Grandeur Peak via Church Fork Trail

The Trail
This moderate trail is about 2.9 miles (one-way) with a 2,390 ft elevation change. However, due to the fact that parking  for hikers at the trailhead is very limited, most people end up starting from the road, which adds an extra 0.3 mile (one-way) to the trail, and makes the round trip hike about 6.5 miles long. Due to the fact that most people end up starting from the road, the maps and graph below reflect this starting point.

This is one of the easiest peaks to summit in the area, and it offers some rewarding view both along the trail and at the top.

Topographical Map

Graph of Elevation

Trail in Google Earth

Church Fork is a picnic area, and there are vault toilets available all along this road up to the trailhead. (We found many of them to be closed due to COVID at the time we tracked this hike as shown above, but normally this is not the case. One we found open is labeled on the map.) There is also a nice waterfall along the road as you head up toward the trailhead.

Waterfall along the road

About 0.3 mile up the road is the small parking area and trailhead. A short distance after the trailhead there is a little bridge and another charming waterfall.

Bridge at beginning of trail

Waterfall just north of the bridge

About 0.2 mile from the trailhead there is an intersection of trails. The Rattlesnake Gulch and Birch Hollow Trails go off to the left and right here. The Grandeur Peak trail stays straight (the sign for it in the picture below is perpendicular to the other labeled trails).

Intersection of trails

The trail continues near the stream and through a pleasant shady forest area for just under a mile up. After that, there are some sunny and shady patches, but overall the trail continues to open up more with less shade. There are occasional side paths, but the main trail is easy to see and follow.

As the trail opens up, some nice views of the mountains
appear. These get better as you continue up.

Approaching Grandeur Peak

Penstemon growing along the trail

Trail curving around to top right before the peak

The views from the top are fantastic. The Salt Lake Valley stretches out below to the west while surrounding peaks jut up nearby to the south and east. Parley's canyon lies north which goes up into Dell Canyon, and up this canyon Mountain Dell and Little Dell Reservoirs appear as blue patches.

Salt Lake Valley

Mount Olympus and part of the Salt Lake Valley

Mountains looking East

Mountains looking South

Mountain Dell and Little Dell Reservoirs

After soaking in the view, hikers can return the way they came.

This trail is located up Mill Creek Canyon, which does require a $5 fee upon leaving the canyon to access it. Dogs are permitted off leash on odd days, but must be leashed on even days. There are vault toilets along the road in the picnic area at near the trailhead as previously explained.

Directions
This trail is located up Mill Creek Canyon near Salt Lake City, Utah. To get there from the north, take 1-15 to Exit 304 and head east toward Cheyenne on I-80. Take Exit 128 for the Belt Route/I-215 and head south. Next, take Exit 4 and turn left on 3900 South, then turn left onto Wasatch Blvd. Take the first right onto 3800 South/Mill Creek Canyon Rd. Head up this way for about 3 miles to get to Church Fork Picnic Area. You can try to drive up this road to the end where the trail starts, but there is very limited parking up this way for hikers, and it nearly always full. Most likely you will have to park along the road near the turn-off and walk up to the trailhead.

To get there from the south, take 1-15 to Exit 298 for the Belt Route/I-215 and head east. Next, take Exit 4 toward 3900 South, then turn left onto Wasatch Blvd. Turn right onto 3800 South/Mill Creek Canyon Rd. and continue up the canyon as explained above.
GPS Coordinates for the trailhead: N40° 42.041' W111° 44.545'
GPS Coordinates for the turn off to Church Fork Picnic Area: N40° 41.858' W111° 44.548'

Willow Lake Trail

The Trail
To reach the far end of the lake taking the shortest route, this moderate trail is about 1.3 miles long (one way) with about a 540 foot elevation change (this route is reflected in the elevation graph below). That being said, there is a loop trail around the lake, but it goes way out around the lake, taking hikers far from the lake during most of the loop. We had some difficulty figuring out the trail since it looked different from what was shown on the trail map at the beginning of the trail, and therefore, as apparent below, we did not complete the loop around the lake. Eventually, the two trail ends connect though.

Topographical Map - blue diamond marks trail split; going right
instead of left as we did here will still take you to same junction
but along a different route

Graph of Elevation

Trail in Google Earth

The trail starts across from a dirt parking strip on the south side of the road, and the trailhead is marked by a large stone that says "Willow Heights Conservation Area." Slightly further on there is trail sign with a map and some additional information.

The trail trail climbs at a fairly steady pace through a forested area before plateauing at the lake. It does cross water a few times.

At the top of the climb, the trail splits three ways at the end of a meadow with some nice view of the mountains. One path goes back down a different way.

The trail to the left stretches around the east side of the lake without ever going very close to it. It heads through a beautiful aspen forest area. The trail to the right reaches the lake quickly and offers several nice places to view the lake. Ultimately, the two trails meet forming a loop.

Trail to the left heads through aspen
forest east of the lake

The trail to the right heads directly to the lake

View from north side of the lake

We found a lot of ducks at the lake. It was particularly fun to see a family of ducks there.

This trail is not open to dogs and there are no restrooms at the trailhead or along the trail. Swimming in the lake is also not permitted.

Directions
This trail is located near Salt Lake City, Utah and is found up Big Cottonwood Canyon. To get there from I-15, take Exit 298 to merge onto I-215 heading east. Take Exit 6 and turn right onto 6200 South. Continue on this road for about 1.7 miles, then turn left onto Big Cottonwood Canyon Rd. Head up the canyon about 1.9 miles to the trailhead. You will pass Silver Fork Lodge on the right and the Canyon Vacation Rentals on the left a little before you reach the trailhead. Park along the gravel parking strip on the south side of the road. GPS Coordinates: N40 37.820 W111 36.277

Bell Canyon to Lower Falls

The Trail
This moderate trail is 2.4 miles long (one way) with a 1454 foot elevation change. It has a fairly steep climb at the beginning, a fairly level portion, and a progressively steeper portion as you approach the waterfall. For a shorter trail, you can hike just to Bell Canyon Reservoir, which is only 0.5 mile up the trail.

Topographical Map

Graph of Elevation

Trail in Google Earth

The beginning of this trail starts out at a pretty good climb up to the reservoir. The trail here often involves large steps up the graded trail. The reservoir is scenic on its own and provides a nice stop on the way up, or an nice destination point for a short hike. The trail maps and graph here reflect a stop by the reservoir on the way up, but that is just a short jog off the trail that continues around the north side of the reservoir.

Trailhead

Creek by the first bridge on the way to the reservoir

Bell Canyon Reservoir

After rounding the north side of the reservoir, the trail really levels off for a bit. 

Section where trail levels off

View of the reservoir from the trail on the north side

 The trail soon heads into a pleasantly shady forested section and crosses the creek again. It then turns and follows the creek east up to the falls.

Creek at bridge

The trail's incline gradually increases until reaching the falls. There are a number of paths along this section that break off close to the creek or elsewhere, but the main trail is generally well marked, and a sign makes the turn off to the waterfall clear. We found the distances given to the falls listed on these signs to be inaccurate though according to our GPS data.

Lower Bell Canyon Falls

The fall itself proved to be a beautiful and refreshing sight after a hot hike. The mist from the falls was so heavy that it was difficult to get a picture of it from a more direct angle, so we just ended up with pictures more from the side as the one shown above.

More ambitious hikers with extra time can continue past the lower falls to the upper falls and/or Upper Bell Canyon Reservoir. The trail beyond the lower falls though is considered strenuous.

Dogs are not permitted on this trail. There are no restrooms at the trailhead.

Directions
This trail is located in Salt Lake County in Sandy, Utah. To get there, from I-15 take Exit 295 onto 9000 South and head east. This road curves around and becomes 9400 S. Turn left onto Wasatch Blvd. You will have to make a U-turn sometime at or after the turn off for Grayboulder Ct./Bedrock Ln. since the parking for the trail is on the other side of road, and the road is a one-way road at that point. Continue to the Bell Canyon Trail parking area. If it is full, there is some overflow parking a short ways up from this lot.

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.