East of Salt Lake City

View from the Pipeline trail to the canyon road below

The gorgeous, majestic mountains of the Wasatch Range make up the eastern border of the Salt Lake Valley. Four major canyons of the range dump into the valley. The four most developed canyons include Mill Creek, Big Cottonwood, Little Cottonwood, and Parley’s Canyons. All four canyons contain developed roads, but Parley’s Canyon is the only through canyon. I-80 runs through Parley’s Canyon and is the connecting route between the Salt Lake Valley and the Park City area. The Cottonwood Canyons received their names from the streams originating there. UT 190 runs 14 miles up Big Cottonwood Canyon, providing access to those trails, while UT 210 extends up Little Cottonwood Canyon to provide access there. A county road climbs up Mill Creek Canyon, providing access all the way to the Big Water trailhead at the top of the canyon. Sections of all four canyons are in the Wasatch Front watershed area that feeds Salt Lake County below.