Donut Falls

Salt Lake City, Utah

4.1/5

based on 45 reviews

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Details

Distance

1.53 miles

Elevation Gain

413 ft

Route Type

Out-and-Back

Description

Added by Eric Bennett

Donut Falls is an out-and-back hike to an amazingly beautiful and picturesque waterfall. This trail, located in the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest, is good for all seasons with easy access to the trail.

The Trail

Follow the trail for just a little bit and when it forks, stay to the left and you will arrive to Donut Falls. Once at the waterfall, climb up the rocks to get to the cave at the top, which is not visible from the bottom. To take pictures inside of the cave, you will most likely get your feet wet.

This is a really short hike, so it's great if you are short on time and want to see something amazing.

Falls Coordinates: 40.629722, -111.654722

Getting There

Coming from the I-215, turn left on Big Cottonwood Road and the parking lot will be about nine miles up the road on your right. Usually the gate is closed, so park here and follow the rest of the road on foot until you get to a trailhead with restrooms on the left hand side.

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Waterfall

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Donut Falls Reviews

Nick Wrzesinski

Donut Falls

05/30/16

This is one of the easiest and most heavily trafficked hikes in Big Cottonwood. If you're looking for an easy hike with little vertical than this is a good choice. If you're looking for quiet and solitude this is not the place for you. Don't let the easy access and heavy traffic make you let your guard down. Two have died here since 2012. A woman fell 100 feet and a man was hit by a falling boulder. Have fun but be careful. You can often see moose in the area. This weekend while there I saw a bull moose on the trail just before the falls and a cow near the creek south of the parking lot. The best time to see moose is at dusk.

3.0

Danny Pehrson

Donut Falls

05/14/16

Still a decent amount of snow in the month of May, but not too much to be very dangerous. Be prepared to get your feet wet from the spring run off but the waterfall and cave are worth it.

4.0

Anna Redbond

Donut Falls

05/12/16

Nice mild and accessible hike in Big Cottonwood Canyon. Fairly heavily trafficked trail - even on a Thursday afternoon - but still worth doing. There's still a fair amount of snow and slush on the ground so it can get slippery in some sections.

4.0

Leave No Trace

Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your adventures and follow local regulations. Please explore responsibly!

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To get to the trailhead drive up Big Cottonwood Canyon to Spruces Campground. Once in the parking lot, walk to the southwest corner of the parking lot and go up the road past the bathrooms. The trailhead will be next to the overgrown baseball field. The trail is awesome single track the whole way up to the top and never branches off so it's really easy to follow, you can't get lost. The trail ...

Donut Falls

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Donut Falls Reviews

Leave No Trace

Nearby

Big Cottonwood Canyon Astrophotography

Kessler Peak in Utah's Big Cottonwood Canyon

Snowshoe to Cardiff Mine

Backcountry Ski Cardiff Fork

Hike Cardiff Fork

Hike Days Fork

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