Mountain canyon
Mill Creek Canyon
A close-in canyon of picnic areas, trails and a winter ski-and-bike road, with dog rules that differ from the watershed canyons next door.
Mill Creek Canyon is the Forest Service canyon just south of Parleys, reached from the city of Millcreek. Unlike the Cottonwood canyons it is not closed to dogs: they must be leashed everywhere on even-numbered days and may be off leash on odd-numbered days, and they must be leashed in picnic grounds, parking lots and on roads every day. Big Cottonwood Canyon, over the ridge, does not allow dogs.
A fee is collected at the tollbooth near the canyon mouth. The Uinta-Wasatch-Cache forest pass does not cover Mill Creek. Bikes are allowed on the upper Big Water, Little Water and Great Western trails only on even-numbered days.
The upper road closes to vehicles at a winter gate on November 1 each year and reopens in late spring. Above the gate the Forest Service grooms the road for cross-country skiing, and fat bikes may use it if they stay off the classic track. Salt Lake County takes reservations for the canyon’s group picnic areas and a winter yurt.