Out And Back · Big Cottonwood Canyon

Donut Falls

A short family hike to a unique donut-shaped waterfall in Big Cottonwood Canyon.

Also known as: Doughnut Falls

A short, easy trail to one of the most unique waterfalls in the Wasatch. Water pours through a hole in the rock ceiling of a small cave, creating a donut-shaped cascade. The hike follows a dirt road and then a creekside trail through forest. Extremely popular with families, this is a go-to introduction to Wasatch hiking for visitors and kids alike.

Quick stats

Canyon: Big Cottonwood Canyon
Distance: 3 mi round trip
Elevation gain: 530 ft
Time: 1–2 hrs
Difficulty: Easy · family-friendly
Dogs: Not allowed
Fee: Day-use parking fee
Best months: Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep

Getting there & parking

From Salt Lake City, head up Big Cottonwood Canyon (SR-190) about nine miles to the Cardiff Fork / Mill D turnoff and follow signs toward the Donut Falls Trailhead — roughly 26 miles and about 45 minutes from downtown. A standard passenger car is fine; you don't need high clearance. The trailhead lot is small and fills by 9 a.m. on summer weekends, so arrive early or come midweek. There are vault toilets at the lot and no drinking water.

Forest Service day-use parking fee: $10 per vehicle for 3 days, $20 for 7 days, or $60 for the season. Interagency (America the Beautiful) and Uinta-Wasatch-Cache passes are honored. It is a parking fee, not a hiking permit — drop-offs and transit riders do not pay. Pay on-site or at recreation.gov.

Know before you go

No dogs. Dogs are banned in all of Big Cottonwood Canyon — including dogs left in your car — because it is Salt Lake City's protected drinking-water watershed. The fine runs up to $650. The same watershed rules prohibit swimming and wading at the falls.

No hiking permit required. A Forest Service day-use parking fee does apply — see Getting there & parking above.

The route

First mile follows a flat dirt road. Final half mile narrows to a creekside trail with a short scramble to the falls.

0 mi · Cardiff Fork Gate / Trailhead Parking — Park at the gate and walk up the dirt road.
0.9 mi · Trail junction — leave road — Bear right off the road onto the signed single-track trail.
1.5 mi · Donut Falls — View the falls from the base of the cave. The wet rock leading up into the donut is steep and slick, and a warning sign at the base discourages climbing it.

When to go

Best waterfall flow comes in June during snowmelt; the falls can slow to a trickle by late August in dry years. Summer weekends are very crowded — go early or midweek. The road to the upper trailhead is gated in winter (dates track snowpack), but the trail itself stays open year-round.

In winter the Cardiff Fork road gates and you walk in from the canyon road — about 3.5 miles round trip, and a popular snowshoe. Microspikes usually handle the packed trail; bring snowshoes after fresh snow. The final stretch sits below avalanche terrain, so check the forecast before you go. Big Cottonwood Canyon also requires approved snow tires from October 1 through April 30, and avalanche control can close the canyon road outright.

Check current conditions before you go:

Safety & hazards

Reaching the donut hole itself means scrambling up roughly a hundred feet of wet, exceptionally slick rock. People have been seriously hurt and killed here, including a fatal fall in 2014, and a warning sign at the base says as much. Spring and early-summer runoff make it most dangerous. View the falls from below and skip the climb.

Rocks near and inside the cave are wet and slippery year-round. Use caution on the final scramble.

One of the most popular hikes in the Wasatch. Summer weekends see hundreds of visitors. Parking fills early. Arrive before 9 AM on weekends or go midweek.

Wildlife & geology

The canyon supports a lush riparian corridor. Moose sightings are common in the Cardiff Fork area, especially in early morning. Keep distance from moose.

Wildlife you might see: moose, mule deer.

The donut hole formed where water eroded through a weak point in a limestone overhang. The cave is a natural alcove carved by centuries of water action in the Cardiff Fork drainage.

History

Named for the donut-shaped ring of water created as the creek pours through a hole in the cave ceiling.

Cardiff Fork was a historic mining area. Old mine tailings are visible in the upper drainage.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a fee to hike Donut Falls?

Yes — the Donut Falls Trailhead is a Forest Service day-use fee area. Parking runs $10 per vehicle for three days, $20 for a week, or $60 for the season. An Interagency 'America the Beautiful' pass or a Uinta-Wasatch-Cache forest pass covers it. It's a parking fee, not a hiking permit, so drop-offs don't pay. Pay on-site or at recreation.gov.

Are dogs allowed at Donut Falls?

No. Dogs are banned in all of Big Cottonwood Canyon — including dogs left in your car — because it's a protected Salt Lake City drinking-water watershed. The fine runs up to $650. There are no exceptions at the trailhead or on the trail.

Can you go inside the donut or climb into the cave?

You can walk to the base and look up into the donut. Climbing the wet rock up into it is steep, slick, and dangerous — there's a warning sign at the base, and people have been seriously hurt and killed falling here. View it from below and leave the scramble alone.

Can you swim or wade at the falls?

No. Wading, swimming, and playing in the water are prohibited — the same watershed rules that keep dogs out of the canyon.

Is Donut Falls good for kids? Can you bring a stroller?

Yes for kids around four and up — it's an easy, mostly shaded walk. No for strollers: the last stretch crosses the creek and works over boulders, so bring a carrier for little ones and keep a hand on them on the slick rock at the end.

Are there bathrooms at the trailhead?

Yes — vault toilets at the trailhead lot. There's no drinking water, so bring your own or treat the creek.

Why is it called Donut Falls?

The creek pours through a roughly circular hole it eroded in a limestone overhang — a donut of water dropping into the cave below. Older maps and Forest Service signs spell it 'Doughnut Falls.'

Nearby hikes

Lake Blanche — Big Cottonwood Canyon