Random Rambler: Bingham Creek: Bingham Creek Reginal Park to Mountain View Corridor Trail

Bingham Creek is a creek on the west side of the valley. This section is in South Jordan. It features mountain views, a creek (bed), and a wild mess of ATV trails.

They have been slowly building a paved pedestrian commuter trail along the creek. This section is still mostly unpaved.

It was supposed to be cooler, cloudy, and possibly rainy, and we had somewhere we had to be later so I thought it would be a good day to do another lower valley hike. It ended up being hot and sunny haha. But we made it to our event on time so, that’s a win.

Quick Details:

Length: We did 3.13 miles out and back.
Trail Type: Out and back, connector.
Difficulty: DR3. Its pretty mild.
Elevation Gain: 177 feet.
Restroom: Yes there are restrooms at Bingham Creek Regional Park.
Dogs? Yes, leashed.
Other Info:

To Get Here:

Take Bangerter Highway to 90th south head west. Turn left on Old Bingham Highway. Left again on 48th west. Then the park will be on your right.

We parked at the maintenance building on the northwest end of the park.

The Trail:

Google image search says this is a Butterfly Bush. We planted one of those in a yard, and it is freaking huge! ~~But, it has not bloomed yet.~~ I guess it decided to make me a liar. It finally bloomed! Hooray! We grew that bad boy from seed, and it took 2 years, but it bloomed!

Bingham Creek Regional Park. Where we left off last time. From here we will head west.

What I have dubbed the Bingham Creek Gravity Hill. I know it is a trick of the eye, but it looks like upstream is downhill and downstream is uphill. I think it is fascinating. There is a much more popular Gravity Hill around Memory Grove in SLC.

I was hoping the creek would be flowing to see if that broke the illusion, sadly it was not flowing. Which is crazy, because I know it is flowing downstream. I have nothing to back this up, but I suspect the creek is diverted to Oquirrh Lake.

The sunflowers that pop up alongside most of our roads in late summer. I don’t often get a chance to see them up close so this was fun.

The creek bed. It looks normal here.

Another sunflower.

Here the creek looks weird again.

More sunflowers.

Mountains to the east.

Panoramic.

Short section walking along the shoulder of Bingham Rim Road. It’s not very busy though, thankfully.

Then we found this dirt road that led back to the gully. I didn’t really plan on doing this section today so.. it’s an adventure!

There is a small section downstream that is private property that we had to skirt around (hence having to walk along the road).

Upstream seems good though.

There is an absolute mess of old ATV trails though here. I just generally chose the one closest to the creek bed.

It is kind of a nice little gully.

Then this trail is in the creek bed. Alrighty then.

Pipe for the creek to flow down under the dirt road.

Following the creek bed.

Is that… half of a jet-ski? Random.

Following the creek bed.

Discarded sectional. Man, people suck. Really you couldn’t bother to put it on the curb with a free sign for a few days? Or just drive it to the local dump?

Continuing along.

The other half of the jet-ski. Or maybe it’s pair.

Nice little meadow. We were both surprised it hasn’t been developed yet.

It’s hard to tell from a silhouette.

The gully.

Continuing along.

Trax passing over the gully.

Some houses in Daybreak peaking up over the trees.

Sunflower.

A couple tunnels under Grandville Ave. and the Trax line.

Since the creek was dry, we opted to use the creek bed tunnel.

Unfortunately there was a homeless guy who has taken shelter in here and was muttering to himself. He let us pass without incident, but that is still a little scary, particularly in such a tight space. But hey, if I were homeless I would look for something like this myself, so I get it.

It’s a very long tunnel!

Nearing the end.

This side has been tagged pretty heavily.

More of the gully.

Continuing along.

It is a complete mess of trails. Like I said I was just trying to follow the creek so back down we go.

Back to the creek bed.

Cracked mud.

Some standing water.

Under major power lines.

Approaching Mountain View Corridor.

The northbound bridge. Its a bit higher than expected. The gully didn’t seem that deep in here until now.

Fun clouds.

Following the creek bed.

The southbound bridge.

Another puddle.

Sunflower.

Lots of them.

A pedestrian bridge.

I decided this must be the Mountain View Corridor Trail, looks like I was right. But, I mean, context clues haha.

Yep. Mountain View Corridor Trail. One of these days I might check that one out, but it follows Mountain View Corridor, so I imagine there is a lot of car noise.

The bridge again.

Upstream. It looks like I can follow the trail a little further west, but we were hot and just done for the day, so another time. Problem is, I can’t really figure out where to park to pick the trail up again here. o.O I’m sure I will figure something out.

Downstream.

The Mountain View Corridor Trail.

Alright. Like I said, it was a little more hot today than anticipated so we decided to head back.

Back under Mountain View Corridor, southbound.

I suspect they will eventually pave the trail up to here. However, I also suspect that will happen when they develop the area. oi.

Northbound bridge.

It makes a nice little frame for the mountain view.

Continuing along. I have nothing to base this on, but I suspect we might be on what will eventually be the paved path.

Daybreak.

Another illegal dump. Humans suck.

Crossing the creek bed.

Mountains above the gully.

Getting closer to Daybreak.

We found an abandoned Jeep.

Closer. This does not look as old as other abandoned cars we have stumble upon in our adventures. So yet again, humans suck.

The back.

The other side.

Where the engine should be.

The front.

The car again. Normally, I do enjoy stumbling upon an old car at the bottom of a gully, but, like I said, this seems newer so it just kind of pisses me off. Seriously, there are many ways of disposing an old POS vehicle these days.

The creek tunnel under Grandville Ave. We… decided to use the other tunnel.

Random kitty exploring. He has a collar so I imagine his home is nearby.

Pretty yellow flowers.

Sunflowers.

Random fire ring, and remnants of a fire… not in said ring.

Trax going by again.

This tunnel is a bit shorter, but also appears to have been claimed by a homeless person. Luckily they were not present at the moment. I suspect this tunnel was put in with the future plan of the paved trail to come though here.

Or maybe they will use the creek tunnel below. We have seen a few trails that share the tunnel with the creek bed (including just a bit downstream) so, who knows?

Inside.

Near the end.

Sad sunflower.

Again, I think I am following the path that might eventually be paved.

Lovely mountain views.

With the creek bed below.

It’s pretty.

Looking into the private property area.

Back to Bingham Rim Road and walking along the shoulder of it.

Then, back to the pavement in Bingham Creek Regional Park.

Mountains.

Panoramic.

Fence full of birds.

It still kind of weirds me out when I can see Mount Timpanogos in the SL Valley. I grew up more on the east side where you absolutely cannot see it.

Little Cottonwood Canyon.

Big Cottonwood Canyon.

Mountains.

I couldn’t figure out what kind of business is on the private property from this image haha. Looking at google, I guess it’s a brick company. Alrighty then.

Sunflowers.

Back into the (what I call) gravity hill section.

Closer. Again, the downstream side seems higher then the upstream side.

Disc golf course.

Sunflower with a bee.

The creek bed again.

A sunflower that has lost all it’s petals.

I love the back lighting on this one.

Crossing 5200 West.

Another basket along the disc golf course.

The park and the mountains.

Well, that was fun. It was a little neat to explore a kind of wild area. We don’t have a lot of that left in the valley. However, I suspect it will probably be developed within the next few years. I wish the creek was flowing today, but maybe I will catch it some other time. Meh, 7 out of 10 squirrels today.