Provo River Falls Trail

The Trail
This is an easy and extremely short 0.2 mile trail. Our elevation data for the trail said there was about a 300 foot elevation change, but appeared to be quite inaccurate, so no elevation graph is included here. The actual elevation change is therefore not known, but most of the trail is not steep. It may even be too short to call a real trail, but it is a lovely place to visit with three beautiful terraced falls visitors can view.

Topographical Map

Trail in Google Earth

This trail is roughly paved in most places. It follows along the Provo River until it reaches the bottom falls. The trail down to the last falls is a bit steeper than the rest of the trail, and can be slick with water.

Dogs are permitted on this trail, but they must be kept on a leash. There are vault toilets available at the trailhead. There is a $6.00 fee to use any recreational facilities along the Mirror Lake Hwy, including this trail.

Directions
This trail is located in Summit County, Utah near Kamas. To get there from Main Street in Kamas, turn onto Center Street/UT-150/Mirror Lake Scenic Hwy and continue 23.8 miles up this road. The parking area will be on your left and is well labeled. Please note that this road is closed during the winter. Also, know that there is a recreation fee for using any facilities along this road.

Davis Creek Loop

The Trail

This difficult trail is 2.8 miles round trip with a 1180 foot elevation change. Be aware that there are a number of spots that are slippery and ascend sharply along the way. Many people just do the hike to the Indian Bath Tubs, which is only about a 0.4 mile hike one way. However, this first section is still quite steep with a 455 foot climb.

Topographical Map

Graph of Elevation

Trail in Google Earth

After going up the trail 0.3 mile, you will arrive at a bench with a good view of the waterfall. Soon after that, there is also a turn off to the Indian Bath Tubs (marked by the water symbol on the topographical map above). This short jaunt is only about 100 feet long. The rocks at this turn off are slippery when they are wet. There are usually some ropes here though to be used as hand lines.

View of the waterfall from the bench during spring

View of fall from the bench during autumn

"Indian Bath Tubs"

Immediately after the "Indian Bath Tubs" turn off, there is another split off heading to Pretty Valley (marked by the little green dot on the topographical map above). This is where we came out of the loop. If you want to go around the loop the opposite direction from what we did, you can take this fork. Otherwise, just continue west. If you prefer going up steeper more slippery parts and down the relatively more gradual sections like we do, you should go around the loop in the same direction we took. (Please note that the elevation graph reflects heading straight/west at this split.)

The next point you will come to will be just above a section of the waterfall, so you can look directly down at it. The trail also intersects with a trail to Hell Hole there (marked with a black square on the topographical map), which is the trail you will need to take to continue around the Davis Creek Loop. Farmington has named this section of the trail the "Indian Annie Trail." If you continue the other way (shown in red on the maps), you will be on the Triumph Trail, which will loop around the other way before returning to the parking area at a different trailhead.

Right above a section of the waterfall (and across from turn off to Hell Hole)

The "Indian Annie" section of the trail is even steeper than the previous section. It continues up quite steeply for a ways before descending slightly into a pleasant forested area that has been dubbed "Christmas Tree Lane."

Looking down the steep ascent that heads to Hell's Hole

After the ascent, the trail winds through a pleasant forested area

Hikers will soon come to a couple splits in the trail, including a turn-off for the Old North Trail as marked on the Topographical Map. Shortly after this turn off, the trail arrives at Hell Hole, which is a large cleared camp area. There are a lot of trails interesting in this area, so look for and read trail signs carefully. Having a map of the area may also be helpful.

Hell Hole

At the west side of Hell Hole, there is a trail marker for a trail saying it goes to a second waterfall. Take this trail, which which resumes the steep climb, to see the waterfall. In about 122 yards, the trail splits again. Turn left and head down a steep path to view the waterfall. Ropes along this section help negotiate the steep slick terrain.

View of second waterfall through the trees

Toward bottom of the falls. Unfortunately, a fallen
tree obscured the view some.

If you wish to continue to additional waterfalls, keep heading up the mountain after you return to the main trail (along the green trail in the topographical map above). There are three other waterfalls up further this way, but be aware that the trail is not as easy to follow as you go further up. Farmington City marks this trail as "future" on its website since it is unimproved most of the way. Other hikers also have commented on the fact that it becomes more sketchy as it continues up.

After returning to Hell Hole, take the trail heading south. You will soon cross a small stream, after which the trail turns east for a short way. This area is still part of "Christmas Tree Lane." The trail turns back south for a ways before again heading west. Hikers will go past a couple campsites at this point as they continue down to Pretty Valley, which is the hillside meadow marked by the red flag on the topographical map above. The red flag also marks where the trail intersects with the Bountiful Peak Trail. Turn right here toward the utility box, which also has a marker on it labeling the trails.

A nicely colored tree during fall in Pretty Valley

Utility box with trail markers on it

As you continue down the trail, you will have some great views of the valley. There are also a couple prominent rocks you can look for on this trail: El Capitan Rock and Wolf Head Rock.

El Capitan & Wolf Head Rock with view of valley

At the green flag on the topographical map above, we found another split in the trail. The trail marker there said it went up to Hell Hole too in 0.4 mile. This trail did not seem to be on the Farmington Trail Map when we went on the trail, but it does appear on a more recent version of the trail map. Again, having a copy of the second page of this map or a copy of the more zoomed in map found here with you is recommended while you are trying to navigate these trails.

Trail marker for un-mapped trail

This trail continues north and connects back to the trail you started up, just after the Indian Bath Tubs.

Horses are not permitted on this trail, but you are welcome to bring dogs if you clean up after them. There are is no water or bathrooms available at the trailhead.

This is what the trailhead looks like

Directions
This trail is located in Davis County, Utah in Farmington. To get there from north of Farmington, take exit 325 off of I-15 and turn left onto Park Lane. Next, turn right onto Main Street and continue on this road as it curves around. When you reach State Street, turn left and follow this road as it curves around a bend. Keep going until you reach Woodland Dr., then turn left. At the end of Woodland Dr. you will come to a dirt road called Little Valley Road. Drive up to the reservoir and you will find a dirt parking area. There is also a trail map here. You can walk up the road to the trailhead from here. There are multiple trailheads, so look for the one that is labeled "Davis Creek Trail."

If you are coming from the south, take exit 222 off of I-15 and continue along 200 West to 200 South. Turn right onto 200 South, and next turn right onto 200 East. From there, turn left onto Woodland Dr. and continue as outlined above.

Cecret/Secret Lake Trail

The Trail
This easy trail is about 2 miles long (round trip) with about a 470 foot elevation change. This distance includes walking the 0.4 mile loop around Cecret Lake, but it is only about 0.8 mile to reach the lake from the trailhead.

Topographical Map

Graph of Elevation

Trail in Google Earth

The trail starts near a campground. It is marked by a wooden sign and begins by crossing a short bridge over a little stream.

The first part of this trail is also a dirt access road to cabins in the area. While it is not heavily trafficked, hikers should watch out for vehicles and make way for any that come along. There are a number of interpretive signs along the trail offering information about the Albion Basin as well as the plants, animals, and geography of the area.

View of Devil's Castle

As you head toward the lake, you will come across many nice view of Devil's Castle, which lies just southeast of Cecert Lake, and Sugarloaf Peak, which lies just southwest of the lake. Both of these destinations can also be reached by starting along this trail. There is a faint trail on the east of the lake leading to the saddle between these two peaks, from which hikers can continue to either. Alternatively, there is a trail to the west of the lake that goes up Sugar Loaf Peak.

There is a fairly steady, gentle climb all the way to the lake, ending with a few switchbacks up a hill. After reaching the crest of this last hill, the lake comes into view.

Final ascent up small hill to the lake

Despite its namesake, this lake is anything but secret. This short trail is extremely popular among all age groups, and is likely to be crowded on weekends and holidays. We did this trail on Labor Day, and the shorelines quickly became packed with other hikers, youth groups, and families.

There are nice views of the lake and the surrounding area all along the trail that loops around the lake's perimeter.

Dogs are not permitted on this trail as this is a protected watershed area. Bicycles are also not allowed. There are restrooms available at the trailhead. There is also a campground near the trailhead.


Directions
This trail is located up Little Cottonwood Canyon in Salt Lake County, Utah. It is near the tiny resort town of Alta. To get there from the north, take I-15 to Exit 298 for the 1-215 Belt Route. From there, take Exit 6 for UT-190 toward 3000 E. Stay to the left (following signs for 6200 S), and then turn right onto Big Cottonwood Rd./UT-190. This road will become Wasatch Blvd. as you continue, and then UT-210/Little Cottonwood Rd.  Continue to the Alta Ski Resort, and then turn onto the maintained gravel Albion Basin Rd. Continue to the end of this road, where there is a parking area near the trailhead and the campground. Parking at Albion Basin is very limited, so you may need to park at Alta and take the free shuttle up to the trail head. The shuttle runs through the summer until about Labor day.

If you are coming from the south, from I-15 take Exit 291 for UT-71/12300 S. Head east along this road. It will change to become Draper Pkwy. and then 1565 E. Turn right when you reach Wasatch Blvd., and turn right again when you come to Little Cottonwood Rd. Continue up the canyon as explained above.

Ding and Dang Canyon/First and Second Canyon

The Trail
This trail is roughly 6.3 miles long with about a 662 foot elevation change, at least according to our GPS. It is recommended that adventurers travel up Ding Canyon and then down Dang Canyon, and that is the route detailed in this post. The trail is rated as difficult here due to the fact that it is a bit technical, but it is easy as far as technical routes go. This trail is only recommended for experienced hikers, and it is still suggested that you bring some rope and know how to use it. Since these are narrow slot canyons, the information from our GPS is not entirely accurate. I have tried to adjust the map below by deleting outlying points along the trail, but be aware that information in the below maps and graph are only approximate.

Topographical Map

Graph of Elevation

Trail in Google Earth

The trail starts by following a dry wash that splits about a mile in. To go up the northward Ding Canyon, take the right fork here.

Trail/Wash Split

Soon after this point, the trail will start involving some rock scrambling.

Then soon after this, hikers will see the canyon narrowing ahead of them.

When we did this hike in mid-August, we were told it had rained a couple days beforehand, and we came across a good amount of water we had to wade through. The water ended up being deeper than we were told it was likely to be, with it getting up to chest deep in a couple places in Dang Canyon. For those good at bridging, you probably can avoid these deep sections of water. However, while water levels vary, hikers should be prepared to get wet when doing this trail.

As you come out of Ding Canyon, hikers will see some rows of potholes (all of which are easily bypassed), as well as some interesting wind-pocketed rocks. The trail continues toward a unique looking peak with a bit of a curved point at its top that has been dubbed Ding Dang Dome. Ultimately, the trail passes just south-east of this peak before plunging down Dang Canyon.

Ding Dang Dome

The drops going down Dang Canyon are more dramatic than those found in Ding. Dang Canyon is not as scenic, but it provides more challenge. We found that there were ropes in place left by others in a couple spots, however that doesn't mean they are always there. Some obstacles may also be bypassed by staying up on the ledges.

Here is one of the ropes we found left in place at a dryfall

Dryfall with the rope from below

After a couple tall dryfalls toward the top of Dang Canyon, the walls close in more. There are a number of obstacles created by choke stones. The canyon is very narrow in places, and there are several water-filled channels. There are drops of about 10 feet in this section. If you attempt going the other way through these canyons, climbing up these drops is considered a 5.7 - 5.8 ascent.

Water-filled channel

After the canyon opens back up, it continues back down to the trail split, and then of course the wash takes hikers back another mile to the starting point.

Flash flood risks in these canyons is high. There are a lots of headwaters not visible from the trail for this area, so do not attempt this route in the case of thunderstorms.

There are no facilities at this trailhead, but there are vault toilets at the nearby Little Wild Horse/Bell Canyon Trailhead. There is no fresh water available at either trailhead though; the closest water is at the Goblin Valley Station/Visitor's Center. These canyons get a lot of sun and the area is hot during the summer, so bring plenty of water with you.

Directions
This trail is located in Emery Count, UT just outside Goblin Valley State Park. The closest town is Hanksville, followed by Green River. To get there from I-70, turn south onto UT-24. Next, turn west onto Temple Mt Road. Continue to Goblin Valley Rd. and turn left onto it. Continue to Wild Horse Rd. and turn right there. After passing Little Wild Horse/Bell Canyon Trailheads, you will need to continue another 1.3 miles to a large wash that will be on the right. Just before this area there is a sign stating that the road is no longer maintained. The road itself is in a wash, and your car will be in a flash flood area here, so again make sure that there is not a flash flood risk when you go. There is space to park around some cottonwood trees in this wash, and a little wooden sign was also posted here. Other than that, there are no other trail markings or indications.

Trailhead