Donut Falls

Donut falls, pretty in the summertime but beautiful in the winter! Its a short hike and one that you can do if you don’t have an entire day to devote to a longer hike, it’s also easy for beginners and families with kids. It’s the perfect leisurely hike if you are just wanting to do something fun outdoors. We hiked it in the snow a couple weeks ago. It was difficult knowing where the trail was because it’s covered in the snow right now and making it to the end where the falls is located was slippery but any other time of the year this isn’t an issue. The entire hike was beautiful with all the snow and pine trees and was easy enough to have good conversations along the way. I’ll be hiking it again in a few weeks when we can enjoy the warmer hiking weather and the waterfall.

If you want a quick adventure that’s super close, checkout Donut Falls! This hike had been on my Utah adventure bucket list for a while and I just hiked it this past February which made for quite the adventure.
Once we made it to the trailhead, it was a relatively short hike (the winter gates were closed so we walked an extra mile from the main road to the trailhead… no biggie). The canyon was beautiful, but very shaded… so the snow completely covered the trail. Just because it’s a nice February 65 degree day in the valley doesn’t mean the trail will be snow free… We learn that lesson the hard way.
Someone in our group wore cowboy boots and was sliding all over the place and required a hand to hold on the entire hike… Which isn’t that long, but still… Wear good shoes in the winter.
Winter hiking, I would recommend snowshoes or really good hiking boots… The beaten path makes it slippery because it’s a super popular hike for the locals.
When we got to the finish the falls were hidden beneath the snow and the incline made the accent very slippery (two hikers slid all the way to the bottom as they were climbing to the falls. It wasn’t dangerous, just difficult). I made it to the entry way and ventured in the hidden cave… I was very careful and took my time entering and leaving the cave. It was worth it, such a reward at the end of the journey!

This is a great hike for people of all ages, with a beautiful view of a waterfall at the end. And for those more suited to challenges and madness — it doesn’t end at the waterfall! Climb your way to the top, and inside of the cave to wade into the cold, ankle deep waters yourself and pose for a snapshot. When you’re done, make your way to the right side of the waterfall, and climb the steep terrain to the wooded trails above, and see how deep you can go!
Housekeeping tips:
1) Park your car on the road and hike in. Saves you the hassle of driving past people on the trails.
2) Watch yo kids! Let’s face it. Kids do VERY silly things (such as diving face first into the river, trying to be Spiderman on the rocks, ‘whooshing’ across one side of the river to the other, etc. Unless you have a life insurance policy on your kids… you get the idea…
3) If you bring water/​food, please don’t be a bad –enter your race here– tourist. Folks litter their garbage on the trails and unless you’re like me (calling people out and literally shoving their trash down into their backpacks for them because you hate people who litter and pretend not to hear you) — please be kind to Mother Nature.
4) Have a great time! Wear comfortable and sturdy shoes, because sometimes it can be slippery.

After reading a few blogs & reviews we thought Donut Falls was going to be a pretty difficult hike. It was not as bad as we thought till we got right to the falls, climbing up to get into the cave was the hardest part.
If you go out now while it’s snowing, I recommend that you go early for a few reason’s: No one else will be out there; the more the trail is walked on the slipperier & iceyer it gets; it’s so beautiful & peaceful. We arrived about 9.30am to start the hike and there was only 1 person in front of us. By the time we were leaving the cave, there was a group of 6 & by the time we were getting back to the car there was heaps of people out there.
It snowed quite a bit the night before we hiked it, so the road to the trailhead was closed. We parked out on the main road & walked the extra mile to the parking lot, then started the walk.
To start off with it was well signposted. I’m not sure if we went the wrong way (we were following someone’s fresh footprints) but towards the end we stopped seeing the signs. We got there fine so it wasn’t an issue. Most of the waterfall was frozen over, we crossed over to the left hand side of it because the ice on the right was thin & you could hear it cracking under your feet & some water running below it.
A rope has been left there to assist people getting to the cave. It was really hard work to get to the top, very scary for me who had my hubby coaching & verbally helping me the whole way up, but it was so worth it, the waterfall inside the cave was partially frozen with some water pouring in through the icicles. Absolutely amazing.
On the way back I’m not sure what happened, we were just walking & talking, but instead of following the trail we’ve ended up along the road the continued on past the parking lot for the trailhead… I’m pretty sure it was a shortcut too because I feel like we got back much quicker than we got there!

Great, easy hike that’s close to the city. Water is freezing, so make sure to wear proper shoes or bring a pair of flip flops to change into when you walk back down

The falls area itself is just short of spectacular. I have heard that it was better back in the day, and that now a lot of new and gigantic boulders and slabs have come tumbling down; unattractive photobombers selfishly ruining the pristine eye candy of the falls proper. I am in no position to judge, but the falls as they now stand are pretty damn neat looking.
The hike up to the falls is nothing special, and quite easy. When you get to the falls the difficulty climbs as you try to get closer and closer. Eventually, if you want to see things really up close you’ll have to scamper across rocks and will inevitably want to cross the water, which can be dicey since the water moves so fast. I would not recommend bringing young kids here with the idea that they’ll go splashing around the falls. It is a recipe for a broken neck or busted cranium.

As the other reviews state, this is a fantastic hike for beginners.
Because of how easy it is & proximity to the city, there will most likely be others on the trail. So, pick a time when you think others won’t be as inclined to go. I went with some friends just after a torrential downpour in the city, so the trail was virtually empty.
Other than a few downed trees, some spots of slippery mud, and the occassional protruding rock, the trail is about as easy as they come — any easier and it’d be paved. When you finally get to the base of the falls, you’re most likely going to have to walk through some water if you want to get to a decent view point. It is possible to stay dry, but it isn’t always easy.
If you’re fairly sure on your feet & know how to be cautious, I definitely recommend you hike up the rocks to the actual Donut Falls. As the pictures show, it’s a pretty unique & really cool natural phenomenon. I do not recommend that kids under 12 make their way up the rocks. Maybe even a little older depending on maturity.
Get out there. Be careful. Have fun!

Donut Falls… when did we start doing Unilocal reviews for hikes? I noticed this off of a friends feed and decided I should probably review it.
I’ve done the hike several times since moving to Salt Lake. It’s easily the prettiest hike for the least amount of effort, closest to town, that there is. I’ve done it in winter and summer multiple times, so I’ll split it up below.
Summer: Crowded trail, but easy to follow. You will see a good amount of people along the way and may even wait to get inside the cave to see the falls. It’s a perfect summer hike though, only takes about two hours to fully enjoy it and go at a relaxing pace, and really is a good hike. You can park a lot closer than you can in the winter as well. If you are in to geocaching, there are several along the path to the falls. There is also one that is quite a bit up above the falls, but is worth going to if you’ve got the extra energy and don’t have small kids with you.
Winter: You’ve got to park quite a bit further out, but it’s still not a bad hike. There will be a lot less people, but there are still a couple groups at any given time. You don’t need snowshoes, but they sure do make things nice. The trail is there, but it can be hard to follow at times. Last time I did it I took a wrong turn and followed what looked like a trail and definitely had a good amount of feet on it… I eventually was faced with going down a steep, snow filled hill, but it was alright. The scenery is beautiful as well and it’s nice and quiet. The waterfall looks amazing with the ice and snow all around it.
Overall this hike is a nice, easy hike to some very pretty scenery. One of the few hikes that I care to revisit multiple times.

Took a group of Varsity Scouts (ages 14 – 15) there this weekend to hike and camp. We had a really good time! Beautiful scenery, and easy to get to. There was plenty of crusty snow, which for us was fine (we want the boys to have some adventure, right?). The small canyon is generally sheltered from the wind and like I mentioned, gorgeous scenery. I only gave 4 stars because of some confusing signage — it was difficult to know where it was ok to camp and where not to. Maybe some signs were covered by snow? Also, we were surprised at how crowded it was even with all the snow, but I guess that when something so beautiful is so accessible to a metropolitan area, that’s what you get. Overall, we loved it. Highly recommended.

A must «beginner» hike all can enjoy. Specially getting a bit wet going up into the falls. Be prepared to enjoy, nice workout and laugh a lot :)

One of my favorite hiking trails in Utah. It’s about a 30 minute hike to get to the «donut» waterfall. It’s surrounded by beautiful green trees and the smell of fresh pine. This trail is very easy and kid friendly. Finding this trail is really simple and about a 25 min drive from Salt Lake city area.

This is a way easy beginner hike, and was my first ever hike in Utah. Ahh, memories. You never forget your first.
It’s really pretty and as I mentioned before, easy. This also means its jam packed with people of all ages allllll the time which makes traversing the water a little tricky when you have to stop and let people by, etc.
I saw a moose up there last year which was way cool. Other than that one time I haven’t seen any other wildlife. Probably because its so busy.
There is a safety issue if you decide to scramble up to the actual ‘donut.’ It’s my understanding that someone was killed up here by a falling rock, so I stay back and enjoy from a distance.

Decent hike. We got there around 10am on Sunday and the parking lot near the trailhead was packed. We had to park at the lot right off big cottonwood rd. Starting from there, our hike was right around 3.5 miles round trip. It starts out paved, them gravel and then you meet the trailhead. There are bathrooms at the trailhead. The trail is shaded about 50% of the time. It is uphill all the way to the falls. The elevation gain/​loss is just about 700 feet. It is not a strenuous hike. It is very kid friendly until you get to the falls. Crossing the water could be difficult for kids if not careful. Also, climbing to the falls is not recommended for children. Not knowing what to expect before the hike, I was a little disappointed that you could not get closer to the falls without climbing wet rocks.
By the time we were done, there were enough people there that I would have been unhappy doing that hike if I had started then.
All in all, it was a fun hike but I will try others before I go back to Donut Falls.

I went hiking here last month and it was not bad. Snow had melted partially, so it wasn’t too hard. I think the trail’s about ¾ of a mile and 1.5 roundtrip. Pretty easy hike and i’d recommend it to anyone who’s new to the area and just wants to try a decent hike out. For people not used to the snow, I’d wait until late April, early May before going since the snow would probably be gone by then.

Donut Falls is one of those hikes I’ve been doing my whole life. It’s a nice, easy, kid-​friendly hike. The trail heads through the forest up to the falls and is absolutely beautiful. It’s very well marked, there’s a lot of shade, and you cross a stream which is a common place for people to stop to play or take pictures. There is a short but steep rocky step-​down right before you get to the falls, so kids may need help with that part, and once you get to the falls, the terrain is rocky and rugged, but overall it’s an easy hike.
The waterfall portion at the end has changed since I was a kid. Once you get to the actual waterfall, it used to be that you could see the water falling through the donut shaped-​hole in the rock from the bottom. But now you can’t. I was originally told that the rock finally broke and that there’s no donut-​shaped hole anymore, but then I read that a rock slide just blocked the view and that you have to climb pretty high up some potentially dangerous and unstable rocks to see it now. We didn’t climb up this time, but I would like to just to make sure the Donut is still intact. But even from the bottom, it’s still a great view and a worthwhile hike.

Ah, Donut Falls. Hike of my teenage years. I’ve done this hike at least 8 or 10 times because it’s so close and convenient to Salt Lake City.
As a somewhat experienced outdoorsman, though, I feel it’s my duty to tell you that in nearly all of the cases of me hiking here someone has gotten hurt. If you stick to the trail and stop when the trail ends at the water, you’re probably going to be just fine. But keep going up the water and rocks at your own risk.
My first time here my sister’s pal tried climbing up the cliff on the right. He fell and nearly concussed – we took him to the hospital. Second time was with a huge group of kids from my neighborhood. One of the neighbors got cute and climbed on top of the donut, only to slip, slide, and fall through the hole and he ended up in the hospital. As recently as last year my neighbor’s son was climbing up the rocks and slipped and fell underwater and had to be rescued by another neighbor.
Why am I telling you this? So you’ll exercise some dang caution. If memory serves, the property used to be owned by a family (in Hawaii?) and they shut it down because of liability issues. SLC got some watershed money and purchased the parcel and it was opened once again. I’d hate to see if close because of more injury.
All yay-​hoo messing around aside, it’s about as family-​friendly of a hike as you can hope for in SLC. Round trip you’re looking at about a mile and a half. It’s not all on the level, but you shouldn’t break too much of a sweat. The terrain is well-​traveled and through some trees and open areas. There’s lots of parking, but it will fill up on weekends. You’ll rarely have it to yourself. Not even close on weekends.
Just be careful out there. Use your head. Don’t let little ones climb up on the rocks. Bring a camera to capture the gorgeous and enjoy a refreshing hike in your backyard.