The Grotto in Hornet Canyon

Great trail but take a right at the split about a mile in.

Loved it! Moderate in difficulty but rather short. Water features at the top are lovely!

Beautiful hike. Hard to know if you’re going the right way. Take Steed Creek trail turn-off. Eventually you’ll see Grotto markers. Very steep and drop-offs but do-able. We’re thinking it should be marked as “hard” more than “moderate.” Does have ropes toward the top to hold onto. Beautiful hike and worth it,

5 starts because the end is worth it. We got a little confused exactly where this trail was at times. Started this at 4pm and it was still really hot for the first half of the trail. As others have said, it gets shadier and cooler the further in. Trail is definitely narrow closer towards the grotto. There are ropes. There’s a nice shallow stream that would be a good stopping point for younger kids to hang out and then go back. Would probably do this with my 7 year old but not my 3 year old. We passed one couple on the way up. Perfect for social distancing or if you just don’t like crowds.

Loved this trail. We hiked it on 5/29/20 beginning about 7:30 am and were done by a little after 9 am. The first part of the hike follows the Bonneville Shoreline Trail, so it was flat and easy. You come to a stream that you have to cross. There isn’t a bridge, but the water isn’t deep and there are plenty of rocks to use to cross. Shortly after the stream crossing, there are some makeshift stairs built into the trail on the right. Head up those stairs and then follow the trail. The trail is narrow, and there are steep drop-offs in a few places. Signs point your way to the Grotto. When you get to the last .19 miles before the Grotto, there’s a sign pointing the way. It’s a bit of a scramble from there and pretty steep. There are a few ropes installed that aid in balance and climbing. The grotto with its weeping walls, waterfall and pond are completely amazing! It’s like being in a rainforest. Definitely one of our new favorite hikes in this area. We were a little wary because we had seen other people mention they had seen snakes on this trail. We did see one on our way back down, not far from the trailhead, as it slithered into the grass at the side of the trail.

I love this hike. I went with someone who had hiked it before, which was good, as there are parts of the trail that aren't marked as well as they should be at the beginning, although once you're on the trail, the Farmington Trails Committee has done a fantastic job with the markers. It was blistering hot today, but lots of intermittent shade to stop for a quick drink. Never saw the need for water shoes. I personally don't think the trail is either steep or difficult, but it is nice they installed rope as you enter the grotto. Once you're there, you feel like you're in Hawaii and standing under the weeping wall is awesome, which I did immediately. We also took the offshoot to Steed Creek Trail to catch a nice view of the city (and it's only 386 feet off the trail). Honestly, I think anyone can do this hike, and you definitely should. It's a hidden gem I've never heard about.

5/27/2020 Loved the grotto! Trail starts on the Bonneville Shoreline trail. Not much shade until you get closer to the grotto. Steep spots with light scrambling. Some ropes to help you feel secure. Be careful if you have little ones as the trail is narrow with drop offs. Loved all the green. It is a nice shady place to cool off.

Lovely trail. Starts out unshaded and open with views of Farmington/Great Lake (watch for snakes) then continues up steps onto a wooded/shaded trail. The last .2 is steep and slick mud when wet but well worth the final assent (keep to the right when the trail splits with both ending at the grotto - easier to navigate but still narrow). There are ropes to aid in balance at the end. Well worth the climb.

loved this hike until the last half mile uphill. a little sketchy for young ones but there is a small rope to kinda help. wasn't as busy as other hikes nearby but at the top even 3 groups made it really hard to take some pictures and hang out. beautiful views for miles on the way. go right at the marked fork. left is straight up and right is much more gradual. markers are confusing

Narrow path but the end worth it

Love this beautiful place!!!! There is a fork at one point. I don’t remember the trails listed on the sign, but right is more gradual...left is steep uphill most the way!

Nice little trail. I saw kids around 6-7 and they did just great. It was a little muddy in spots but just the right amount of wet for good foot traction. Great hike to start the season and get out of the house.

The hike is pretty good and easy to follow. No part of the trail is washed out. But it does get narrow at parts. Just be careful and you'll be fine.

This is a nice little trail to take the family on and to start the hiking season off with. The trail has a little bit of everything to get you back into hiking again. the trail head that is marked on AllTrails will start you on a fire road you will find the trail is marked with a little sign and starts with some stairs. Once you start on the trail it is easy to follow (has signs at the intersections, 2 of them) it does get narrow at times, but not bad my kids have been on narrower trails when they were younger. At the top the waterfall is a nice little treat and the water is flowing good right now. It is not a big area at the top so I would say to get there early or wait till later for everyone to move out. We started at 10 on a Sunday morning and only say a couple of people on the way up. It was a lot busier on the down. I tracked the hike at 2.5 hrs start to finish with the family. the trail was a little muddy do the storm that come through a couple of days ago but not bad. I would like to say thank you to the whoever put the ropes in they helped getting up and down the trail.

Great trail, just follow the map and it’s not too hard to find. It’s fairly high traffic, but definitely worth going up.

You'll reach a point where the trail is washed out and you can't continue up river anymore. There are a few small one's from that point that dead end.

Fun hike but the end is a bit treacherous. Wouldn’t recommend for kids

Love this hike. Short with a great payoff!!! Not too hard, but you feel like you did something. Not too crowded. Went mid afternoon and it was great

This is a hidden gem. Trail near the water—fun, narrow, steep incline with ropes. And a sweet little waterfall at the end. But I agree with previous posts—would be a bit tricky for young kids.

Awesome hike! kinda steep and narrow I'm some places but ropes are there to help. young kiddos did great! grotto is pretty sweet!

Based on reviews and stats for this hike, we took our kids ages 4 to 7 and was much too hard for them. Near the end the trail is very narrow and drops off. Lots of carrying and hand holding to keep them on the trail. Without kids it seems like a great hike although the trail is starting to disappear from all the drop off. The grotto is beautiful. When you cross the water I wish there was a better crossing. The rocks and wood placed in the creek move and it’s very easy to get wet

The grotto was really cool but we saw a rattlesnake and a gopher snake. Cross the river to get to the trail, don’t follow the river or you will have to scramble up a mountain to get to the trail. Make sure to take the fork to the right to get to the grotto. Overall cool trail

Watch out for snakes

Fun trail with a tough incline. Not worth going half a mile further for waterfall canyon. There wasn’t a ton of traffic on a Saturday afternoon.

This is a nice, family-friendly hike with a very nice trail. It has some steeper sections, but nothing most kids can't handle. The Grotto is small but beautiful. Definitely not as rewarding as one of the waterfall hikes in this same canyon, but those are much harder hikes that aren't great for families with small children.

Tough incline, but completely worth it. Well kept trail with ropes to help in the narrower and steeper inclines. Probably good for older kids, but I won’t be bringing my younger ones.