6 Best Hikes in Little Cottonwood Canyon
I grew up at the base of Little Cottonwood Canyon but never really got into hiking when I was younger, despite the beauty practically in my backyard. I would go running up the canyon but never thought to explore beyond the road. After I got married and had kids, I decided that I would give them the gift of exploring their backyard wilderness and teach them to appreciate the beauty close to home. Now our kids love getting outdoors especially if it means going on hikes in Little Cottonwood Canyon.
Hiking Little Cottonwood Canyon
There are so many beautiful trails plus hiking is a perfect way to have teaching moments and help them find gratitude. We hope this post will help you and your family have special moments and make memories like it has for us! I’m sure you’ll find at least to add to your Utah bucket list.
Whether you’re a Utah local or just visiting the Salt Lake City area, you will find hiking in Little Cottonwood Canyon to be a new and invigorating experience. With its beautiful lakes, cascading waterfalls and awe inspiring vistas, you can’t go wrong. We have rounded up the best hikes for families, kids or just wilderness lovers. Just be sure to check weather reports. We recommend summer hiking for the best experience as the weather is the most pleasant and the vegetation is in full bloom. Also, be prepared to see plenty of Utah wildlife including moose, elk and deer.
Here are our favorite hikes in Little Cottonwood Canyon:
- 6. Snowbird Observation Point Trail
- 5. Lisa Falls
- 4. Gloria Falls
- 3. Little Cottonwood Creek trail to Tanner Flat
- 2. Lower Bell Canyon
- 1. Cecret Lake via Albion Basin
6. Snowbird Observation Point Trail (easy 1.0 mile)
Snowbird Observation Point Trail is an easy paved trail that takes you to an overlook of Little Cottonwood Canyon and the Salt Lake Valley. This trail is great for kids of all ages or even for a couple looking for a romantic stroll. To get there, park at the main lot for Snowbird and head up to the 3rd floor, then out to the patio and across the bridge towards the slopes.
The trailhead starts there and heads west. Our favorite things about this trail were the amazing wildflowers in bloom and the valley views. Bonus: Go at sunset for perfect shade and beautiful skies. It’s probably the easiest of all these hikes in Little Cottonwood Canyon because the trail is paved and mostly flat the whole way. So I guess it’s really more of a walk 🙂
Make sure to come back and ski in the winter! Snowbird’s Christmas Eve torchlight parade is one of the best Christmas activities in Utah!
5. Lisa Falls (easy 0.3 mile)
Lisa Falls is the shortest of these hikes in Little Cottonwood Canyon but has an amazing view of cascading falls off of the trademark Utah granite rock. It only takes a few minutes to hike but the most difficult part is finding the trailhead. It’s not well marked so it’s kind of a hidden gem! Starting from the bottom of Little Cottonwood Canyon, go around 7 miles up the road and look for a small pullout on your left. Parking is limited but since the hike is quick, people go in and out real quick making space for parking. It’s a great hike for kids, not just because it’s so short and easy but because they’ll have a blast playing in the water.
4. Gloria Falls (moderate 2.3 miles)
Gloria Falls is one of our all time favorite hikes in Little Cottonwood. We do this on date nights but if your kids are older than 10, they can probably do it. It is a little steep for younger kids. And it does require a bit of off-trail bushwhacking at the end to see the waterfall. But the falls are worth all the sweat!
We recommend downloading the All Trails app and enabling the GPS map so you know exactly where to go. The first part of the trail is shared by the White Pine Lake Trail and the Red Pine Lakes Trail, so it can be a little confusing to know where to go to see the falls.
Make sure you wear good hiking shoes as you will need to cross bridges and scale steep and rocky terrain. If you go in late spring or early summer, the falls will be raging with the winter runoff. It’s an impressive sight just take extra caution when you’re near the water.
3. Little Cottonwood Creek trail to Tanner Flat (moderate 3.5 miles)
Tanner Flat is a popular camping spot up Little Cottonwood Canyon and many people hike the Little Cottonwood Creek Trail to enjoy some solitude and the white noise of the creek. And the trail is almost fully shaded which makes for a refreshing experience during the hot summer months. Be prepared to hop over rocks and go across dried up river beds. Little hidden gems along the way include spots of wildflowers and old ruins of stone building. Kids also love to explore by walking on logs across the creek.
2. Lower Bell Canyon (moderate 2.4)
Bell Canyon technically isn’t in Little Cottonwood Canyon but it is located right at the base of it. There are multiple ways to access these trails but we recommend parking on Wasatch Boulevard just south of the mouth of the canyon. There are two main attractions in Bell Canyon – the reservoir and a waterfall. The waterfall is stunning but it’s a much longer hike and there are other shorter waterfall trails you can do instead. So we prefer to just hike up to the reservoir with the kids. This is one of the most popular hikes around for good reason. The bell-shaped canyon behind the reservoir is breathtaking and the views of the Salt Lake valley are hard to beat.
It’s a moderate 2.4-mile hike but very manageable with the little ones. It is full of adventure with steep inclines, bridges, rivers, caves and an incredible reservoir once you reach the top. The little creek near the peak is fun for kids to take off their shoes and wade in. There are plenty of fish and ducks to entertain the littles. It is a watershed reservoir so there is no swimming and dogs are not allowed, so be aware of that.
1. Cecret Lake Trail (moderate 1.8 miles) or Cecret Lake via Albion Basin (moderate 4.5 miles)
Cecret This hike is not-so-secret but it is popular for good reason. It’s a small but incredibly picturesque mountain lake and one of the best places in Utah to see wildflowers in the summer. It tops the list of best hikes in Little Cottonwood Canyon because of the vibrant wildflowers, frequent moose sightings, and the reward of a crystal clear lake at the top of the trail. There are two ways to do this hike. If you have younger kids, consider driving up to the Albion Basin campground and parking up there. This is the shortest way to hike it but you will miss most of the wildflowers this way. You will still get stunning views of Sugarloaf Peak coupled with Cecret lake.
If you are okay with a longer hike and wish to see all the famous Utah wildflowers at Albion Basin, then you will need to start at Alta ski resort and park in the lot there. Be sure to check out our Albion Basin wildflowers post as well!
If you’re coming from out of town to do some of these hikes or if you’re a local looking for staycation ideas, check out the brand new Courtyard Salt Lake City Cottonwood! It’s located right at the base of the canyons and next to one of our favorite places to eat after a long hike – Porcupine Pub & Grille. The best part is, the hotel is located just 10-20 minutes to all the hikes on this list.
Happy Hiking! And remember, sharing is caring. If you enjoyed this post, please considering sharing on social media.
XOXO
Brittany
Our family is on a mission to experience the best our home state of Utah has to offer and help other families find affordable, kid-friendly adventures in the process. You can follow us on Instagram @theminivanbucketlist or download our free printable Utah Bucket List for a list of the top hikes in the great state of Utah, both for kid-friendly and more adventurous hikes.
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