Freedom Hills Switchback Trail

The Freedom Hills Switchback Trail is a steep climb up to the Bonneville Shoreline Trail in Centerville. It’s been a few years, and I was reminded of this trail because you can see the switchbacks from below and I happened to be hiking below yesterday. There are 17 switchbacks that climb almost 500 feet to the Bonneville Shoreline Trail, where you have the option to add more either direction. There is also an access trail to the north if you want to make a loop. Our previous adventure for the day was a little shorter than expected, so we decided to come do this one again.


View from near the top.

The switchbacks as seen from the Legacy Parkway Trail.

Quick Details:

Length: The switchbacks are a half mile up. Then it depends on how far along the BST you go. We did about 1.8 miles out and back today.
Trail Type: Out and Back with a loop option.
Difficulty: DR4. That is a climb!
Elevation Gain: About 476 ft for just the switchbacks. We did about 488 ft going up and down the BST.
Restroom: Yes, although I am not sure if it is open during winter.
Dogs? Yes, leashed. Please clean up after your furry friend.

To Get Here:

Take i15 to exit 319 in Centerville Use the right 2 lanes to turn right onto W 400 N/W Parrish Ln (signs for Centerville) Use the left 2 lanes to turn left onto N Main St. Turn right onto Old Haul Rd. Turn left onto Park Hills Dr. Turn right onto E 1700 S/Lund Ln

The Trail:



Memorial of some sort. we didn’t have time to check it out.



Trailhead sign.



Onto the trail!



Memorial bench.



Which offers a nice view of Farmington Bay. And I see the trailers I walked past yesterday on the Legacy Parkway Trail.



The switchbacks are pretty easy going. Nice and wide. And after today's storm not at all muddy. Definitely a good choice today.



Bluejay.



The trail again.



View again.



The trail is lined with these rocks, which is what makes it so highly visible from below.



One of the steeper slopes.



Switch a roo.



I will never tire of this view.



Tighter switchbacks.



View again.



Panoramic. It’s a shame the clouds are obscuring Antelope Island.



Almost to the top, phew! It’s not the toughest climb ever, but I could tell we were definitely starting to slow down.



Hooray! We made it to the Bonneville Shoreline Trail! Last time we were here we arbitrarily decided to go north, but today I wanted to explore the gullies to the south.



Well we did make it high enough to see some of the new snow. Honestly I was a little worried we would see more.



The first one has a little trickle of a stream coming down it.



Continuing along the BST.



I guess the bulk of the snow is still a little ways up though.



Fun with reflections.



View again.





2nd gully.



I don't know if people are still allowed to drive on this, but there is no way I would. Meep.



Nearing the 3rd gully.



There appears to be a trail up this one. Can’t find any information on it, but I imagine it leads to one of those peaks, possibly Bountiful Peak.



There is a lower trail with a short connector trail here if you want you can make a balloon trail to return on.



A little further south. I wanted to keep going, but we had to be somewhere else, so it was time to turn around.



Snow above.



Back to the 3rd gully.



I happened to notice a deer up above.



Decided to climb up a little ways.



Doesn’t look too bad. Might have to come back to explore.



Back to the 1st gully.



The view below again.



Now we just have to go back down the switchbacks. Oh boy.



Not too bad up here.



The mountains at the south end of the valley.



Deer trails.



Aside from the memorial bench at the first switchback, there are several other benches to rest on if this trail is kicking your butt.



Wow, we made it down pretty quickly! Random birdhouse tree.

That was a little tougher than I remember, but it was a good workout, and I have been missing the good workouts lately. The little gullies were, neat, but nothing particularly exceptional, but the view was pretty nice. We only ran into a few other people today. Meh, last time I gave it a 6, and I think it will keep that.



As for difficulty, this one is absolutely a climb! But it’s not to bad, and the trail is smooth. Going with a DR3.

Dogs are allowed, leashed. Please clean up after your furry friends.

Woodland Park

Woodland Park, is well, aptly named. It is a beautiful little park surrounded by thick old woods located in Farmington. It is a wonderful short trail that follows Steed Creek for half of it. There are also several great picnic sites. I actually enjoyed this one a little more than I expected. This was not my original plan today but we got a late winter storm last night/this morning so I was hoping to find a trail that wouldn’t be too muddy. This was not paved, but it wasn’t muddy either so it worked out.



Quick Details:

Length: About a half mile.
Trail Type: Loop
Difficulty: DR3. Short, easy mild elevation.
Elevation Gain: About 60 feet.
Restroom: Yes. Although I don’t know if they are open in winter.
Dogs? Yes, leashed.
Other Info: This is a great short trail to add to another adventure, or do after work.

To Get Here:

Take NB I15 to exit 322, keep right at the fork. Turn right onto W 200 S. Turn right onto S 200 E look for the park on the right, it is just beyond the police station on 300 S. Parking is available across from the police station, or down the hill (if the gate is open).

The Trail:



Just heading down the stairs I could tell I was going to enjoy this little trail.



One of the picnic areas.





The forest is amazing right now, but I am definitely going to have to come back once everything greens up for the year.



Steed Creek. I happened to hike along Steed Creek yesterday as well, just quite a bit lower down.



There is also a a paved trail down into the park. The dirt trail picks up again across it.



Another picnic spot.



The rain from this morning is really bringing out the moss. That might be why I am enjoying this trail so much.





Some of these trees are absolutely massive! It’s nice to see some old growth.



More moss.



I was a little worried that was it, but noticed the trail marker across the road.



View of the mountains.



Wait, Steed Creek drifted to the south, how did it get north of us?





Forest again.



Looking up.



Steed Creek again.



Oh haha. I looks like the creek split, and now they joined back up.



Little bridge over the south fork.



Open field, with Steed Canyon above. I still need to explore that canyon. We tried once but it was runoff and the creek blocked our path.



The southwest segment is next to the open field, but there is a nice little tree tunnel.



The trail takes you back onto the paved path for a minute.



Why do older parks in Utah have stages like this? Are there often play performed in parks? Or were there years ago? I know in State and National Parks they do ranger programs, but I can't imagine that happens often in random parks. Anyway, kind of weird.



The dirt trail forks off about here, but I wanted to see what was up here a little ways. The south fork goes in front of the stage.



Little cascade.



Back to the dirt loop and getting back into the woods.



Another picnic area.



This one has a double table and a fire pit.



Last picnic area.

I saw a side trail just below that looked like it got back to where we parked so we back tracked a bit.



Nearing the creek.



Hrm. Not the best crossing here and a little too wide to step over. Darn, guess we’ll go back.



At least I was able to get a shot of the park sign this way. Short segment along 200 E to get back to where we parked.



The north section with the Farmington City trail sign. You can also see the staircase we went down at the beginning.



Radio tower “disguised” as a tree. These always give me a giggle.

Wow! That is a really amazing park with a great little trail! It reminded me a bit of Miller Park in Salt Lake, just an old old park following a creek. The recent rain made everything nice and green, and also appeared to scare off the crowds as we didn’t run into a single person. It probably wouldn’t be as enjoyable on a nice sunny day when in full use, but I had a great time. I think I found a new place to take the dogs occasionally. 10 Squirrels!

However, it was awfully short, so we decide to add another adventure to our day.



As for difficulty, The trail is fairly thin, but it has such a mild climb that its nothing. DR3.

Dogs are allowed, leashed. Please clean up after your furry friends.