You love your new downtown studio apartment, but Mr. Pickles would trade all the exposed-brick loft-iness in the world for a good solid outdoor frolic. If a stroll around the city neighborhood is proving insufficient, here are a few great destinations for you and your rambling pup:
1. Tanner Park
2760 South (Heritage Way) 2695 East, Salt Lake City
If you’ve got a social pup who just wants more paws in his life, head to Tanner Park. The popular park’s easy, meandering, dirt-packed trails are accessible any time of year, and there’s a great natural stream. You can take Fido off leash once you pass the sign that marks the entrance to Parley’s Nature Area, and take advantage of the dog wash and dog clean-up stations before you head out. Again, it’s a popular park and it gets crowded on the weekends, so if your mutt is a lone ranger, maybe try a different stomping ground.
Difficulty: Easy
Leash required: No
2. Round Valley
3160 Round Valley Way, Park City
Round Valley is a local favorite and less crowded than Tanner Park. This is the spot to bring Spot if she just loves wide open spaces. With 40 off-leash miles and easy, moderate and steep trails, you can find everything you need in one place.
Difficulty: Easy – Difficult
Leash required: No
3. Mill Creek Canyon
East on 3800 South (Mill Creek Canyon Road) from 3500 East (Wasatch Blvd.), Salt Lake City
Unleash the hounds! (Every other day.) Mill Creek Canyon in Salt Lake allows dogs to be off leash on odd days (the 1st, 3rd, 5th, etcth of the month), but on even-numbered days they must be leashed and stick to developed areas, like picnic grounds and parking lots. This canyon boasts a great trail system, with mostly moderate and difficult trails. Local dogs love Dog Lake trail because at the end of the trail is a really nice meadow. Just kidding, it leads to a lake.
Difficulty: Moderate – Difficult
Leash required: No – but on odd calendar days only
4. Neff’s Canyon
4326 White Way, Salt Lake City
Another local favorite is Neff’s Canyon, a 5.5-mile round-trip hike that can be moderate to difficult, depending on how far you and General Mac-Arf-fur want to go. And don’t forget your camera — Neff’s Canyon gives you some great views. Because of the exposed trail, sunscreen and water are recommended for day hikes.
Difficulty: Moderate – Difficult
Leash required: No
5. Mount Olympus Trail
Approximately Wasatch Blvd. and Tolcate Hills Rd., Salt Lake City
Are you the proud owner of an Energizer Beagle? If you need a hike that will really wear Puppers Q. Doggleston out, try hiking Mt. Olympus. This challenging hike is steep, rocky and has a 360˚ view at the summit that might make you emotional. The trail becomes a scramble near the summit, so if your dog isn’t capable of navigating large rocks, it’s best to turn back at the saddle.
Difficulty: Very difficult
Leash required: Yes
6. City Creek Canyon and Freedom Trail at Memory Grove
110 N State St., Salt Lake City
If the in-laws want to spend all day shopping at City Creek and you just want to play in the mud with Frank the Tank, check out this lovely trail two blocks from downtown. The trail runs parallel to the canyon road and the actual City Creek the mall was named after, and includes the dog-friendly Memory Grove Park at the base.
Difficulty: Easy
Leash required: Freedom Trail is off-leash, Memory Grove is on-leash
7. Killyon Canyon
Take Emigration Canyon Road east 6 miles, turn left onto Pinecrest Canyon Road for 0.4 miles, take the right fork another half-mile to the parking area with a sign.
If you want a lovely, quiet walk with your pooch, check out Killyon Canyon, located at the top of the most overlooked of Salt Lake’s canyons: Emigration Canyon. It’s a great streamside hike that measures about 4 miles round trip. Enjoy the gentle rolling hills and tree groves; for bonus points, go in the fall and check out the great colors.
Difficulty: Moderate
Leash required: Yes
8. Dimple Dell Nature Park
10400 South 1300 East, Sandy
If you live near the point of the mountain, check out Dimple Dell Nature Lover Park. (Nature-loving credentials will be checked upon entrance.) This is a shady, lovely park boasting a natural ravine with several hiking trails crisscrossing it, and a chilly river that runs in spring and early summer.
Difficulty: Easy
Leash required: Yes
9. General Park City Hiking Trails Info
You could spend years traversing the Park City trail system and still have new routes to explore. With over 400 miles of continuous, no-motorized-vehicles-allowed recreational hiking, Park City is a dog-lover’s Mecca. Check out Willow Creek Trail and Lost Prospector Trail to start you off.
Difficulty: Easy - Difficult
Leash required: Yes
10. Bloods Lake and Lake Lackawaxen
Guardsman Pass Rd, Park City
These two odd-sounding lakes are accessible by easy hikes and can be a great place to go if Pawla Deen needs to cool off in the water. While most of Big Cottonwood Canyon is a watershed that doesn’t allow dogs to swim or be off-leash, Lakes Lackawaxen and Bloods are a refreshing exception. Trailhead is on the east side of Guardsman Pass.
Difficulty: Easy
Leash required: No
11. Horsetail Falls
At the end of Grove Drive (200 East), Alpine
If you and Herr Schlobbernozzle can’t get enough of the water this summer, check out Horsetail Falls. It’s a forested and shaded (but steep) 4-mile hike with a great waterfall to reward you for all your work. Plus, dogs are allowed off-leash. Everybody wins.
Difficulty: Difficult
Leash required: No
12. Silver Glance Lake
Trail begins at Silver Lake Flat Reservoir, American Fork Canyon
Silver Glance Lake is not for the faint of heart or paw. The trail crosses two streams, offers great views of Mt. Timpanogos, and leads to a high alpine lake. It’s 5 miles round-trip with an elevation gain of about 1200 feet. Also, the road getting there is rough, so we’d recommend leaving your compact car in the garage.
Difficulty: Difficult
Leash required: No
