Rocky Mouth Falls is one of the hikes with the biggest pay offs for the smallest effort. It is in Draper and the only challenge is two long sets of stairs. After that, a hidden oasis awaits!
My kids love this hike because it’s short (both the .07 mile round trip and the drive there) and it’s so beautiful! They love playing in the little cave formations and balancing on rocks to cross the stream.
It is also mostly shaded. We saw a handful of other hiking groups, but it wasn’t too crowded when we went on Friday evening. This is a popular hike though, so try to go early or at other less popular times.
This is a great hike for toddlers and I would recommend this to anyone who can walk up 140 stairs, divided into two sections. Young kids can usually do it with a hand to hold.
Between the sets of stairs you walk along a Draper neighborhood for half a block.
See the two deer? One is hiding in the trees.
Once you get to the top of the second set of stairs, is a great view of the Salt Lake Valley.
There is just a short path to the falls. It goes through the trees and next to a big rock with a toddler-sized ”cave”.
My younger kids love to stop and get a photo there.
This is a great one to do any time of year. In the fall the waterfall dwindles significantly, but so do the crowds. The fall leaves are beautiful!
In the winter, this is a great one wearing micro-spikes since the trail does get icy. The frozen waterfall looks awesome!
In the spring there is some water on the trail. With the rocky terrain it’s easier to wear shoes that can get wet, but my boys were able to keep their shoes dry.
There are some beautiful wildflowers in the spring and the waterfall has a strong flow.
If you want to add a couple easy minutes to your hike, take the Bonneville Shoreline south a few hundred feet to the bridge. The first photo shows the Rocky Mouth trail to the left and the Bonneville Shoreline trail to the right.
You can see the creek below Rocky Mouth Falls.
Although this trail does continue over to Hidden Valley Park, but the trail gains and loses elevation several times, so while it’s great for exercise, it’s not worth it for most hikers.
Stats: Distance – 0.7 miles roundtrip
Approximate hiking time – 30 to 90 minutes
Elevation gain – 282 feet
Difficulty – Easy
Trail – well maintained trail of dirt and rocks.
Bathrooms – None
Seasons to hike – April – November
Permits needed – None
Pets allowed – No
Other nearby trails are the Bear Canyon Suspension Bridge, Hidden Valley Trail, Bells Canyon Reservoir, Ghost Falls, and the Temple Quarry Trail.
