Not too far from the Utah Cultural Center, you'll find the Pioneer Crossing Regional Park-a modest…read morepark with a playground, restrooms and walking trail. I'll admit, it's not the most beautiful park in the valley, but as I do, I found some good in it regardless. The playground is located right next to the parking lot and there are a few trees that surround it. Depending on the time of day, you might find yourself in a bit of shade. The restrooms are right there, too, although they were locked when I visited around 5pm on a Monday afternoon. The Jordan River Trail walkway goes through this park, so there are marked paths for walking, jogging or biking. Some parts are shaded, but most of the path is not. There also appears to have been a fire at some point (controlled? I'm unsure) and there's a lot of charred vegetation that remains. There's a wobbly suspension bridge that takes you over the river. It's not too big, but if you're nervous about rickety bridges over water, maybe pick a different path.

Parking was easy. Path is paved the whole way. It's easy to get to the farm. There's parking across…read morethe street. Just take the tunnel over. from there you can go left or right. The trail is just enough busy with walkers, runners, and dogs.

Beautiful atmosphere and lots of history. It's stunning and the trails are perfect for biking,…read morehiking or jogging. It's not crowded but the parking is a ways away. Spots there are limited. Beautifully maintained.

Strictly speaking, the Brighton Lakes Trail leaves from Brighton resort and goes up to Lake Mary,…read moreLake Martha, and Lake Catherine. There are other lakes in the area, and you can leave from the Solitude Nordic area (Silver Lake) and visit those lakes (Solitude, Twin Lakes), which you might mistake for Brighton Lakes as they are, y'know, lakes around Brighton. But for clarity's sake, this is the trail that takes you right up the ski slope before veering off and climbing up to those three lady lakes. The trail is a popular one, and that means you won't be alone. As a kid, I remember my dad taking us here one Saturday and we had the place to ourselves. Martha has a tiny island and I remember it seeming so big and so far out there... but as an adult I realize it was just my kid brain and kid memory. It's a nice lake, but Mary is the really big body of water up there. As an adult, too, I see that on a Saturday especially you won't have the place to yourself. In fact, these days as many have cancelled their summer vacations and are staying home, you'll need to be on the trail by 7am to have only moderate crowds. If you wait until 9 or 10am it will be a constant stream of people. Parking at Brighton is currently free, but any other hike in the canyon will be totally packed if you wait until after 7am. The trail itself is quite wonderful. You go up the slopes, and then veer off before gradually climbing up to the trees and large rocks. It never gets crazy steep or scary, though if you have to traverse in the snow you might be a little sketched out. It's only a couple of miles, although if you want to push on beyond the lakes you can hike up the ridge and beyond and it adds more miles. There are fish in the lakes, and we saw some kiddos out dunking a worm beneath a bobber. I don't think that's a main draw, but there were some fly fisherman giving it a go, too, so it does attract all kinds. The vast majority, however, are just out to stretch their legs and take in the views. All the hiking warnings apply--be prepared, pack lots of water as it does get hot, even though some of it is in the shade. Wildlife abounds, but give them plenty of space. Enjoy the summer wildflowers. And appreciate the fact that this is practically in your backyard if you live in SLC.

Are you seeking a longer, but low-challenge hike? Fair amount of shade with a plethora of wildlife?…read moreALL THE WILDFLOWERS if visiting around July? The opportunity to explore SEVEN lakes? Well, you have found your trail! Arriving at 6:30am, we began at Silver Lake, parking in the Brighton Visitor's Center lot, and taking the boardwalk toward the wooded area on the backside of the Lake. From here, you can trek the Lake Solitude Trail on the right to that same named lake, and then return to the Twin Lakes trail, but we went straight to the latter. In the future I'd hit up Lake Solitude, though (it's only a little out of the way), and you should too! As the trail begins, there is a portion bordered by rocks on each side, and little pikas scurried all about! They were not particularly frightened of us, so I got quite close, and they are heartbreakingly adorable. Following that, the incline steepens, but only for a bit, and it is probably the most you'll experience for the entirety of your hike, so it's nice to get it out of the way first thing. When we arrived at Twin Lakes we met a moose crowned by a gigantic rack, so did not really explore that area. He was completely unperturbed by us, and contentedly continued munching his leafy breakfast. The next portion of the trail is mostly wooded, lush, green, and particularly gorgeous. We saw a female moose just as soon as we entered the forested part, and happened upon a dead porcupine (oh, to see a live one in the wild!). The trail is mostly flat as it delivers you to Lake Mary (my favorite!). This is the largest of these bodies of water, but I loved her for the surrounding rocky scenery. You will find silvery schools of fish glinting in the sunlight, translucent emerald water, and myriad varying views as you trek around the lake. Moving onward, the incline increases slightly, but it's nothing major. Lake Martha will shortly appear on your right. She was small, surrounded by grass, and we did not linger too long. It will take a bit more time to arrive at Catherine, but the trail is easy and mostly shaded. When you reach a fork in the trail, take the left (with a sign regarding camping 200 feet from bodies of water) to head straight to Lake Catherine, or take the right (with a "trail" sign) up to the peak. The latter is exposed and a little rocky with a steeper incline. You can continue on that same route to Sunset Peak for a view of all three lakes, but we opted to stop here, admiring the view of Lake Catherine's glittering surface, then heading back, and taking the trail, now on our right, to break at Catherine, my second favorite lake. There were masses of wildflowers, and the water was near luminously clear. As you retrace your steps on the way to the remaining portion of the loop, you are treated to a stunning vista of the previous lakes and mountains beyond, then a wide-spanning view of fields and Dog Lake on your right. Dog Lake, a smaller, marshy spot, looks like a moose's dream hang out, and was our last stop. Following this, the trail is much wider, open, and more crowded. While not bad, it certainly suffered in comparison to the hike previous. In the future, though I would be sad to miss Dog Lake, I would probably skip it and make my return from the sister lakes back toward Silver Lake, but it is also nice not to have to go back the way you came. I just found the congested trail off-putting after previously experiencing all the serenity of nature with little interruption by other people. We started at 6:30am. This hike took us 4 hours, at an easygoing pace and with short breaks at each lake. Including additional wandering/off trail exploration, it ended up a total of 7.3 miles. Speaking of which, the trails are not marked well, in fact, are not marked most of the time. I would recommend utilizing the Alltrails app. We did, and even so still got off track for a bit. TL;DR - Fairly easy hike, especially for one nearing 7 miles. Excellent if you enjoy variety, and as it is a loop with only backtracking through the three sister lakes, there is always something new to see. Expect lots of animals, including moose, pika, chipmunks, ground squirrels, rabbits, butterflies, and birds. Some exposed areas, but more is shaded, with heavily wooded portions. Alltrails app is a must as the trails are poorly marked. Busy at the start and end.

As of 09/17/23 - the park is covered with makeshift tents and the unhoused. Did not feel safe to…read morewalk through.

While on my urban stroll around SLC, I saw City Creek Park on Google Maps and started moving…read moretowards it. Something about the aesthetic called to me, and what a BEAUTIFUL unexpected surprise. This has everything I love in a park... bridges, waterfalls, steps, and more. Great place to walk your dogs, have a picnic, or just read a book. I'm definitely going out of my way to walk here again next time I'm in SLC. So pretty, so green, so peaceful. Make a stop then head to Memory Grove afterwards!

Wonderful intermediate family hike with a restroom at the entrance. We arrived late in the morning…read moreon Thursday and parking lot was packed with many people parked along the side of the road. The trail itself was challenging at the end since they are doing some trail repair but still doable with a 5 year old. The hike was worth the waterfall view.

I think I brought part of 7-Eleven with me after a quick pit stop there before the hike…read more This was one of the most interesting, fun, and confusing hikes I've done (early May). I didn't realize there'd still be so much snow, so I forgot long socks. It was sunny and in the high 70s, but I saw people hiking shirtless, in flip-flops with socks, shorts, snow gear, and even snowshoes. At that point, I gave up trying to figure out if I was doing it right and just went with it. Every step felt like a gamble. I had no clue what was under the snow or how deep it went. The trail is hard to follow with all the snow, so I recommend using the AllTrails app. My feet sank into snow that felt like a 7-Eleven slushy. I slipped on icy snow and even fell into a hole, but it was worth it, lol. Without snow, it's an easy hike. With snow, I'd consider it intermediate. It's -2 mi RT (3 hours with 1 hr break). You'll cross two small bridges (one with rails & one without). When you see the "Welcome to the Wasatch-Cache National Forest" sign, follow the water stream. It'll take you to Gloria Falls (~0.25 miles left). There's a parking lot and one restroom (separate stalls). parking was almost full when I got there late morning on a Thursday. I'd def come back when there's no snow to experience it differently.

We had such an amazing experience here at this state park. We came in the evening to see the sunset…read moreand the view was amazing!! You can reserve cabañas if you wish. This is a great place to paddle board. The water was fresh and cold. Highly recommend this place. Entry is $20

Beautiful lake. Gorgeous views. This place gets packed. On the weekends get there early because it…read morehits capacity and by full, it is FULL. It's a bit pricey for a day use ($20) but at least it's a beautiful lake.

We're really spoiled here in SLC. We have an abundance of outdoors opportunities at our fingertips,…read moreand most are in really great shape. That's illustrated here at South Box Elder. For the uninitiated, Millcreek Canyon has a bunch of picnic areas all up and down the canyon. Many of them are first come, first served and would make an incredible afternoon or evening. Seriously--you can leave work, grab a sandwich, at your favorite place, and be up the canyon eating it and it all takes less than 30. However, there are a few of the picnic areas that have reservable spots for larger groups. That's also the case with South Box Elder. There's one group site here, the Edmund Ellsworth Group Site, that can be booked ahead of time. It seats about 25 and has a fire pit, two metal stands, a metal BBQ grill stand, a thin and tall food table, and sits right next to the (pit) bathrooms. Besides the Edmund Ellsworth area, there's also a few other spots in this picnic area. It's a small area, and each one has its own fire pit and picnic table, but they may only fit a dozen or so people. There's a small parking area inside of here, but you can also park across the street. This area is also home to the north terminus of the Desolation Trail, and you'll see a lot of people come in and out hiking the Salt Lake Overlook portion of that trail. To reach it, drive up Millcreek Canyon and go past all of the Boy Scout properties and it will be the first picnic spot you come to after Millcreek Inn. The first sign you will see will be the Desolation Trail sign, and then the sign for the South Box Elder Picnic Area.

The Butler Fork Trail is just a little spur that starts right off of Highway 190 (Big Cottonwood…read moreCanyon Road) up in Big Cottonwood Canyon. It's most commonly used as the start for a hike of Circle All Peak, Mount Raymond, Gobblers Knob, or as an alternate route to reach Dog Lake (rather than the more common and direct Mill D North Fork trail a bit further up the canyon). The actual Trailhead, located on the north side of the canyon road, hosts enough parking for 15-20 cars. There's a trailhead post and signboard with information about the hike, and a couple of maps. There aren't any other facilities there to speak of, so don't plan on finding a potty or fill up on water. Come prepared. The trail is steep. It's not too rocky, and it's not "stair-stepper" steep, but the dirt path will rise and rise in elevation without relenting. In the first half-mile, you follow Butler Creek, and eventually rise above it before leveling out (a momentary reprieve from the climb) and crossing a footbridge. You resume the climb, and after about a half mile, you reach a fork. Go right (north, turning east) to stay on the Butler Fork Trail and eventually junction with the Desolation Trail, find Dog Lake and see the Butler Fork Trail to its terminus, or go left (west) and you'll officially be on the Mill A Basin Trail headed towards Circle All Peak, Mount Raymond, and Gobblers Knob. By going west on the Mill A Basin Trail you'll also junction with the Desolation Trail. You could make a loop out of the experience, by going either direction at that fork 1/2 mile in, taking that trail to its terminus at the Desolation Trail, and then traversing Desolation back to its junction with the trail you decided not to take back at the fork. A quick measurement on my map puts that option at around 7 miles. A more popular option, however, is to out-and-back, and leave the Butler Fork Trail in favor of the Mill A Basin Trail about at that fork. The most popular hike here is probably the Circle All Peak route. Circle All Peak isn't really a "peak" so much as a bump with a nice view, but let's not quibble over terminology. That view is worth the price of admission. You'll go left (west) at the fork, and then continue straight up the canyon, eventually winding through a series of switchbacks amongst the aspen trees on one side of the canyon wall, until reaching the canyon saddle and continuing on up the other side. Keep your eyes open once you're up on the ridge top, because the trail shoots off to the left for Circle All, and it's easy to miss. If you continue straight, you're headed to Raymond Peak and eventually Gobblers Knob. Take that side trail to the left (south) and you've got 100-150 yards of climbing through the trees before popping out for terrific views. Because of the relentless climb (you gain over 1500ft in elevation) it feels like more than 1.7 miles to this point, but that's what the map says I've not done the hike in Autumn, but I've heard it's tremendous with the aspens and the other foliage turning colors. In June, it was bright green, overflowing with foliage, especially on the lower portions along the creek. There were several flowers in bloom, with many more on their way. I hiked next to a botanist who pointed out the penstemon, wild sweet pea, scarlet gilia, columbine, lupine, larkspur, and I saw a violet-colored wild clematis (?) which I'd not seen elsewhere. Since BCC is free and the parking is free, this is a great way to get some recreation without busting the bank. It's a tremendous hike, no matter what direction you end up going. Just be prepared--pack plenty of water and know that this one is quite strenuous, steep, and will let you know if you're out of shape. Trailhead coordinates: 40.6492, -111.6614