If you want to do an easier hike or have a solid running trail, this is it! The first .75 miles…read moreuphill was extremely unforgiving. But after that it was quite fun. Some rocks to make you slow down, some grades a bit too steep to run down, and a beautiful view the entire time. It was a solid 4 mile loop by the time I got back. Parking is free and the trail is well maintained. There's a bathroom at the parking area. It's a 1 mile to the T up to the suspension bridge. If you keep going, you'll get to a Little Rock tunnel, then another bridge, and another bridge, and the run back if you're going counter clockwise like I did, is fairly easy there after. There's not a lot of shade so if it's a hot day, definitely bring a hat.

Great hike! It's…read moreabout 2 miles. First time took an hour. 3rd time I am at 40 min non stop. Part of the hike has no shade. So bring your hats and sun screen if it's hot. The views are gorgeous and the bridge is cool! Definitely recommend for beginners

It's starting to get way too hot in the valley, so I've been trying to escape up into the cooler…read moremountain temperatures for the past couple of weeks. What a stunning hike this was! We started the hike from a less populated trail starting near Solitude, but there's another, more popular trail that goes to this same viewpoint. I believe the route we took was called the Beaver Pond trail from Solitude. The wildflowers are starting to come out and the views are absolutely stunning. The lake itself was perfectly still and reflecting the beautiful aspens. We came here on a Friday night and lots of people were backpacking here and setting up camp around the lake. What a beautiful place to backpack, and a short little backpacking trip! I would definitely come back to backpack this sometime. The temperature was perfect, although it was a little bit buggy so bug spray was necessary. We even ended up needing sweatshirts on the way down. Our trail was about 4.2 miles RT, but the regular Willow Lake/Willow Heights trail is 2.5-2.8 miles RT. Definitely worth checking out right now as the wildflowers come out!

Do you ever feel like you just need to spend some time outdoors? Some might call it woo woo, but…read morewith the cooler temperatures, I have not been out on as many adventures as usual, and my spirit definitely required a reconnection with nature. It hit me acutely about a week back, and, while I have my trusty standard hikes (I swear I visit Bell's Canyon near weekly!), I wanted to go somewhere new. Willow Heights popped up while searching Alltrails in an attempt to locate a different hike in the same area. The one I'd originally had in mind didn't feature a lake, so Willow Heights quickly won over my interest. At just over two miles, it is a great option for those seeking a quick hike. Located a ways up the canyon, and though not super well marked, if you utilize GPS and watch for cars parked along the road, it is not too difficult to spot. There is a small etched boulder that serves as the trail marker. The path starts with some incline, but nothing too challenging. There are aspens EVERYWHERE, and, in the early morning light, their bare branches and trunks appeared so starkly white against the blue sky. It was incredibly striking! As elevation is gained, more pines start to sprout up, though with no loss of aspens. We did not see any, but moose are said to be common hiking companions. Eventually, you will reach a large open field (I imagined it full of wildflowers mid-summer), and then the trail breaks off into a wide loop around the water. It's a small lake, but it's still a lake, so I'll take it, even frozen, as it was at this time. I found a raised spot on the west side, and settled in to enjoy the perfect silence and view of surrounding snow-topped mountains. And speaking of snow, in November, there were spots with plenty, though more ice than anything else. We brought crampons, but didn't bother to use them as the bottom of the trail was entirely clear, and my hands were too frozen to maneuver crampons over my boots once we reached the more slippery spots. It was okay without, but further into the winter you will certainly want 'em. There were also areas that, with several inch deep shoe prints, clearly get pretty darn muddy once warmed by the sun. It was cold enough that the dirt was frozen for us. Because Big Cottonwood is a watershed, dogs and swimming are prohibited. Camping is allowed, but I don't think fires are (though we saw what was very clearly a fire pit near the lake). I could see this being a popular hike during other seasons, though, on a cold Sunday morning, we only happened upon one other group right as we exited the trail.

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.

Very clean bathroom and showers at the fox den. I should also mention that there's HOT showers! My…read morefriends said that it's the newest area opened at Derr Creek. It's well worth the $60/day fee with full hookups. The campsite also has clean fire pits, picnic tables, and a water spout. It's dog friendly and other campers are good about keeping their dogs on a leash. There's a boat ramp and a nice walkway to the "beach." There's a few picnic tables that I saw people enjoying their lunch at. It's fairly quiet and during the day since everyone seems to be on the water. Everyone respects quiet time at 10pm so it was a pleasant experience!

I think this might be my favorite reservoir to visit in Utah. The view of Mount Timpanogos is so…read morestunning! There's a sandy beach to lay out on, and grass patches in the shade as well. There are lots of pavilions and plenty of bathrooms. I've come here a few times over the years for the 4th of July, and even though it's probably one of the busiest days here, there's always plenty of room on the beach for everyone. The parking lot here is another story. They have extremely limited parking in their main lot, and then some over flow parking across the street. If you're coming on a holiday weekend or probably just a weekend in general, it's important to get here early. We had part of our group get there around 9am and they got one of the last spots in the main spot. We got there around 10:15am and were able to park in the overflow across the street, but once that's full you CANNOT park on the road, you'll get towed or ticketed, as we witnessed happen to many people on the 4th. A little ways up the road there is a pull off to park in, however you have to walk along the highway to get back to the state park. We've done it before, and it's not ideal. There's a gorgeous hike here to Chair Rock - I found a trail guide for the hike from Girl on a Hike's blog and it's a steep but VERY rewarding hike. When I did it a few years ago, no one else was there, and the views are absolutely stunning.

Trail is ways to follow -- and there are some parts where trees provide shade…read more Areas can be rocky and tree roots exposed -- it's nature, so come prepared. The waterfall at the end is so pretty and you can get right under it. The colors are amazing right now!

I visited the Stewart Falls Trailhead on a Tuesday afternoon. My party and I took the ski lift to…read morethe trailhead, so we only walked down the mountain. The total distance covered was just under three miles in a little more than two hours. The downward hike was moderately challenging, with some narrow trails and loose footing. It is a trail that would be much more challenging during melt-off season or in a rainy period. Wear thick socks and good hiking boots. Otherwise, dress for the weather!

Gorgeous, easy hike for all ages. It's about 2 miles round trip, maybe even a little less, and the…read moreviews are immaculate. There are plenty of climbing rocks to navigate and explore as you arrive at the lake, so even though it can get busy, you can still find a nice private area. We saw some really cool wildlife as well, and the trail is well-maintained.

I have seen so many videos the last few weeks about Cecret Lake! My son is absolutely enthralled…read morewith Axolotl's, so I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to make the trip and go explore! What the videos DIDN'T inform us of, was the $12 entrance fee, or the fact that this hike is a bit difficult for some! I am pregnant, so it was a great deal more challenging for me. On the way up to the lake, I witnessed a lot of very young children who were not happy to be walking. My 6 year old kept up very well, however! I was honestly pretty shocked he did better than I did! We made it up, and walked around the entire lake. We didn't see any axolotl's so we were pretty disappointed. On the way out to go home, we happened to hear a little girl yell "OH MY GOSH AN AXOLOTL!" So that was our cue to return to go see them! They were in a rather awkward spot right in the middle of the lake. I am SO happy we got to see them before we left! This was such a fun little early day trip with my little family! We ended up leaving and going straight to Ogden Canyon for a wedding reception that night, so it was overall a very long day. With it being so long and me being pregnant, I was REALLY worried that I was going to be sore, but I wasn't! I have already told others about it, and I made SURE to include the hiking aspect and price in my own online video so others are more informed prior to making the trip!

Wow! Can't believe I've lived in Utah my entire life and never tried this easy, but beautiful hike!…read moreThanks to ChatGPT for recommending this hike me. Searched up easy, short winter hikes for solo hikers and this popped up, super glad it did! This hike is an absolute must try if you live in Utah county. It is just 1.3 miles round-trip and only took about 15 minutes to get up to the frozen waterfall. The waterfall was absolutely beautiful, all of the ice crystals and trees were stunning. It is pretty slippery this time of year so I would bring hiking poles or hiking boots that have good traction so that you can get down to the waterfall. I unfortunately wore the wrong shoes so I couldn't go all the way down. Would've broke my assWill definitely be doing this again, it's nice that it's so close and such a short easy hike for the winter time!

On Monday, April 7, 2025 (Yesterday), I decided to take advantage of the warmer weather and hike at…read moreBattle Creek Falls. Parking lot: Free Size: Small Bathroom: Yes Men and women Toilet: Regular; water-based. From the parking lot to the waterfall, took 15 minutes, give or take. The trail is slightly incline, some parts more, than others and since I haven't worked out in the past few months, I was slightly out of breath, but nothing extreme before the waterfall. Moreover, there is also a path down to the waterfall, with a log to sit on, and taken in the beautiful waterfall. If one decides to go further up, the path does continue on top of the waterfall, right hand side. This trail is easy and no way of getting lost to the water fall. In additon, If you're looking for more beyond the waterfall, there is a much smaller one shortly ahead, but after that, there is not much to see. A lot of snow and mud, and dry plants. And after the second smaller waterfall, the trail does get challenging because it's all uphill. Unfortunately, I did not make it to the meadows. I came across two hikers who said they did go to meadows and it was ugly right now. I wanted to see for myself and on the way there, the path itself was very ugly, muddy and dry. Henced, I turned back. Overall, family friendly, easy hike, and make sure to bring a hat because a lot of the trail after the waterfall is direct sunlight, no shade.

This is an outstanding little park at the mouth of the canyon....which means lots of trees and…read moregorgeous views! It's got all the things that I look for in a park-shade, water, bathrooms, picnic areas and parking. It's the perfect spot for a romantic picnic or a group get together under the pavilion.

What an absolutely lovely way to spend an early fall evening. We were coming down from a drive…read morethrough the canyon, and were looking for a place to stop and stretch the legs and eat dinner. We happened upon this park, and even though the rest of the canyon was packed, this was spread out enough that it didn't feel cramped at all. We saw plenty of parking from the road, so we pulled off for a pit stop. We walked across the bridge and towards the trail--this park sits right on the Provo River and the walkway--and then wandered back towards the restrooms and large grassy area. There are pavilions, and some kind of amphitheater, but we were looking for a picnic table in the sun and found plenty of them. We picnicked indeed! There are lots of places to picnic, including the grass or tables, and saw lots of kids riding bikes and scooters along the walkways that wind around. It looks like you can take off into the trees a little, though I'm unsure if there are any official hikes. With the golden sun starting to get lower in the sky, we ate our sandwiches and drank in the ambrosia of fresh canyon air, turning leaves, and a place dedicated to people getting out to enjoy it all.