Tooele County
Lace Up the Boots and Explore Tooele County

Tooele County’s 7,000 square miles offer a lot of wide-open spaces, but there are also plenty of mountains with trails of adventure waiting for those who wish to tread them.   The county has several rugged, scenic places to hike, so round up your outdoor lovin’ buddies, pull on your hiking boots and consider these:

Top of the World-Deseret Peak       Photo by David Berm

Stansbury Mountains: Home to 11,031-foot Deseret Peak — the highest point in the county — the Stansburys are the gems of Tooele hiking. Don’t forget your camera on this moderately difficult 3,600-foot climb, because waiting at the top are spectacular panoramic views. The 7.5-mile round trip route is pretty easy to follow. It begins at Loop Campground at the end of the road at South Willow Canyon and connects to form a loop to the summit. After three quarters of a mile the main summit trail turns left and follows Mill Fork — the trail to the right leads to another summit trail and North Willow Canyon. The main trail goes two more miles through meadows, aspen, Douglas fir and limber pine to a high ridge at 10,000 feet. Follow the ridge west three-quarters of a mile to Deseret Peak.

From the summit, you’ll see views of the Bonneville Salt Flats to the west and the Wasatch Mountain Range to the east. The round-trip to the peak and back takes about six hours and the upper slopes are generally snow-covered from mid-October to early June. To make a loop, follow the trail along the north ridge about 1.5 miles, which goes along the west side of three smaller peaks and then drops east into Pockets Fork; at the North and South Willow Junction head back to Mill Fork.

The Medina Flat trail head in the mid-canyon of South Willow provides access to the Stansbury Front Trail, a 25-mile hike that runs the length of the range but can also be tackled in stages, as well as Mining Fork, a mellow trail in a beautiful forest that leads to a spectacular alpine meadow and lake. This area and Deseret Peak are in federally protected wilderness and motorized vehicles and bikes are not allowed.

Grantsville Reservoir is also accessed from South Willow Canyon Road and is popular for trout fishing, picnicking and camping. Other trails lead from Davenport, North Willow and Hickman Canyon.

Oquirrh Mountains: Hikers seeking intriguing views of the Tooele Valley, but still hoping for a bit of a challenge, would do well to start on the ridge that separates Skyline Drive with Settlement Canyon. Here there are numerous steep trails that can easily be hiked in a day. Other easily accessed trails are in Ophir Canyon, located in the southern end of the range. Here hikers will want to take the road to its end, and then hike up the Picnic Canyon trail or the Lowe Peak trail, which tops out at over 10,000 feet. A second batch of canyon trails lead from the lower end of the main road and head south, first on dirt roads, then paths, to overlook Mercur Canyon.

Lower Settlement Canyon has lots of trails, some that are suitable for horseback riding and mountain bikers. It also boasts a small reservoir, Legion Park, and a picnic area 1.5 miles up. The Left Hand Fork trail, which takes off from Camp Wapiti, is especially nice. A gate, however, blocks access to trails for Upper Settlement Canyon.

Soldier Canyon, near Stockton, has great terrain but only a few trails. The best one follows the narrow, deep main canyon, then forks from there: to your left you’ll find a path that leads to an overlook of Settlement Canyon, while the right fork peters out in thick forests and plunging ravines. Right Hand Fork, which is the main south-running drainage, leads to a windy overlook of Ophir Canyon. Bates Canyon, in the northern part of the range, has a trail that leads steeply to the summit of the Oquirrhs, while Pole and Pass canyons, both surprising in their diversity, also have trails that lead to scenic views of Salt Lake Valley.

Cedar Mountains: These lower-elevation mountains are accessed best from Rydalch Pass; hiking along the main ridge is relatively easy.

Deep Creek Mountains: The highest peaks in this dramatic range are actually in Juab County. These maintained trails lead from Indian Farm, Granite and other canyons to beautiful streams, forests and tall peaks.

Fish Springs Mountains: These rugged mountains have old prospecting roads but no trails. However, the hillsides are relatively open and can be hiked easily enough; you may want to try accessing the area from the west.

For more information, including maps of the above sites, contact Tooele County Parks and Recreation at
435-241-0068.

Tooele County is a 20-minute drive southwest of Salt Lake City. The valley has 12 mountain ranges, including the Oquirrh and Stansbury Mountains, and provides diverse recreational opportunities removed from the active Wasatch.

The Desert Peak Complex is an all-inclusive recreation facility. An Olympic-size lap pool features a splash area for children and a waterslide. Motocross and BMX racers can compete on outdoor courses. Soccer, softball and baseball fields host tournaments, and leagues. Museums, archery, horse racetrack and indoor and outdoor arenas are also a part of this all-season playground.

The most accessible of Tooele’s mountain ranges are the Stansburys. 11,031-foot Deseret Peak appears as an oasis in the Great Basin desert with a moderately difficult 6.5 mile hike.

Haystack Peak is the highest point in the Deep Creek Mountains, rising to an elevation of 12,101 feet. This range has no maintained trails.

The Pony Express Trail is a county historical landmark. In 1860 horsemen thundered through on their way from St. Louis to Sacramento. The scenery is enjoyed by mountain biking or driving along the 25-mile gravel road.

Middle Canyon features a 19-mile fat-tire ride to the top of the Oquirrh Mountains for commanding views of northern Utah and the Kennecott Copper Mine. Settlement Canyon has two rides: the Dark Trail Loop for novices and Left-Hand Fork for intermediate to advanced. The 25-mile Standsbury Front Trail takes in the grandeur of the mountains and skirts the Deseret Peak Wilderness.

For road cyclists, the routes in Tooele County are beautiful and uncongested. The 50-mile Mormon Trail Loop is usually ridable year-round.

If you are hungry for diversity, Tooele County will satisfy your craving.