Memory Grove

 Memory Grove is a neat little park in Downtown Salt Lake. The park features a nice creek with several small waterfalls, a little pond, some neat memorial monuments, and a lovely wooded section in the back that is also an off leash dog area. I found a little Easter egg to look for here, so that is what brought us back here today. I did not find my Easter egg, but I really enjoyed some leftover fall color in the back woods. So, all was not lost. This is a great trail that we have done a few times.

Quick Details:

Length: It was about 2.3 miles out and back.
Trail Type: Out and back, loop options.
Difficulty: Eh, it was a super mellow climb. DR3, can be DR2 if you stay on the road.
Elevation Gain: about 230 feet.
Restroom: According to the SLC parks page there is one, but uhm. It appears to be well hidden as I have never seen it. However there is one a little bit higher up in City Creek Canyon, otherwise you will need to find somewhere else.
Dogs? Yes, leashed in the lower park, unleashed in the upper park.
Other Info:

To Get Here:

Take North Temple Street east. Take the first left after State Street on N. Canyon Road. Follow N. Canyon Rd for about 3/10’s of a mile to the gate that closes the road off. Find street parking.

Not the greatest shot, but downtown Salt Lake (Passenger Seat Photography (PSP)). I swear downtown hardly really changed for most of my life and suddenly over the last few years we have gotten several new skyscrapers. It is almost unrecognizable.

Downtown again (PSP).

We found a rainbow car (PSP).

Huh. We never noticed this Fourth Avenue Well before (PSP). Digging around on Google Earth it looks like it was built somewhere between 2020 and 2021.

The Trail:

One of the neat things about this park is the random pentagrams you can find in it.

The park. For reasons I cannot seem to locate, the canyon road is closed to cars through here (except to access the Memorial House). I assume that the Bonneville Blvd. made it redundant? But, I don’t know.

Some fall color. Normally I would walk the other side and see the monuments, but we have done that a few times, so we skipped that today.

The little pond.

City Creek and some color.

The Meditation Chapel.

Some color in the park. If you want a super easy adventure, you can stay on the road with no worry about cars after here. But, it is prettier on the back trail, AKA the Freedom Trail which is on the other side of the creek.

Bridge across the creek.

You can see 3 little waterfalls upstream.

Downstream back into the park.

The Austin Stairs.

After the stairs you enter the off-leash dog area AKA the Freedom Trail.

Into the back woods.

One of several little waterfalls you’ll find along the way.

It is super pretty in here right now.

The creek.

Forest.

The creek fans out here and makes for a nice doggy wading area.

Super pretty.

Another little waterfall.

What me and my friends have always just called The Witches Hut. I can't find any info on it so I am guessing it was possibly an old mill, or maybe just an old house.

Again.

Panoramic showing all that is left.

Random pillars.

Some great color.

We were being graupeled on a bit, but I can see a bit of blue sky ahead.

Some red and yellows.

The creek again.

Random pipe coming down from the avenues.

Nice bright patch.

Neat compass rose.

More random pillars.

After this final bridge the Freedom Trail gets a little bit sketchy, so I like to cross over here to the road.

Continuing up N. Canyon Road.

The section of the Freedom Trail I was avoiding. It’s not super high up, but it is a pretty steep drop into the creek. I don't like it so why deal with it?

More color.

Continuing up.

Little side waterfall.

Some color.

Some color above where N. Canyon Rd curves to the east to join Bonneville Blvd. There is a paved path that continues up a little further, but not much, like 250 feet.

FYI, the dirt path/Freedom Trail does not come up this high, it veers to the east and connects to Bonneville Blvd. about 2/10ths of a mile below here.

More color.

There is another little pond up here.

We hit Bonneville Blvd. and the beginning of City Creek Canyon. We decided to call it a day and turn around here. 

You can keep going up City Creek Canyon if you want a little more, or if you swing left you can make a weird loop along Bonneville Blvd. and then E. Capitol Blvd, then back down into Memory Grove. We haven't done that yet though.

The pond again.

Heading back down.

Color.

It’s a pretty canyon.

Bright yellows.

Color.

Interesting little cliff.

Mixed color.

Yellows.

Color.

The bridge over the creek. We decided to head back down that way and enjoy the forest a little more.

City Creek.

Pillars.

Gnarly looking tree stump.

Orange and red maple leaves.

Little carpet of them.

Color.

The creek again.

Some nice reds.

Pillars.

Back down to the “witches hut”.

Panoramic.

The creek.

The creek and one of the neat little tunnels.

The creek.

Little waterfall.

Forest.

Another little waterfall.

The Austin Stairs again.

Another small waterfall.

The 3 small waterfalls from the bridge again.

Downstream, with the main park.

The 145th Field Artillery Monument.

The Meditation Chapel.

Color.

The lower pond.

Liberty Bell replica.

The Pagoda World War 1 Memorial.

Some color.

Stone pentagram.

The entrance pillars for the park.

Color.

The top of the little fountain that follows the sidewalk down for a bit.

Moody clouds.

Heading through downtown (PSP).

The Walker Center Tower displaying solid red, indicating rain (PSP).

That was a good choice today. I came hoping to find a particular thing, that I did not find, but I still got to enjoy some lovely fall color along the pretty City Creek. It is a popular park and quite busy, but the upper section thins out a little bit. Going with 9 squirrels today.

As for difficulty, it’s pretty easy going. DR3. If you stay on the road it can be a DR2.

Dogs are allowed, leashed in the park and un-leashed in the back section.