town and country

Millcreek Canyon in Salt Lake City isn't somewhere we've tended to go a whole lot.  Being so close to the urban center, it is heavily used and parking can be an issue if you don't go early.  (We go early.)  But, unlike Big Cottonwood Canyon and Little Cottonwood Canyon (becoming exponentially more heavily used themselves), Millcreek Canyon allows dogs.  Since we now have a dog who loves to hike, we headed up there one Sunday morning.

 Hark! A squirrel!

Millcreek Canyon is organized to accommodate both dogs and MTBers: on odd-numbered days, dogs are allowed to be off-leash on all trails; on even-numbered days, MTBs are allowed on the upper canyon trails (Big Water, Little Water and Great Western).  Bikes are always allowed on the Pipeline Trail, even on off-leash days, so be aware.

Views for days

And then there's us

We drove up to the small Elbow Fork parking area and nabbed a spot there for a hike up Mt. Aire, which we haven't done since 2015.  Once we got up the trail a bit, we let Milton off his leash.  He stuck to the trail really well - no doubt attuned to all the dog smells - and only charged off into the underbrush occasionally after squirrels.  The Mt. Aire trail is steep (like most Millcreek Canyon trails) but it's generally pleasant to walk on: it's mostly packed dirt until you get to the saddle, where it gets rockier up to the summit, and it's mostly shaded too.

The boys checking out the scenery

Amazingly, we didn't have to contend with many people, with just a few around on our way up, no-one out on the rocky summit ridge with us, and a few more on our way down.  Milton got to meet several nice dogs and was very well-behaved; he would say hi, check in with their people for possible pats and then continue on his way.  He even got complimented on his dashing red bandana.

It's important to stay hydrated

When we got back down to the car, the parking area had filled in and there were people coming and going.  We didn't linger there too long, just long enough for the Campfire Lounge to open its dog-friendly patio.  The guy at the gate checked Milton's rabies tag and then brought him a dish of water as soon as we sat down.  We were the first ones there but before too long, other folks and their dogs rolled in.  Milton was pretty tired from the morning's hike: he stood up to greet everyone but otherwise crashed out under our table.  What a good boy: adventure dog and city dog!

Trying not to fall asleep on the Campfire Lounge patio

Hike stats:  3.87 miles; moving 1:57, 2.0 m.p.h.; overall 2:59, 1.3 m.p.h; 2,000' elevation