Bells Canyon Lower Falls Hiking Guide
Bells Canyon cuts back into the Wasatch above Sandy, and the walk up it to the lower falls is a proper mountain hike disguised as a suburban trailhead outing. Six miles round trip and about 1,500 feet of gain take you past a reservoir, through granite boulder fields, and up to a waterfall that runs hard through spring snowmelt. It is steeper and rockier than the numbers suggest, and the watershed rules here are strict.
Two Trailheads, Different Numbers
Bells Canyon can be entered from the Granite trailhead on Wasatch Boulevard or from the Boulders trailhead lower down, and published distances vary accordingly — you will see anything from four and a half to six miles quoted for the same waterfall. Check which trailhead a given description assumes. The Granite start is the more common and the figures here reflect it. Both fill early on weekends.
The Route
An initial climb leads to the lower reservoir, a pleasant flat spot that many people treat as their destination. Beyond it the trail steepens considerably, working up through granite boulders and rooty forest with sustained rocky sections that require attention. The last stretch to the falls is the roughest. Expect three to four hours round trip and slower going than the mileage implies.
No Dogs — Sandy Watershed
Bells Canyon lies within protected watershed and Sandy City enforces a dog ban here. It is a common and expensive mistake for visitors who assume the rule only applies to the Cottonwood canyons. If you are hiking with a dog in the Salt Lake valley, Mill Creek Canyon is the answer. Signage at the trailhead is clear, and enforcement is real.
Water and Season
The falls are at their most impressive during spring snowmelt, roughly May into early July, when the creek runs loud and full. By late summer flow drops considerably. Snow lingers in the upper canyon into early summer and can make the rocky sections slick. Wet granite is treacherous — the same boulder fields that are straightforward in August become genuinely hazardous in spring runoff.
The Wilderness Above
Bells Canyon continues well past the lower falls toward an upper reservoir and eventually into the Lone Peak Wilderness, and those upper reaches are a serious undertaking with substantially more distance and gain. Many people who reach the lower falls comfortably underestimate what continuing involves. Treat the upper canyon as a separate objective requiring a full day and proper preparation.
Hiking tips for Bells Canyon Lower Falls
- Confirm which trailhead a distance figure refers to — Granite and Boulders give noticeably different numbers for the same falls.
- Leave the dog at home; Sandy enforces the watershed ban here just as strictly as the Cottonwood canyons do.
- Come between May and early July for the strongest waterfall flow, and expect slick granite during runoff.
- Budget more time than six miles suggests; the rocky upper sections slow almost everyone down.
- Treat the upper canyon and Lone Peak Wilderness as a separate full-day objective, not an extension.
Nearby trails to explore
- Cecret Lake
- Mount Olympus
- Lake Blanche
Hike this trail with TrailMates
Bells Canyon is a bigger day than its suburban trailhead suggests. Use TrailMates to find Salt Lake hikers timing the lower falls for peak snowmelt. Download the TrailMates app to find a partner.