Neffs Canyon Trail is a 6.2 mile moderately trafficked out and back trail located near Salt Lake City, Utah that features a great forest setting and is rated as difficult. The trail offers a number of activity options and is accessible year-round. Dogs are also able to use this trail.
dog friendly
backpacking
camping
cross country skiing
hiking
nature trips
snowshoeing
trail running
walking
forest
views
bugs
rocky
snow
Directions from Salt Lake City: Head east toward Mill Creek Canyon on 3800 South Wasatch Blvd. At the first stop sign (Parkview Dr., 3700 East) turn right and go 1.1 miles to Parkview Terrace (4175 East 4245 South). Turn left and continue to White Way (4275 South 4260 East), turn right heading generally eastward and uphill to the end of the road. The trailhead is marked and the trail begins as a rocky jeep road. The drive takes you through a residential area. Please be courteous of others and their property. No parking after 10:00 PM.
I hiked a portion of this trail on one of the warmer days so the snow was a bit softer in some areas. Right now it’s hard pack snow because of the hikers, sleds, skis and snowboards but was easy to hike with my microspikes. I’d highly recommend listening for the people skiing/sledding down the trail because you won’t see them first and if you have your dog with you they may not see the pup.
Aubrey Vance recorded Neffs Canyon Trail
Steep trail, but great for sledding and hiking. I hiked it with only my Yak-Traks and was fine, though I wish I had brought poles.
So fun to hike in the snow—for sure use crampons
Gorgeous trail, and best of all dogs are allowed every day!
Super pretty with all the snow. A bit steep. Fun to see people sledding and skiing down!
Awesome hike to bring along the puppers!
:-)
Great views and an exciting way to see the North side of Olympus.
Should have brought my snowshoes, was tempted to explore the ridgeline ...
Another time ...
It was a beautiful winter hike! Definitely recommend bringing yak-tracks or crampons for the slicker parts.
Didn't go the whole way but had beautiful views and a wide enough path for people to pass. Took my dog and everyone seemed very friendly and welcomed him with pets. Not all the snow melts so make sure you wear good hiking shoes with grip.
Trail is definitely uphill the entire way, deserves its ranking. We went last week and it was pretty snowy at the top so it was very muddy and slick. Views were pretty but just okay. Meadow was full of snow.
My wife and I did this a couple days ago. It took us about 4 hours round trip, but we kept a pretty decent pace the entire way. It is straight up just about the entire way - bring lots of water! It is beautiful hiking with mixtures of pine and aspen trees, wildflower meadows and steep canyons. The view of SLC in the pictures is from the very beginning, not the top (we found that out on our way down after no view of the city at the top). At the top you can continue right or left on further trails that will take you up to the peaks. That was about 3.5+ miles in, so we turned around. Overall hike ended up more around 8.0 miles round trip. As others said, keep right at the first few Y-intersections.
Did this hike today. Closer to 7.1 miles. Beautiful trail but definitely hard with lots of loose rocks. Suggest taking extra water especially if you have dogs. Took the hammocks up and rested at the top of the trail. Flies and other bugs pretty bad right now. Definitely a challenging hike both the ascent and descent. But so worth it at the top.
I don’t think I’ve ever made it to the top...but it is beautiful! Especially in the winter. Gets incredibly slippery with ice during winter so I suggest not wearing nikes during the winter. Would go again and my dog loves the hike!
The trail starts out very rocky with sections that nothing but loose rock. Fortunately this disappears after roughly a mile and half in. Be sure to keep right as you come to the first few trail junctions as these will put you on the loop or on some trail.
It doesn't take long for the grade to increase and is more or less sustained throughout the hike. There is plenty of shade and some opportunities for water as of June 1.
At the end is a trail junction marked by a large cairn. Left will take you to Desolation Trail and right will put you on the Wildcat Ridge trail. If you go right, it isn't long before you will reach a saddle overlooking Big Cottonwood Canyon - a spectacular view. If you plan to climb the peak to the left, do not follow the trail over the saddle, it will only make the endeavor much more difficult. Other peaks are nearby if you're interested in bagging a few.
Overall the hike is worth the effort if you decide to capture the view from the saddle or bag a few peaks. The trail is accurately rated as difficult.
Steep and sustained but awesome shadey hike! Upper trail dead ends at a fork with the mt Olympus trail. We didn’t go past this point. Bet there are some good views from up there.
Just hiked this trail today. Uphill all the way with only a few flat spots along the way. Not much water on the lower half but a spot or two toward the top. Pushed past the end of the trail and continued on to the ridge line to enjoy an amazing view and restful kip in some hammocks. Took us about 4.5 hours to make it up and back with a 30 min nap at the top.
Hiked this on June 11. In from out of town and was curious what a “hard” hike was really like. Did not disappoint! Definitely a work out and the view was worth it! The trail actually ends at a junction instead of at the meadow, we added a rock to the pile once done!
Great family hike today. 7 adults and 3 kids. Great views.
Fun hike. Good leg burner, stream and little waterfall, shade in many areas and great views of the valley and the meadow at the top. Great workout. I definitely recommend it.
Did this trail last weekend. Ran down the trail to find a rattlesnake literally on the lower third of the trail. I found this to be one of the better hikes in Utah. Steep and rugged and crosses streams. Loved it. Will do it again
Hiked up to the saddle on 5/19. There was a couple feet of snow the last mile starting about a half mile above the meadow. Wonderful hike. There are three or four water crossings this time of year. But I was able to make it without getting my feet wet. Don’t let the full parking lot at he trailhead fool you— 90% of those people will be hanging out along the creek in the maple groves along the first mile of trail.
hiked this trail for the first time 5/20. waterfall is raging right now. this time of year not for anyone uncomfortable with creek crossings. trekking poles would have been good for crossing the falls and the steep downhill. above the large meadow youll hit snow. follow the tracks through the snow and youll make it up to the ridge overlooking BCC but be sure to bring spikes for the way back down. will probably melt in a week or 2.
Amazing hike! Hiked it today 5/12 (first time) in the fog rain and it was wet and wonderful!!! A bit challenging to find, but worth it. (Stay to the left and watch for log crossings and rock cairns when you’re not sure of the trail.)
very beautiful trail with great views creek is dried up right now. And it is a steep and hard hike.
Make sure to wear hiking shoes lots of rocks and little steep but overall nice hike lots of shade - my dog seem to enjoy it
Really enjoyed the upper meadow is was very lush.
Neffs canyon is my dogs favorite!
Love this hike! First time going and the scenery is beautiful! Wear your micro spikes or you’ll have a hard/funny time coming down ;)
Gorgeous view! Can see the whole city view on the mountain
Beautiful right now!
This is an easily accessible hike for those in the SLC area. The trail rating of 'hard' is certainly accurate as it is quite steep and there are lots of portions with uneven footing. Not very trafficked, but most everyone on the trail brings their dogs (myself included) and lets them roam off-leash so if you aren't an animal lover this might not be for you. My full description of the hike can be found below:
https://www.kelseykagan.com/home/2017/8/31/neffs-canyon