Logan Canyon remains closed after avalanche

LOGAN –– Logan Canyon was closed Friday as crews worked to mitigate the extreme avalanche danger in the area. The closure came after an avalanche hit Highway 89 earlier in the morning.

Tanner Gittins said he and some co-workers were trying to get to work in Garden City when they pulled up on the avalanche just minutes after it happened. He said he noticed a car in the snow.

“The lucky thing was one of my co-workers was a little bit late. Otherwise, we probably would have been the ones stuck instead,” Gittins said. “There was probably, you know, five, six feet or so on the side of the road. And then on the other side, you know, three feet, something like that.”

Avalanche in Logan Canyon closes road in both directions. UDOT workers now assessing if they can safely do mitigation work to prevent additional issues. Pics courtesy Tanner Gittins who say a driver got caught as they tried to drive through the snow. @KSL5TV pic.twitter.com/1CMNqe7tJ4

— Mike Anderson (@mikeandersonKSL) January 12, 2024

Gittins said the driver told them he had tried to drive through the slide but got stuck. The group of them worked together to get his car out.

“We were there, kind of digging them out and getting ready to push. And, you know, you’re a little worried about more slides coming down,” Gittins said. “We wanted to get him out as quick as we could, and we pushed him out and got him on his way.”

The avalanche happened in the Dugway, which is almost halfway up the canyon from the Logan side. State troopers say slides like that are impossible to predict, but drivers should remain aware as they get more snow through the weekend.

“You just got to be on your lookout and be aware of the conditions we have right now,” Utah Highway Patrol Corporal Jerry Hardy said. “With the wind and not having snow for a while with a lot of the snow that we’ve had, that the potential of more slides is higher.”

Utah’s Department of Transportation said the canyon will remain closed until Saturday morning.