From March through September, wildflowers are blooming somewhere in Utah. When the first colorful blooms emerge in the desert during earliest spring, the higher elevations remain buried in a white blanket of snow. It is not until the height of summer that the state’s alpine wildflowers burst into full glory.

 From the slopes of Mount Timpanogos near Provo to the ski resorts east of Salt Lake City, the Wasatch Range come alive in a natural, multicolored bouquet. Red paintbrush mingles with yellow balsamroot and purple lupines, along with dozens of other species covering the full color spectrum.

There is little question as to where the flowers will appear – in addition to a number of well-known wildflower hotspots, nearly all alpine meadows will have at least some blooms. Less certain is exactly when the wildflowers will bloom. Much of the timing depends on how wet the winter has been and how late the snow stays on the ground.

The amount of water received also determines which flower species appear; different types appear in varying numbers depending on whether it has been a wet year or a drought.

While the peak of wildflower season is a moving target, it is all but assured that Big and Little Cottonwood canyons will be in bloom by mid-July. That’s when the Cottonwood Canyons Foundation puts on the Wasatch Wildflower Festival at the area’s four ski resorts – Alta, Brighton, Snowbird and Solitude.

It is a happy coincidence that these ski areas, so conveniently located close to the major Wasatch Front population centers, also happen to be some of the best places to see wildflowers. They are open to visitors throughout the summer. At Albion Basin, one of the best-loved wildflower spots in Utah, the summer hiking trails follow ski trails on the slopes of Alta Ski Area. At Snowbird Ski Resort, one of the best wildflower hikes travels through the sky on the Peruvian Chairlift, which offers breathtaking views of the fields of balsamroot below.

As many as 100 flower species appear in the Wasatch Range in any given year. While species like penstemon, which comes in a host of colors, are quite prolific, other species, such as lady’s slipper, are so rare that their locations are not publicly disclosed for their protection. Because most wildflowers grow on public land, it is illegal to pick them.

A particular favorite of Cottonwood Canyons Foundation Executive Director Joanna Wheelton is fireweed, which gets its name because it is usually one of the first flowers to blossom after a wildfire.

“It has a lot of connotations through different cultures as being a plant of resilience and renewal,” Wheelton said. “I love seeing it, because it reminds me how new things grow out of different times.”

Fireweed is also a good way to measure summer’s progress. The flowers grow on a tall stalk. The first blooms appear mid-stalk, with more flowers gradually appearing higher up. The topmost flowers don’t appear until the very end of summer, with the plant going to seed in September.

The Wasatch Wildflower Festival is held on two consecutive weekends, celebrating one day at each of the four Cottonwood Canyons ski areas: July 9 at Brighton Ski Resort; July 10 at Solitude Mountain Resort; July 16 at Snowbird Ski Resort; and July 17 at Alta Ski Area. Guided and self-guided wildflower walks are offered from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The guided walks are led by volunteers trained to identify 80 different wildflower species.