Salt Lake to Parley's Canyon (13.5 Miles)

Trail Description

City Creek Trailhead (.85 Miles -dirt)

The BST crosses City Creek Canyon Road at it's intersection with Bonneville Drive. The trail heads out of the canyon on the south side of the pond, where there are a few parking spaces. The trail goes up canyon and then quickly begins to climb. The trail climbs over 1,250 feet out of the canyon within the first three miles. The trail crosses a flat bench after the first set of swith-backs and crosses a wide trail coming from the Morris Reservior trailhead..

Morris Reservior Trailhead (.75 Miles -dirt)

Continue straight and climb up a ravine. Finally the trail flattens for a while and rounds a hill to a water tank above the Terrace Hills trailhead.

Terrace Hills Trailhead ( 4.5 Miles -dirt)

At the water tank turn and climb up a pair of hills before the trail flattens and winds through a few canyons. The trail meets up with the wide track coming up from the Terrace Hills trailhead, take this steady climb and rest at the top where the pipeline crosses the trail and people tend to congregate (this is the top of "The Bobsled", the Bobsled has a new starting point build in 2007, just another 50 yards down the trail). The trail flattens and turns through a few more canyons before turning behind "U" mountain at Limekiln Gulch and decending Dry Canyon. At the bottom of the canyon go right up the path to the Avenues trailhead or left down the road to the Hospital trailhead.

Avenues and Hospital Trailheads (1.65 Miles -dirt)

At the bottom of Dry Canyon head west down the gravel road, when the road turns south toward the hospital take the single track as it switchbacks up the hill. At the top head south on a level and wind through a couple of ravins as you pass above the hospital. When you reach Red Butte Canyon the BST decends to the west to the road, don't take the trail that turn east into the canyon. Decend the canyon road to the west fence of Red Butte Gardens, follow the fence south to the entrance and the Red Butte Trailhead.

Red Butte Trailhead (1.65 Miles -dirt)

Continue south on a straight gently climbing trail for almost three quarters of a mile. Pass through the gate into This Is The Place State Park. Please do not enter the Pioneer Village, which is a fee area. Watch for single track to take instead of the road and wind your way down to Imigration Canyon road.

Imigration Canyon Trailhead (4.1 Miles -paved)

Cross Imigration Canyon road and go south on Crestview Dr. Turn right onto Wasatch Dr. and follow it south through the golf course and past homes until it ends at Stringham Ave. Turn right and then continue south on the bike path along Foothill Dr. Follow the bike path over the set of pedestrian bridges over I-80. Take the new bridge across I-215 to connect to the Parleys Corridor Trail, this trail will eventually connect to the Jordan River Parkway. The path climbs the hill to the Parley's Canyon trailhead at the end of Wasatch Blvd.

Parley's Canyon Trailhead ( 15 Miles -paved)

From the parking lot above the freeway head south on Wasatch Blvd. Enjoy the view of I-215 on your right and Neff's Canyon and Mount Olympus on your left. Stay on Wasatch Blvd. past Big Cottonwood Canyon. Some day hopefully trail will me built through this section. The Forest Service has a draft plan for this segment of the trail, it will take a lot of volunteer construction work to get it open. Click here to download the plan. Continue on Wasatch Blvd. past Little Cottonwood Canyon until you reach Willow Park.

Access

City Creek Trailhead- From South Temple St take B St north up the hill. At the intersection of B St and 11th Ave. Bonneville Blvd decends into City Creek Canyon. Stay to the right of the one way street, bikers and joggers occupy the left side. At the bottom of the canyon park in the small pullout on the right side of the road.

Morris Reservior Trailhead- From South Temple St take I St north up the hill. At the end of the street take North Hills Dr left to Northmont Way past an LDS churchhouse and then left on the first street to a small parking area near the water tank.

Terrace Hills Trailhead- From South Temple St take I St north up the hill to 11th Ave. Go east on 11th to Terrace Hills Dr and park at the top of the street.

Avenues Trailhead- From South Temple St take I St north up the hill to 11th Ave. Go east on 11th to Popperton Park and continue east on Popperton Park Way to a small pullout on the left side of the road. If you enter a gated community you've gone past the parking area.

Hospital Trailhead- Take South Temple to 1300 E, go right on 1300 E and then left on 100 S. Follow 100 S east onto North Campus Dr and continue to the hospitals. Parking is tricky near the hospital with no parking at the trailhead. Turn into the Jewish Community Center parking lot and take the trail from a gate in the north east corner.

Red Butte Trailhead- Take 500 S or Foothill Dr to Wakara Way, go east on Wakara Way to the entrance of Red Butte Gardens. The trail crosses the road just west of the parking lot. The Red Butte parking lot closes most days at dark.

Imigration Canyon Trailhead- Take Foothill Dr to Sunnyside Ave. Go east on Sunnyside Ave to a small parking area on the north side of the road just past Hogle Zoo.

Parley's Canyon Trailhead- Take I-80 east and then south onto I-215 take the first exit at 3300 S. Turn left onto 3300 S and then left onto Wasatch Blvd. Park in the small lot at the end of the street.

Intersecting Trails

City Creek Canyon- Starting at the City Creek Trailhead City Creek Canyon is an easier "road" ride. It is a beautiful canyon hidden just minutes from downtown Salt Lake. Since it is so close to the city it receives a lot of hikers, joggers and bikers (both road and mountain bike). It is closed to bikes on EVEN numbered days and all HOLIDAYS.

The Bobsled- The trail descends for the BST and drops 1000 vertical feet over 1.6 miles. This is strictly a downhill - it is not recomended riding uphill on the Bobsled. In 2007 a new approach was constructed that is not as steep and rocky, a lot of work was also done in the bottom of the ravine to enable higher speeds.

Red Butte Canyon- The trail runs around the perimeter fence of the Red Butte Arboretum from Red Butte Canyon over to Soldiers Hollow. You can connect the ends of this trail into a loop via the BST and the paved road up Red Butte Canyon. It is a nice ride in either direction.

Parley's Creek Corridor Trail- A paved trail is envisioned following the Interstate 80 corridor from the mouth of Parley's Canyon to the Jordan River Parkway, a distance of about 8 miles. At the mouth of Parley's Canyon, the trail connects via a bridge over Interstate 215 to the Bonneville Shoreline Trail. The Parley's Corridor Trail will be the major east-west connector trail through Salt Lake City and South Salt Lake City. From its connection to the Bonneville Shoreline Trail over Interstate 215, the trail will follow the Interstate 80 right-of-way past Parley's Historic Nature Park and Tanner Park to 1700 East Street. At this point, the trail would pass south and west of Sugar House Park to the site of a old railroad grade under 1300 East. The trail will pass over the rail yards on a bridge to be built for the West Valley trax line, and then decent to the Jordan River Parkway. A great deal of work and partnering needs to take place to make the envisioned route a reality.

Climb above Terrace Hills Trailhead.

View of the water tank above the Terrace Hills Trailhead .

Climbing above Terrace Hills Trailhead.

The "Bobsled" decends from the trail.

Heading south above the Avenues.

Decent near Limekiln Gulch.