Allen Park

 Allen Park is an adorable little park in Sugarhouse. It features a creek, some old houses, birds (including peafowl), and a lot of interesting artwork and inspirational quotes. This used to be a private neighborhood founded by Dr. George Allen. Unfortunately after he passed, his family couldn’t keep up on it and went to sell it. As I understand it, it nearly got snatched up by a developer and was almost lost forever. Thankfully Salt Lake City came up with the money to purchase it and turned it into a city park. I am super glad they did because it is neat. I really love this place and visit it often.

Quick Details:

Length: It is approximately a mile out and back with a short spur.
Trail Type: Technically and out and back with a spur, but you can consider it a loop if you go in one side, and back the other side.
Difficulty: It is paved and relatively flat. DR2.
Elevation Gain: Not much, it is pretty flat.
Restroom: No.
Dogs? No. When the park first opened they were allowed, but unfortunately too many bad owners allowed their dogs to harass the wildlife so they are no longer allowed.
Other Info:

To Get Here:

Take i80 to 13th East. Head north for approximately 3800 feet. The park will be on the right. Find somewhere to park on the street (there is no dedicated parking) and head in.

Sugar House Park is looking pretty nice right now (Passenger Seat Photography (PSP)). If all else fails you can park here. It's not too far.

The Trail:

The Visitors Welcome sign is an homage to the original owners, who also put a Visitors Welcome sign out.

The park sign and rules. It kind of irks me that they say Est. 1931. Yeah, that is when Dr. Allen moved in, but it didn’t become a city park until 2020.

The first of many mosaic poems.

“Too low they build
Who build beneath the stars”

Looking into the park.

Squirrel!

“Lo the poor Indian whose untutored mind
sees god in the clouds or hears him in the wind”

I love this old gazebo.

“Would that men were truer”

“An aquatic aristocrat” I really like this one.

Emigration Creek. Aside from Emigration Canyon and here there are only a couple other places to enjoy this creek such as Wasatch Hollow Preserve. It goes underground not much further downstream joining Red Butte Creek and Parley's Creek. However a small section of those creeks has been daylighted where they meet the Jordan River at the 3 Creeks Confluence.

“The poetry of earth is never dead”

The main residence and fountain. I sure hope they restore some of the fountains.

“And god created every winged fowl”

The creek again.

“All nature is but art”

The other 2 sides:

“A lamp amid the darkness” - “In the woods is perpetual youth” - “Allen Park”

The benches say: “Sit ye here”. This was the first time we caught those.

The main residence and fountain again.

Main residence.

The big fountain again. It would be really cool to see this bad boy operational.

Neat stone arch and side cabin with a rooster painted on it.

Accomplishments of Dr. George Allen.

Squirrel!

The main residence again.

Terrible shot, but we spotted one of the peacocks.

The rooster cabin again.

“The song of the birds for mirth”

The fencing is kind of obnoxious, but it does protect the original art, and keeps people safe from the crumbling buildings.

Another thing I noticed for the first time this time. Kind of looks like a little well, but not. I can’t quite make out what it says.

“Hear how the birds with joyous music
make the dawning day”

“The bird of time has but a little way to fly” Another one I really like.

“Underfoot the divine soil
overhead the sun”

It looks like there may have been a bridge here at some point.

Another one.

Looks like a tree or something fell on this fence. It also looks like someone said: find some caution tape and the other someone went to Spirit Halloween. o.O

“Fair laughs the morn
and soft the zephyr blows”

This house has been decaying before our very eyes since we started coming but it looks really bad this year. 

Really bad. I think a tree may have fallen on it as well.

Again with the Halloween caution tape. I’d like to believe this is something leftover from Halloween, but uh, these 2 really damaged parts are the are the only ones that have it.

A little forested island across the way. I like to turn this out and back trail into a loop by generally staying to the left on the way in and back out. It’s wide enough that doing so helps to see all there is to see.

“Allen Canyon Park
Est. MCMXXI” (1931)

I am like, 99% certain this is new since last time I was here, and is not one of the original mosaics. Although whoever created it did a good job of matching the style.

The island again, with a big pond that I’d love to see restored.

“A thing of beauty is a joy forever”

Another little fireplace seating area. I think I might have enjoyed living here way back when I was younger if I had the chance.

At least one of the bridges across the creek has survived, and that larger cabin appears to be in pretty good shape. I wonder who lived here. I assume one of the children, but I am not sure.

“Nature never wears a mean appearance”

“The leaves of life keep falling one by one” - “Flowers preach to us, if we will hear”

The old neighborhood road.

Emigration Creek again.

“Tongues in trees, looks in running brooks
sermons in stones, and good in everything”

Some fall color.

Fun light post.

“Live the men to hatch the mountains”

and

“Emigration Creek
Two miles upstream
near this canyon creek
Brigham Young Said
This is the place”

Upstream.

Emigration Creek History.

Downstream.

Wooden bench. I learned 2 years ago that these were built from downed trees from the great 2020 windpocalypse.

Old well.

More color.

Duplex with a fireplace marked “Mary Rose”. That was one of the daughters names, so I assume she lived here.

Another duplex.

As I understand it, Dr. Allen purchased old army barracks and installed them on the property to rent out, thus the private neighborhood.

The neighborhood again.

“List to natures teachings”

Another duplex that seems to be succumbing to nature.

This duplex appears to be in good shape.

The neighborhood again.

The trail ends with this little circle. Again, I keep to the left.

“Keep your eyes to the stars and your feet to the ground” - “Gods in his heaven alls right with the world”

“Pour down your warmth great sun” - “Intelligo ut credum”

More fall color.

Emigration Creek is back there.

The Mosaic Poems of Allen Park.

Looking back into the park as we head back.

Another decent looking duplex.

Little bit more color.

Another decent duplex.

We were simultaneously weirded out that the old houses had numbers still, and amused that they all seemed to have whimsical animal paintings on them.

“Earth fills her lap with pleasures of her own”

More color. I have seen deer here before. I guess there is a resident herd that spends a lot of time here. No luck today though.

Another good looking duplex.

The old neighborhood again.

More color.

Bird sanctuary in the city.

Back to the creek crossing.

Upstream.

Downstream.

“Earth has not anything to show more fair” And as previously shown: “Give me men to hatch the mountains”

The Emigration Creek sign and “Praised be the fathomless universe”

“Tis beauty truly blent”

Another duplex.

Another cute house number sign.

Previously show “Flowers preach to us if we will hear” and “The great winds utter prophesies”

I wouldn’t wish harm to any of the mosaic poems but of course the one that did get damaged happens to be both of our favorite one. :( I am guessing the brutal winter we had last year probably did it in. I sure hope they can restore it.

It says: 

“Summer or winter day or night
the woods are an ever new delight”

Another one of the benches built from drowned trees from the 2020 windpocalypse.

“You are nearer gods heart in a garden
than any place else on earth”

The little fireplace seating area again.

“They are never alone that are accompanied by living thoughts” - “The night has a thousand eyes”.

“Knowledge comes but wisdom lingers”

I just love the owl.

Wooden deer.

Back to the little pond.

Some nice color.

“I hear the wind among the trees
playing celestial symphonies”

The back of the main residence.

The front again.

One of the peacocks decided to come out of hiding.

Grooming itself.

Such pretty birds. I am glad the city decided to continue to care for them instead of getting rid of them. I guess it isn’t completely unheard of seeing as the county owned Wheeler Farm has several peafowl, and well, much more demanding animals as well.

The back.

The other side. I was being super cautious and moving slowly so I did not spook him, but honestly I am surprised I didn’t.

The rooster cabin again.

One of the mosaics behind the house that is hard to see. I suppose if I really wanted to I could have pulled out my telephoto lens to see it better. However, I already know what it says.

"Nature is the art of god." and it has an all seeing eye on top.

The other hard to see mosaic. It looks like they are trying to save it from toppling over too. It says:

“I think that I shall never see a poem lovely as a tree”

Again, I hope they are able to save and restore it.

The peacock again.

These condos are new.

Exploring the south arm spur.

“A strong bird on pinions free”

“Beauty is truth truth is beauty”

“Faith is the bird that feels the light
and sing when dawn is still dark”

End of the line.

Some pretty purple flowers hanging on.

The courtyard between the 2 streets.

Oh, I think we found another one we hadn’t seen before. I can’t make out what it says either.

The peacock again.

The rooster cabin again.

Back to the main fountain.

The peacock again. At some point I noticed that they have installed several branches in several places on top of the fencing. I assume its to give them better perches than the fencing itself.

The archway again.

The other peacock.

The main fountain.

The main residence again.

Landis noticed this lockbox on a tree that says “rent only”.

Back to our peacock friend.

Where the heck did this guy come from? We were just over there.

Dude seems interested that his friend is approaching.

We went back to the south road to see the new guy.

Someone viewing the new condos called out and asked if we knew where the peacock was supposed to be. So I said here. They live here, along with some turkeys and other friends. I am not sure if that hurt or helped the sale lol.

Back to the other one.

I was sad I missed the other one fly up to the fence.

But it looks like I am going to see this one fly down.

Meh, not the best shot.

Both of them.

I did not have the best luck catching them in flight today.

It was fun to watch them do their thing though.

Heading back down the north road back towards the entrance.

The courtyard between the roads again.

Peacock getting a drink.

One last shot.

“Would that men were truer” as previously seen and “Every flower enjoys the air it breaths” I think I might have missed one on the other side.

The gazebo again.

Pretty Sugar House neighborhoods as we make our way to our next destination for the day (PSP).

I really, really love Allen Park. I am so glad the city decided it was worth preserving. It is just a lovely area with some neat inspirational artwork to enjoy along the way and surprisingly makes you forget you are in the middle of the city. It also was not busy at all today. 10 out of 10 squirrels.

As for difficulty, it is paved, and pretty flat. DR2.

Dogs are no longer allowed, so please be sure to leave Fido home for this one.