[3] The creek flows through the Big Cottonwood Canyon in a westerly direction until it emerges into Salt Lake Valley about eighteen miles (29 km) from its highest source.

The stream flows northwest as it leaves the headwaters near the Brighton Ski Resort and then travels southwest about halfway down the canyon near Reynolds Gulch.

At the base of the canyon, the stream leaves the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest, and a portion of the flow enters the Big Cottonwood Treatment Plant to provide municipal drinking water.

Their bedrock commonly consists of Paleozoic quartzites and carbonates, Mesozoic mets-sedimentary and meta-volcanic rocks, and Cenozoic granitic and gneissic intrusions.

This canyon is a protected watershed area under strict management controls since it is a major source of drinking water for Salt Lake City.

[5] Outdoor activities in the canyon include fishing, seasonal hunting, camping, hiking, picnicking, sightseeing, biking, rock climbing, skiing, and snowboarding.

There are hundreds of places to stop and walk or hike to see Big Cottonwood Creek and its natural water features.

The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources has identified Big Cottonwood Creek as a Class II Fishery.

This classifies the area as "a moderate to large productive stream with high aesthetic value where fishing and other recreational uses should be the primary consideration".

It was determined to be an especially important water body due to its capacity to provide a strong resident trout fishery close to a metropolitan area.