Hell Canyon Trail at Salt Lake City Foothills

more stats

3,146 ft

Distance

285 ft

Climb

-3 ft

Descent

00:09:39

Avg time

282 ft

Altitude change

4,841 ft

Altitude min

5,123 ft

Altitude max

4,841 ft

Altitude start

5,125 ft

Altitude end

Grade

-2.2%

Grade max

32.7%

Grade min

2,861 ft

Distance climb

210 ft

Distance down

75 ft

Distance flat

00:09:39

Avg time

Hell Canyon Details

Activities
- Hike
- Mountain Bike
- Trail Running
Riding Area

Salt Lake City Foothills
Salt Lake City, Utah
Difficulty Rating

Black Diamond Rate
Voted Difficulty

Black Diamond (9 votes)
Local Popularity
45 in Mountain Biking [+]
- 80 in Trail Running
- 65 in Hiking
Global Ranking
#124440 in Mountain Biking [+]
- #39251 in Trail Running
- #97027 in Hiking
Hiking SAC Scale

T1 Hiking
Trail Type

Singletrack
Bike Type

AM, XC, Fat
Direction

Uphill Only
Climb Difficulty

Black Diamond
Physical Rating

Hard
Dogs Allowed

Yes
Land Owner

Salt Lake City Parks & Public Lands

This is a narrow piece of singletrack with very tight switchbacks beginning off a straightaway from the Columbus trail. Some loose baseball-sized rocks, tight corners, and rocky steps make this a challenging climb ending at the foot of Crag's Trail.

Per the Salt Lake City Foothills Trail System Master Plan, this trail is only open to all uphill users, with downhill bikes prohibited.

source: SLC Foothill Trail System Master Plan

Traditionally Indigenous Territory

Recent Activity on Trail

Past Week

0 rides

6 Months

9 rides
15 miles avg distance

All

89 rides
Last: Sep 10, 2026

c1	c2	c3	c4
January	February	March	April
May	June	July	August
September	October	November	December

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Hell Canyon Trail Reports

status	date	description
	Apr 14, 2026 @ 5:04pm (America/Boise) Apr 14, 2026
	Mar 1, 2025 @ 3:30pm Mar 1, 2025	So much mud, do not attempt, 3in deep on all switchbacks
	Jun 23, 2023 @ 9:16am Jun 23, 2023
	Apr 28, 2022 @ 5:36pm Apr 28, 2022
	Feb 12, 2022 @ 7:18am Feb 12, 2022	There is gumbo mud sections above the 6th switchback. Two long sections have lots of messy and deep footprints. May be OK if early and frozen. But...

ino5VQ Apr 30, 2026 at 9:21

Climb is easy, the switchbacks are gnarly. Half are doable for me, the other half you need to nose manual to clear. Sick af.

matux Oct 3, 2025 at 10:48

I am out of shape (collarbone surgery) , and only cleaned 1 of 11 switchbacks, bad day? I still enjoyed pedaling up this trail. I added pictures of some of the switchbacks. Lots of exposure, I almost fell down the hill.

Kvision Feb 14, 2021 at 8:34

Seemingly lots of out-of-shape whiners reviewing this trail. It is an uphill with some challenging switchbacks, a few likely cleanable by only trials riders. Other than that the pitch is fine and it’s a good way to access some of the northern trails without climbing a boring fire road. Downhill isn’t really worth it, you’ll hardly get going before having to stop and navigate a tight turn.

Hell Canyon

Hell Canyon Details

Traditionally Indigenous Territory

Recent Activity on Trail

Hell Canyon Trail Reports

Photos

Videos

Routes with this trail

11 Reviews & Comments

Nearby Trails

Salt Lake City Foothills

Frequently Asked Questions

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