Grandeur Peak Hiking Guide
Grandeur Peak is the big rounded summit between Mill Creek and Parleys canyons, and from the top you get the most complete view of Salt Lake City available on a half-day hike. The east route from Church Fork in Mill Creek Canyon climbs 2,600 feet in three miles through maple and fir before breaking onto an open ridge. Crucially for a lot of local hikers, Mill Creek is outside the protected watershed, so dogs are allowed.
The Church Fork Route
From the Church Fork picnic area the trail climbs immediately through a shaded drainage, crossing a creek before switchbacking up the slope. The forest cover is welcome and unusual for a Wasatch climb of this size. Higher up you break out onto open, grassy slopes for the final push to the summit ridge. Three to five hours round trip depending on pace. The grade is sustained but the tread is good throughout.
Mill Creek Canyon Rules
Mill Creek charges a fee per vehicle on exit, collected at a booth near the canyon mouth — bring a card or cash. The canyon operates an odd-day off-leash, even-day on-leash dog system, which is genuinely unusual and worth checking against the date before you go. The upper canyon road closes seasonally in winter, which changes where you can start from. Church Fork's own small lot fills fast; the picnic area gate has hours.
Why Dog Owners Come Here
Big Cottonwood, Little Cottonwood, City Creek and Parleys are drinking-water catchments where dogs are banned outright. Mill Creek is not, and it is consequently the centre of dog hiking in Salt Lake City. On a summer weekend you will meet a great many of them. If you are visiting with a dog and want a serious summit, Grandeur is the obvious answer and there are not many alternatives.
The Summit and the View
At 8,299 feet the top is open and exposed, with the whole valley below, the Oquirrhs across it, and the higher Wasatch peaks stacking away south and east. It catches wind. Afternoon thunderstorms build over these ridges through summer and the open upper slopes are no place to be during one — the usual Wasatch advice of an early start applies with full force.
Season and Conditions
Spring through autumn is the main window. The lower forested section holds snow and mud into spring; the upper slopes bake in midsummer afternoons. Autumn is excellent, with maples turning red through late September in the lower canyon. Winter ascents happen but require traction and an understanding of the avalanche picture on the open upper slopes. There is no water on the route beyond the lower creek.
Hiking tips for Grandeur Peak
- Check whether it is an odd or even day before you go — Mill Creek alternates off-leash and on-leash dog rules by date.
- Bring payment for the Mill Creek Canyon vehicle fee, which is collected on the way out rather than the way in.
- Choose this over the Cottonwood canyon peaks if you are hiking with a dog; it is the only serious local summit that allows them.
- Start early in summer — the upper slopes are open, exposed and directly in the path of afternoon storms.
- Come in late September for the maples in the lower canyon, which are the best autumn colour close to the city.
Nearby trails to explore
- Mount Olympus
- Living Room Trail
- Ensign Peak
Hike this trail with TrailMates
Grandeur Peak is where Salt Lake dog owners get their summit day. Use TrailMates to find Mill Creek hikers who know which day is off-leash and start before the lot fills. Download the TrailMates app to connect.