter: instead of skiers in thermal suits, you'll see cyclists with their bikes, and the ground surface changes from snow cover to bare dirt and gravel. The live camera lets you gauge how busy the lift is on any given day — useful information for both skiers and bikers alike.

History of Solitude Mountain Resort

Solitude Mountain Resort was founded in 1957 by uranium miner Robert Barrett, who had purchased the land at 8,400 feet in Big Cottonwood Canyon a year earlier. Barrett was originally searching for uranium deposits but discovered something far more valuable — ideal mountain terrain for a ski resort. Over the decades, Solitude has grown from a modest ski area into a full-fledged mountain resort with 66 trails, 1,200 acres of skiable terrain, and 2,047 feet of vertical drop.

The resort is located 30 miles southeast of Salt Lake City and serves as the connecting link between Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons as part of the Interconnect Tour Ski Utah backcountry route. This makes Solitude a strategic point for skiers who want to ride both canyons in a single day.

Geography of Big Cottonwood Canyon

Big Cottonwood Canyon, home to Brighton and Solitude, is a 15-mile (24 km) gorge in the Wasatch Mountains, located 12 miles southeast of Salt Lake City. The canyon serves as a protected watershed for the city, which is why dogs are prohibited here — a rare restriction for a popular recreation area.

The canyon's rock is composed of quartzite — a hard, slippery metamorphic rock. For rock climbers, Big Cottonwood Canyon is a true paradise: routes ranging from 5.4 to 5.13d in difficulty attract climbers from across Utah. From the Moonbeam Express lift, views of the canyon open up, and the best panoramic viewpoints are accessible from the Sunrise lift, located higher up the slope.

When the Moonbeam Queue Is Shortest

By watching the live webcam, you can spot patterns in lift traffic. During winter season, peak hours are from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM on weekends and holidays. Early morning (the first minutes after opening) and late afternoon (after 3:00 PM) are windows with minimal wait times. In summer, cyclists typically arrive in the morning to avoid the heat on the exposed slopes.

The RFID ski pass system has significantly sped up turnstile passage, but during high season (Christmas holidays, President's Day, March school break), the queue at Moonbeam can still be noticeable. The live camera helps you choose the optimal time to arrive — just check the stream before heading out the door.

How to Get to the Moonbeam Lift

The Moonbeam lower parking lot is located in close proximity to Big Cottonwood Canyon Road (Route 190). From Salt Lake City, the drive takes about 40–50 minutes under normal conditions, but in winter after snowfall, travel time can double. The parking lot has plenty of spaces for cars with roof-mounted ski racks and bike boxes.

Public transportation to Solitude is limited — the resort is served by Utah Transit Authority buses during winter season (Route 994), but most guests prefer to drive personal vehicles. Moonbeam parking is free, unlike the main lodge parking lot, where a fee is charged during peak season.

What You Can See on the Camera

The camera is positioned so that the frame captures the queue area in front of the Moonbeam Express terminal. On the right sits the blue lift terminal building with a glass facade and metal supports. In the background, you can see lift towers, cables, and the mountain slope with rocks, dry vegetation, and conifer trees. In the foreground — people in protective helmets on mountain bikes near the lift entrance, the area separated by orange mesh fencing on blue posts. The ground surface is bare dirt and gravel. In the background on the left, additional lift towers are visible ascending the slope. This live webcam gives you a complete picture of the current conditions at the Moonbeam Express lift in Brighton, Utah.