Lower Mill Canyon Highlights

Referred to as American Fork Canyon to the local wheelers, this is one of the few awesome places to offroad near Salt Lake City or Provo. Lush green forest and plenty of camping are to be expected throughout the trail. It is fairly well traveled so you will probably not be alone but there are enough trails to explore that you won't on somebody's back all day. You will get a good taste of what the Utah mountains have to offer as far as the greenery and steep inclines. There are a number of fun obstacles to test anybody's limits, but almost all of them have a bypass if you feel that they are too hard. Camping is everywhere up here and this is as close to the city as you can be while being "away from it all".

Route Description

This is a fun network of trails that are currently under threat of being evaluated for closures. This is one of few trails of its kind this close to Salt Lake and Provo in the Wasatch range. It will provide incredible green scenery in the spring and summer with plenty of wildflowers and wildlife running around. In the fall, this is a beautiful trail to do while the leaves are changing. It is a fairly mild road, however not maintained so there area few rough spots with loose, sharp rock. Once you hit the U-turns, it can get pretty washed out if there has been any rain. Be careful and pick your line to stay high. Above the U-turns, the road is rough again, but easy until the end. This is a must do for anyone in the Salt Lake Valley. There are only 6 legal trails that you are allowed to travel on up here, the rest are all private property or illegal spurs, so be sure to stay on the proper trails and watch for signs.

All routes in the Pleasant Grove Ranger District that hate a gate will close seasonally (weather permitting). This route has a gate that usually closes in November sometime and reopens when the snow has mostly disappeared (anywhere from late April-June).

1: Trailhead (0.0mi)

The start of the trail is a dirt parking lot with some trailer space for the day, however, people are encouraged to park in the parking lot for Tibble Fork Reservoir just down the road. It is a fully paved lot with plenty of parking as long as you arrive early. By mid-day on the weekends, you are sure to have trouble finding a spot at all.

2: Group Site (1.2mi)

Among all of the side campsites along the beginning of the trail, there is one larger group site with a pit toilet. There is plenty of room for camp trailers and vehicles as well as many tent sites. From here, no trailers are recommended, however, that doesn't stop some people!

3: Narrow (3.2mi)

This is a section of road that changes every year. It is a stretch of maybe half of a mile long where there is only room for one vehicle. A couple of years ago there was a washout and only a side by side or atv could get past it comfortably without needing a spotter to maneuver the downhill ditch. The drop-off on the south side is around 150-200 feet.

4: Lot (3.6mi)

There is a big dirt lot on trail right just before the turnoff to Forest Lake. This lot could be used for airing down if you haven't already. There is also a campsite here if you walk through the opening at the fence by the lot.

5: Forest Lake Trailhead (3.7mi)

The trailhead for Forest Lake will be on the right, clearly marked with an FS194 sign as well as the adoption sign. You do cross a creek here, but it is usually shallow and nothing to worry about. As with all water crossings, please check the depth before proceeding.

6: Mary Ellen Gulch Trailhead (3.9mi)

This parking lot is also the trailhead for Mary Ellen Gultch. Continue straight to finish Lower Mill Canyon.

7: Fork - Stay Right (4.1mi)

Here is a short spur to the left with some camping areas.

8: Fork - Stay Left (4.1mi)

There is a short spur to the right, just after the previous spur with some more camping areas.

9: End (4.5mi)

This marks the end of Lower Mill Canyon Trail. From here, you can continue up Mineral Basin or take Baker Fork Road into Midway, Utah.