This trail seems to go by multiple names. I have seen it called the Sunset Trail, Farmington Creek Trail, and Farmington Canyon Trail. Whatever name you want to call it by, this moderate trail is 2 miles long (one way) with about a 1227 foot elevation change.
 |
| Topographical Map (white square marks cave; green flags mark falls car symbols mark crashed cars) |
 |
| Graph of Elevation |
 |
| Trail in Google Earth |
This trail runs below Skyline Dr. and just to the north of the creek. During the summer, there are some pleasant shady spot along the way. However if you do the trail in the middle of the day, the foliage is not tall enough to provide much shade along much of the trail.
We started this trail from the west end. If you also come from this end, very shortly after starting you will arrive at the very shallow Farmington Cave. This cave appears to be a popular spot for building fires and for spraying graffiti. It is marked on the topographical map with a white square.
 |
| Farmington Cave |
 |
| Looking back down at Farmington Cave from further up the trail |
 |
| Looking up the canyon from the trail |
 |
| Small waterfall at the stream crossing along the trail |
By following the stream and climbing up the side of this lower waterfall, you will soon come to another small waterfall with a crashed car sitting above it.
After continuing another 0.4 mile from this small waterfall you will come to another wrecked automobile. There are several of these vehicles from the 1940s, 50s, and 60s that came crashing down the canyon from Skyline Drive. The ones we saw are marked on the topographical map by little cars.
The vehicle below is the one furthest east on the map. We reached it by continuing a short way up a path heading east off the main trail (which turns more south) after the stream crossing here.
The large waterfall is about 1.6 miles from the trailhead where we started. Unfortunately, the view from the trail it is mostly blocked by trees. If you climb to the top of the nearby rocks, you can see the top of it a little better.
If you are up for some scrambling, you can climb down to the bottom of the cliff and see the waterfall from the base. This is a pretty steep path though, so use care. A rope had been placed there for some support when we hiked this trail in 2019, but the first time we went in 2015 there was no rope. As always for safety though, don't rely on any rope left on trails by others more than absolutely necessary, and always test them first.
 |
| Path down to base of waterfall |
The waterfall is more impressive looking from the bottom. After enjoying the falls, you will have to head back up the way you came.
 |
| Climb back up to the trail |
The trail continues after the waterfall for a little ways and then seemingly splits. The main trail turns and heads north taking hikers up a couple switchbacks to to a dirt road, which is as far as the maps above show. That dirt road continues up a couple more switchbacks to Skyline Drive near Sunset Campground. There is sign marking this end of the trail at the end of the small dirt road heading down to it, and if you prefer you could drive up the canyon along Skyline Rd. and start hiking from this point instead. Starting here, it is about 0.3 miles to the large waterfall. |
| Trailhead from the end of the little dirt road |
The trail that continues southwest along the creek is shown in the topographical map in red. This is just a social trail following the river a bit further that eventually fades.
This trail is located in Davis County, Utah near Farmington. To get there, take Exit 325 off of I-15. Turn east onto Park Lane. Next, turn right onto Main Street and then turn left onto 600 North. Continue to 100 East/Farmington Canyon Rd. and turn left. Stay left on the paved part of the road when it forks (going right will take you to a parking area) to continue up the canyon. Right before the pavement gives way to dirt and the road turns sharply, there is a dirt parking area. Park here and you will find the trailhead on the north end of this parking lot. GPS Coordinates: N41 00.019 W111 51.984
No comments:
Post a Comment