I’ve lived in Salt Lake City for 21 years, and I’ve never hiked to Donut Falls in Big Cottonwood Canyon. So on a recent weekend, myself, along with my wife and son, decided to finally tick one of the most popular Wasatch hikes off the to-do list. To my surprise, hiking Donut Falls was better than expected, because the route now features more trail, less road.
New Trail, Better Hike
Donut Falls is easily among the most crowded hikes in the Wasatch Front, because the hike is short, easy, and ends in a spectacular gorge where a creek cascades down a series of boulders. Atop that cascade is a cave where water pours through a hole in the roof. This round hole is where the waterfall gets it’s name at it resembles a donut. On a typical summer weekend, you can expect hundreds of people to make the trek. This hike definitely is not for the anti-social, which is why I’ve avoided it for so long. I’ve also been turned off by the fact that, if you parked at the Cardiff Fork Road or Mill D North Fork trailhead, half the hike was on a paved road – not exactly the wilderness experience I seek when hiking.
But in recent years, all that has changed as major improvements have been made to the Donut Falls trail. New singletrack has been cut from Big Cottonwood Canyon road, all the way to the official, small Donut Falls trailhead (where there is very little parking.) This new section of trail makes the hike from the Cardiff Fork Road parking area much more enjoyable overall.
Hiking Donut Falls
Donut Falls is a short and easy hike, only 3 miles roundtrip from the highway to the gorge. The trail is wide, smooth, and never very steep as it crosses meadows and evergreen forests. In the past, hikers had to walk on the paved road that goes partway up Cardiff Fork. But newly-built singletrack sections from the parking area make the hike much more enjoyable. When I did the hike, bridges over wetlands were under construction below the trailhead to further improve the trail experience.
At the end of the actual trail, to reach the waterfall and cave, you must navigate a steep, dangerous scramble. Wet boulders, loose dirt and rocks, and log crossings must be navigated to get to the top. When I did the hike, I saw many people scrambling, even parents carrying their infants in backpacks. I only allowed my 7-year-old son to go halfway up before things got too dicey, then went solo to the cave. There’s a large sign at the bottom of the scramble warning of the dangers, and advising against crawling up the slippery rockfalls. But if you insist on making the climb, wearing proper shoes with good grip is a must.
At the top, you have to wait your turn to enter the cave as it’s small and only fits a handful of hikers. Try not to get too annoyed at the Instagrammers hogging the space as they try to get multiple, perfect shots posing in front of the waterfall (yes, this happened to me.) Once inside the cave, you’ll notice the temperature immediately drop as the waterfall’s spray washes over you. The hole in the roof where the falls cascade down is a natural wonder, among the most impressive geologic features in the Wasatch.
When you’re finished with your own Instagram poses, be careful downclimbing back to the canyon bottom. The rocks are smooth, wet and slippery, and a fall could result in serious injury, or even a fatality.
Getting to Donut Falls
To hike Donut Falls, drive 9 miles up Big Cottonwood Canyon until you see the Cardiff Fork/Mill D North Fork trailhead. Park at the huge parking area there and locate the Donut Falls trailhead on the south side of the highway. The trail is well marked and easy to navigate.