Random Rambler

Adams Canyon in Layton has 2 nice waterfalls, upper and lower respectively. The lower falls is quite a bit shorter. Aside from the waterfall the trail features a scrub oak forest, and good valley views.

We have done this before, and I made it to the waterfall that time, but today, the lizard brain won, I was not okay with the cliffs near the end, so we did not complete it today. However, I wanted to still share because this is the first time we have been here since the trailhead was completely overhauled.

We had to go to Ogden again, so I decided this would be a good adventure today.

Quick Details:

Length: 1.4 miles out and back. We did about a mile.
Trail Type: Out and back, can do connector.
Difficulty: DR5. There is definitely some rock scrambling at the end.
Elevation Gain: 370 feet.
Restroom: Yes. New fancy flush toilets.
Dogs? Yes, leashed.
Other Info:

To Get Here:

Take highway 89 to exit 401, Oak Hills Drive and go east. Almost immediately you will turn left on Eastside Dr. Then again almost immediately you will turn right into the parking lot. Follow the prominent signs. There is a large overflow lot on the other side of the road.

Downtown Salt Lake City (Passenger Seat Photography (PSP)).

There are plenty of signs directing you to the new trailhead PSP).

Covered the obnoxious political signs. Sorry, not giving free ad space for people who don't care about the rest of us.

The new fancy parking lot (PSP).

New fancy restrooms. I believe there are actually 4. I noticed at least a 3rd on on the side, so I think it is safe to assume there is another on the other side.

New parking lot again.

Here is what the old parking lot looked like.

And because I am a weirdo, lets have some fun with Google Earths history feature!

2019, as I remember it.

Back in 2020. it looks like it is starting to be built.

Here is what it looks like today. Quite different than just a few years ago.

Now that HW 89 is a freeway between Farmington and Weber Canyon is is so much easier to go through the area without any traffic lights. Its amazing!

Before you had to exit HW 89 on 1200 North and backtrack a bit.

But, with the new freeway project it is much easier to get to via the new Oakhills Drive exit.

Information kiosk. Along with everything else, this is quite new.

A Gneiss Hike.

Fall in Wonder.

Safety First!

Welcome to the Adams Canyon Trailhead.

History of Adams Canyon.

A Special Thanks.

The Trail:

The trail picks up at these stairs at the southeast corner of the parking lot.

Small reservoir.

On to the trail.

Continuing up.

Help us help you. I am a little surprised that this is the first sign I have seen about this. The app has been around for a bit now, it has been on the news a few times... but so far this is the only trailhead that I have seen mention it.

Small, empty reservoir.

Onto the first switchback.

Which starts the climb

Then almost immediately to the 2nd switchback.

The little reservoir again.

The 3rd switchback.

4th switchback.

Plaque.

“Elias Adams

Settler or East Layton

Born 18 Feb 1792 Vermont Died 17 Feb 1886 Layton Utah
Married Almira Cadwell 1823 and had 7 children
Married Malinda Railery 1837 and had 7 children
Elias was a war of 1812 veteran serving in colonel forsyths
Regiment of riflemen and wounded three times in battle
He entered Utah territory in 1850 settling Laytons east bench
He cut logs for his cabin from Adams Canyon in 1852
Elias and his sons built a dam for the first irrigation
reservoir in the mountain west seen northwest of this site

2015 Eagle Scout project Kevin Chistensen descendant
Funded by descendants of Elias” (little fuzzy on that last line cause it is half buried)

Adams Reservoir. I think Holmes Creek Reservoir is hidden below it. The latter is the one Adams built, according to the sign at the trailhead.

View if the valley.

The new parking lot.

Continuing up.

They need to install a gutter or something. The water is eroding the soft sand away.

5th switchback.

The view again. So pretty.

Panoramic.

6th switchback.

Immediately followed by the 7th.

A pretty purple flower still hanging on.

8th switchback.

With a nice bench to rest on.

The view again.

Adams Reservoir again.

Panoramic.

The new parking lot below.

Continuing up.

Ooph, I forgot how tough these switchbacks are.

Reddish brown grasshopper.

Scrub oaks.

9th switchback.

Adams Reservoir again.

View again.

10th switchback.

Another little bench to rest on.

The top of the switchbacks Phew! We made it.

The right fork is what we want today. There are 3 or 4 split offs to the right, but they all lead there. Last time we did it, we took the one after the bench because it was supposedly easier, but I didn’t see much of a difference taking this first one.

Said bench.

A peak above.

I was hoping for more fall color than this.

Super sandy trail.

Cacti.

Continuing along.

Antelope Island off in the distance.

Little yellow flowers hanging on.

View to the south.

Through the sage.

Then we reach the small gorge.

The canyon above, and where the trail switches back to up.

I was not a fan of the trail being this close to the edge.

The waterfall is down there somewhere.

I remember last time we were here we had to mountain goat our way down, but the lizard brain was screaming a resounding NO today. So, I guess we will head back down. Poop. I really wanted to see it again. Here is the time I managed to make it down to it.

Cute little bird flitting about.

Valley view.

Sagebrush.

We tried to find alternate routes down into the gorge, and well, that just was not happening.

The canyon again.

The gorge again

Another flower hanging on.

The road below.

Sandy trail.

Back to the main trail.

Back to the switchbacks.

Switchback #10.

Pretty trail.

View.

Old HW89 configuration

Panoramic.

The little reservoir.

The new parking lot.

Continuing down.

The little reservoir again.

Continuing down.

Pretty purple flower.

The little reservoir again.

1. Phew!

Continuing down.

The little reservoir again.

Back to the new parking lot.

Gneiss rocks.

Lots of them.

Fancy new restroom.

With a nice message from Layton City.

Continuing north we passed by Weber Canyon (PSP). The burn scar doesn’t seem too bad from here.

AHHH!!! I loves it (PSP). Spooky lightpost decorations! I see the Christmas ones every year, but I think this is the first time I have seen Halloween ones! Yay!

The Ziegfeld (PSP).

I love the little jalopy on this sign (PSP).

Downtown Ogden (PSP).

Again (PSP).

Ben Lomond (PSP).

The Ogden Arch is pink (PSP). Neither of us has ever seen it be a different color than white. This makes me assume it has been updated from NEON to LED at some point, like most old NEON signs. So then we started to try and figure out why it was pink. Ogden Pride? No that was 2 weeks ago. Hmmm. Oh! Breast Cancer Awareness? Oh yep, that is this month. That must be it. Neat!

I found the sign was upgraded to LED back in 2022 from this KUTV article (outside link). It is also a YESCO sign.

Well, that was fun. I am a little sad the fear of heights lizard brain kept me from getting there this time, but I did enjoy seeing the amazing improvements they have made to the trailhead. We will have to come back and try again, or I mean, come back and do the upper waterfall. It has been a minute since we have done that one too. Again, I did not complete the trail, but meh, 8 squirrels today.