a humid millcreek hike

Both Milton and I were itching for a hike and we were able to talk H into joining us in Millcreek Canyon (SLC) on off-leash Sunday.  It had rained overnight and the skies were still a little overcast as we left the house just before 7 a.m.  As we drove up the canyon, it seemed busy already: there were lots of cars already parked at various trailheads.  But as we didn't encounter all that many people - just eleven dogs during the whole hike - maybe everyone up there drove themselves and didn't carpool.  We were the first to park in the large lot between the Terraces trailhead and the Burch Hollow trailhead and we walked down the road to hop on the Pipeline trail.  With all the recent rain the creek looked healthy but the trails were dry with no mud.

Mountain mahogany very frilly right now

We ground our way up the switchbacks to where the Pipeline trail levels out, and then cruised up to Elbow Fork, stepping off the trail now and again to let trail runners pass.  Temperatures were very pleasant and still almost cool, but it was quite humid for a day where it wasn't actually raining.  At Elbow Fork, we crossed the canyon road and crossed the creek for the Terraces trail.  This trail, shady but steep in parts, doesn't get nearly the traffic that some of the others do in Millcreek, which was evident by how overgrown some sections were - could have used a machete a couple of times.  

By the end of it, my ankle was a little sore from the sidehill portions, but generally that loop has good footing - mostly level and good dirt underfoot, not too loose or chunky.  It's also nice to be able to make a loop, which is always better than an out-and-back.

Hike stats: 6.33 miles; moving 2:11 hours / 2,9 m.p.h. and overall 2:24 / 2.6; 1,410 feet of elevation

Here's an old map from a 2016 hike of this loop