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Quick Details:
Length: We ended up doing about 3.5 miles (including about a half mile out and back to the overflow lot).
Trail Type: Balloon
Difficulty: DR4 There is some UP. On this trail, most of it is at the beginning.
Elevation Gain: We did about 600 ft.
Restroom: Yes.
Dogs? No. This falls into our watershed.
To Get Here:
From i15 take the 94th S exit head east. Go all the way up the hill. Just below the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon you will pass Wasatch BLVD. Just above that you will see the parking lot on the right.
Note: It is a very popular trail! If the parking lot is full there is overflow parking on Wasatch BLVD. To the south. Turn south down Wasatch, you will need to go to the next light, then flip a UTurn and then pull in on the right. It is signed. This adds about a half mile (out and back). Or, you can head towards the Boulders TH.
The Trail:
The overflow lot. If I am understanding Sandy City’s master plan correctly, this is intended to be a 3rd trail head. Which to me sounds like there will be an actual trail up from here. But, by 3rd trailhead, that could just mean what it is now.
I wonder what kind of tree this is. LOL I love these little radio towers ‘disguised’ as trees.
Moody clouds. Sunday is our normal hiking day, but we came out today instead because it’s supposed to rain Sunday. But, uh, this isn’t looking good. We did not end up getting rained on, luckily.
Sign for the overflow parking.
Wasatch Blvd. has a sidewalk. 94th S you are stuck on the shoulder. Luckily it is pretty short.
Looking into Little Cottonwood Canyon.
Before long we arrived at the Granite Trailhead. As you can see, it is quite full.
Trailhead signs.
Up the switchbacks!
I SPECIFICALLY opted for this trail because I didn’t want to slide around on snow and ice. Oi. Well, I figured once we get on the other side of the ridge it’ll get better.
View of the valley. Not sure if that is inversion, or lake dust kicked up by the winds. Or both.
Panoramic.
They have added these signs every quarter mile.
Rocky switchbacks.
Moody clouds above Little Cottonwood Canyon.
Downy woodpecker.
As I had hoped, the trail on the other side of the ridge was dry.
The neat cluster of rocks below. We explored them one time and they are kind of fun.
The north ‘Bell Bottom Twin’ as I have dubbed them. We did that just a few weeks ago.
Just before the half mile mark the trail curves back to the south and is back to being slushy and icy. Oi.
The neat rocks again. We didn’t go down to them today.
More snowy climb. Luckily we wore our good winter boots today, but I did consider putting the micro spikes on a couple.. 10 or so times. I don’t know why I never did.
Looking out across the valley at the inversion and/or dust.
Access rd. below. I thought the overflow lot led to that, but I was wrong. That comes from a neighborhood below, and there are tons of no TH parking signs in it. I suppose people do use it, but that would be at least 3/10ths of a mile walking through neighborhoods.
More uphill.
Looking across the mountains. You can see Millcreek Canyon.
Another panoramic of the funk.
3/4’s of a mile later (or a mile if you used the overflow lot) you will reach the lower reservoir. Since we were just here recently I didn’t take a lot of pictures.
The north twin. Looks like we did follow an actual trail up there.
My plan was to do the back loop around the lake. Oddly enough, as many times we have been up here, we have never done that. You can go either way, but we went left.
Note, this is the most direct route to the Lower waterfall, and the rest of the upper canyon.
Better look at the reservoir.
I love these red and orange trees. I think it is different types of willow? But not sure.
The side trail to reach the upper canyon including the lower waterfall, which is another 1.2 miles. It is a serious climb that always kicks my butt, so I have never made it to the upper waterfall, and certainly not to the upper reservoir. Maybe one day.
The upper canyon.
Now we are following the old access road up behind the reservoir, This will all be new to us.
It is pretty up through here.
Mountain reflected in a puddle.
Old building. According to Google maps, its the Bell Canyon Spillway.
Again.
View down creek.
The spillway provides a good safe bridge to cross the creek.
View up-creek.
My original plan was to head down from here, but I noticed a trail continuing up, so I decided to follow it, maybe just for a minute.
The forest is beautiful through here, and smells amazing.
More forest.
Neat pile of giant boulders.
Apparently this is official trail as there is a sign. However, after the sign the trail through the snow we were following just kind of stopped. Well, poop. Looking at the pamphlet they had at the trailhead, it would seem this, or some nearby trail does eventually connect back to the main upper canyon trail. So, we might have to come back and do the even further back back loop haha.
More boulders.
Back down to the big boulders, we decided to check out the little alcove.
We found some fun ice formations.
More forest.
Another little alcove.
Some moss.
More fun ice.
You can even see the water flowing under the ice.
Super neat.
We deduced that the snow on top of the rocks, exposed to the sun is melting into the shaded areas and freezing. Super cool.
More ice.
Dripping moss.
Looking back at the big pile of rocks.
Back through the woods.
The creek again.
Back down to the spillway.
More forest.
More red willow.
Moody forest.
Back to the creek. The sunken ice sheet makes it look a little milky.
Looking back towards the upper canyon.
More forest.
Sage.
More mountains.
It’s been a very mild decent so far, but, that looks like it might be about to change.
Yep, somewhat short steeper section.
I think this is where the shorter inner loop connects.
Back down to the lower reservoir.
Looking down Dry Canyon(s). I guess the whole thing is referred to as the Dry Creek Drainage. Separated by North, Middle, and South Fork Canyons and Dry Gulch. Not to be confused with one of the other Dry Gulches. Oi, what a cluster.
Canyons to the south. Dry Canyon(s), Rocky Mouth Falls , Big Willow Canyon, and Little Willow Canyon.
Looking out across the valley.
Curving around the SE corner of the reservoir under the southern Bell Bottom Twin.
Fun tree tunnel.
The upper canyon.
The canyon between the twin peaks. This is where the Boulders Trail comes up.
The reservoir again. Couple fishermen up here now.
Down to the newish (2018) bridge.
The fun colored trees again.
The reservoir and upper canyon.
Panoramic.
The north twin.
Confirmed trail up to it.
View of the valley below and the smog/dust.
Panoramic.
The reservoir again.
The trail down. Be careful to avoid going down the old dirt road, which is a lot wider and just a little ways SE from here. I thought I took a picture but I guess I didn’t. It’s not then end of the world if you do, just means you will have to walk through some neighborhoods.
Heading down the snowy trail.
A fun extra feature of this trail is that you can see quite a few examples of rock quarrying. You can learn more about the quarrying by visiting the nearby Temple Quarry Trail. This is the highest up example I have seen on this trail.
The grass is reclaiming this drill hole.
Another example.
The trail across the way.
After you round the corner you have a little bit more uphill to climb, but its not too bad.
Moody clouds. Really surprised we didn’t get rained on.
The final push up to the ridge.
More drilling.
Looking back at the trail, and the access road below it.
Valley smog/dust.
Another panoramic.
They have blocked off some short cuts that people have made.
You can see Dimple Dell Canyon.
Another panoramic.
Steep and rocky switchbacks. Little rough on the knees. Not as bad as the STAIRS OF DOOM though.
I don’t know why, but I am fascinated by the smog/dust going on today.
More drill holes.
Back down to the trailhead. Looks like they have one of those counter boxes here. They have also added a pamphlet box.
The parking lot is starting to empty out.
Well, now we just have the quarter mile back to the overflow lot.
Going down Wasatch. At least there is a sidewalk on this road.
The cell tower tree again.
Got a nice shot of Little Cottonwood Canyon while waiting for the light to turn (Passenger Seat Photography).
That was a fun hike. Making your way up to the lower reservoir via either trail is a bit of a climb, but the back loop wasn’t so bad. It’s a very, very popular trail too, but I think most people head towards the lower waterfall. 8 out of 10 squirrels.
As for difficulty, this is a climb. Going with a DR3.
Dogs are not allowed as this is watershed.
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