City Creek Canyon North Fork Trail

Dogs No Dogs

Features Fall Colors · Views · Wildlife

This trail descends into watershed territory. No dogs are allowed.

A great use of this trail is as a way to complete a loop that involves a summiting of Grandview Peak, connecting to the GWT, and a run up or down the center of City Creek Canyon. However you choose to use the trail, watch out for moose and mountain lions.

It's easiest to find this trail starting at Rudy's Flat. It will be the only trail heading south from the flat. Note that soon after leaving the flat, this trail has a north-fork that dead-ends quickly, but not until you've wasted some energy on it. Perhaps at the time of this writing, the fork actually goes somewhere, but when I explored it, it didn't seem to go anywhere.

Finding the trail from the City Creek end is a bit trickier. Picnic Site #23 is called "North Fork," and I believe the trail starts just east of this site. (If not this site, one very nearby.) In any case, just look for the picnic site nearest the North Fork of City Creek Canyon. The entrance is a bit tricky to find, but rest assured, once you find it, the trail will not be hard to follow. The path is well worn and well traveled. The entrance is not at the picnic site itself. You must run up-canyon along the road just a bit to find the entrance.

From bottom to top, the trail begins by staying in the canopy until you reach a switch-back that helps you gain a ridge. You then follow the ridge more or less until you re-enter some forest before emerging onto the flat. Great views are to be had the whole way.