Hiking Trails in Salt Lake City

THE 10 BEST Salt Lake City Hiking Trails

Hiking Trails in Salt Lake City

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What travelers are saying

  • eboh13
    Las Vegas, NV155 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    This is one of the pretties hikes I’ve done in the area, it’s totally worth the 3 mile uphill trek. I would recommend starting early to beat the crowds and the sun and take your time.
    Written September 3, 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • RC T
    Grand Junction, CO86 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    City Creek is primarily indoors, but also has exterior aspects. It is two stories, and the upper level has a bridge across Main Street.
    Written November 10, 2022
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Tia M
    167 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    A chance discovery resulting in an amazing view on top of a great walk in the dark.

    I m visiting from Arizona. I love the avenues. When I lived here I worked all the time and didn’t get to explore. This time I m able to do a lot of exploring. Late in the evening I took a wrong turn and ended up on the cup de sac on Terrace. I noticed the opening to the trail.

    We parked and hit our just before it was too dark. We walked a long ways before encountering two men and asked about how much further before we can see something amazing. The response was about 10’min!

    We got to a section where you can go to the right and there is a fork I. The path way. I thought I’d gotten to the highest point because I could see all of SLC

    Not so. After another steep hike I was able to see even better views. But it was getting dark too quick. And the dog had enough. There’s alot of burr s and thorns on this trail. So watch your fur babies feet.

    We spent another 15-20 in the dark heading out. And we de-Thorne d her paws and headed back out to another adventure after dark

    Going back in the morning to capture a better view of I can get a parking spot.
    Written July 20, 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Kimberly N
    701 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    We made a point to hike this trail on the past two trips we made to Salt Lake City. The first time was in winter and the conditions were a little treacherous with an icy/muddy trail combined with a 930 elevation gain. But when we arrived at the Living Room with those outstanding views, it was pretty worth it.

    Our most recent visit was in October and the gorgeous fall colors were on full display! We still had that elevation gain but none of the ice or mud to contend with.

    We love the makeshift living room made of rocks to kick back on to enjoy those views. I'm fairly certain we would hike this again when in town but maybe not during winter.
    Written November 4, 2022
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • John M
    Santa Cruz, CA4,399 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    The Pony Express Mail system is an important part of history, with much of the original route remaining. We visited four different stops on our two week dual sport motorcycle trip in five western states.
    Written July 31, 2019
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Taylor B
    Chicago, IL8,439 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    If you are interested in learning about the remarkable history of the Mormons' epic 1,300-mile journey across America, from Navuoo, Illinois, to the Salt Lake Valley, to build a new homeland away from unfriendly neighbors who questioned their religion and way of life, I suggest that you obtain a rare copy of Exodus to Greatness, The Story of the Mormon Migration, written by Preston Nibley and published by Deseret News Press in 1947. All of his information came from the original documents pertaining to the great migration of the Latter-Day Saints which are housed in the Church Historian's Library in Salt Lake City, a diary of what happened from 1842 when prophet and founder Joseph Smith conceived the idea of a westward migration to the day in 1847 when Brigham Young and his followers arrived in the Salt Lake Valley. It is a page-turner, a wonderful read, historical and educational. The Mormon Trail is the 1,300-mile route that members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints traveled from 1846 to 1868. Today, it is part of the U.S. National Trails System, known as the Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail. It extends from Nauvoo, Illinois, which was the principal settlement of the Latter-Day Saints from 1839 to 1846, to the Salt Lake Valley in Utah, which was settled by Brigham Young and his followers beginning in 1847. From Council Bluffs, Iowa, to Fort Bridger in Wyoming, the trail follows much the same route as the Oregon Trail and the California Trail, collectively known as the Emigrant Trail. It was used for more than 20 years, until the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad in 1869. In the wake of their epic journey, the Latter-Day Saints emerged as one of the principal forces behind the settlement of the American West. Landmarks along the Mormon Trail include: Sugar Creek, Iowa, seven miles west of Nauvoo, the staging area where 500 wagons and 2,500 refugees started on their westward trek across Iowa on March 1, 1846; Garden Grove, Iowa, 128 miles west of Nauvoo, the location of their first semi-permanent settlement, which still exists today; Winter Quarters, near Omaha, Nebraska, 266 miles west of Nauvoo, on the west side of the Missouri River, where they built 700 dwellings and where an estimated 3,500 people spent the winter of 1846-47; Chimney Rock, 718 miles west of Nauvoo, perhaps the most significant landmark on the Mormon Trail, upon which many refugees carved their names or sketched or painted it in their journals; Independence Rock in Wyoming, 965 miles west of Nauvoo, one of the Mormon Trail's best known and most anticipated landmarks, where many refugees carved their names on the rock with many carvings still visible today; South Pass, 1,065 miles west of Nauvoo, one of the most important landmarks on the Mormon Trail, a 20-mile-wide pass over the Continental Divide which is located between the modern towns of Atlantic City and Farnum in Wyoming at an elevation of 7,550 feet, near Pacific Springs, which received its name because its waters run into the Pacific Ocean; and Salt Lake Valley, 1,297 miles west of Nauvoo, where they not only settled the Great Salt Lake Valley and founded Salt Lake City but also settled and founded more than 600 communities from Canada to Mexico. Even if you aren't a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, which we aren't, it's an important chapter of American history that makes for fascinating reading.
    Written October 16, 2018
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Raymond C
    Salt Lake City, UT113 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    One word - TOUGH. To celebrate a significant birthday (75) I decided to do Mt. Olympus for a third time. I have hiked all around the world and aside from a hike in the Austrian Alps, Mt. Olympus is the toughest. Going up, if you pace yourself, is not all that bad even though the forest (85% of the route) is a vertical trail without switchbacks, with 1/2 of it scrambling over boulders. Coming down is the killer on the quads which are the body's brakes against gravity and the steep trail. If you solo and there is no one at the top, take care on the last 150 or so feet of steep and tough scree. On 8/31/23 I saw only 7 people on the trail. For details with photos & videos, visit my FB page - Raymond Cannefax
    Written September 1, 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Satyabrata Dam
    New Delhi1,757 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    As a winter hike it could get hard at times and we chose a really bad weather day with heavy winds and snow to go up, hence we were the only two people on the trail. The trail is well laid from the car park. You don't need any maps to orient.we took the west trail that seemed steeper. From the car park to the summit it took us around 2 hrs as we didn't have any crampons, snow shoes or spikes. The view of the salt flats and the city below is great. We saw lots of moose prints. Coming down was fun sliding.
    Written January 26, 2020
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Housam Elkouteini
    Denver, CO1,533 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    We went there in a weekend. The trail was clean and nice. Many trees around. You will even walk between them totally covered with trees.
    Our dog loved that trail as well and it was not hard with a baby
    The only problem was when leaving the parking was not well organized and it ended up with cars blocking the way on other cars
    Written May 15, 2019
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • for2une
    Stansbury Park, UT1,143 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    One of the best trails in the Wasatch mountains, easy access from Salt Lake City areas and a popular favorite canyon for outdoor activity. There is a $3 entry fee to Millcreek canyon. on a hot day in the valleys it will be 10-20 degrees cooler on this trail. Drive to the top of Millcreek canyon. For bikes, the best start is the trail head the next to last parking area - the old trail head at the top parking area is a steep hard 1/2 mile start - much better to us the easier, slightly longer, new trail start from the lower parking area. The trail is very well maintained and goes through beautiful alpine pine forests. All uphill for over 3 miles gives a good work out. For the downhill ride back it is an amazing treat. On a bike, the last 2 to 3 tenths mile the trail splits to make a final loop to Dog Lake. Take the left 3 tenths trail for an easier finish if you are tired or go right on the 2 tenths if you want an extra hard finish - steeper than the rest of the trail.
    Don't miss this trail for a fantastic Utah mountains outdoor experience.

    Bikes are only allowed on odd numbered calendar days. Weekends and holidays the parking lots fill up early. A weekday, or maybe later afternoon, is best to find parking and less crowded conditions.
    Written August 12, 2017
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Utah801ski
    Salt Lake City, UT165 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    This can be done as an out and back to Desolation Lake overlook. IF you're going over, into, and down Millcreek Canyon you can ONLY do that on even numbered calendar days by law. If you are doing that, you will need a shuttle to retrieve your car from the starting point. You can catch a bus up to Brighton Ski resort with your bike though. Do not attempt if snow on mtns. Take LOTS of water/electrolytes and food/carbs as well as have your own ability to fix flats and have spare tubes. Overall distance to bottom of Millcreek probably 40 miles. Great single track. It starts on a dirt road for about half mile or so and you go up "puke hill." Single track starts early and once at the left turn down into Millcreek, it's miles of single track downhill. Probably best to check with other riders and/or LBS (local bike shop) for information. Not for beginning mtn. bikers. Better to go with someone in case of emergency or mechanical. Not accessible by car and you're riding essentially along the spine of the Wasatch between SLC and Park City. You'll be wiped.
    Written April 13, 2017
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • kevan j
    Norman, OK1,529 contributions
    3.0 of 5 bubbles
    We did not hike all the way to the Desolation Trail junction. We only hiked up to the first overlook. Relatively easy hike. It does gain about a thousand feet but mostly a gradual climb. Great hike for families with kids. A stream runs along the trail for about half way, and there are a few small waterfalls, and water to get your hands and feet wet if you want. The views from the overlook were very nice in all directions.
    Written May 31, 2020
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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