Dripping Rock Trail

Call it an urban hike or call it a nature walk, Dripping Rock Trail is really fun. We know that a dripping rock doesn’t sound amazing, but you will be pleasantly surprised. And the best part is that anyone can hike this trail because it is paved, flat, and runs 1.0 mile roundtrip.

We love Dripping Rock Trail.

The Dripping Rock Trail hike can be done with a stroller and is very easy to follow. There are actually two trailheads for this trail. One starts directly across from the Spanish Oaks Golf Course. The other starts near the golf course and adds walking through the tunnel, which our kids really enjoy. There is a sign that talks about the trail and animals you can see while hiking. From the trailhead, cross the bridge over the small creek. You can stop here to look for fish and frogs (which we didn’t see). After crossing the creek, take a left through the tunnel (watch out for golf carts!) and follow the trail up to the junction. The golf carts will be coming from the right, but you need to take the first left and follow the paved path along the river.

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Watch for this sign in the parking lot so that you know you’re in the right spot.
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Cross this bridge over to the tunnel.
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Our kids thought walking through the tunnel was pretty amazing.

As you walk, listen closely to the river. At different intervals, you’ll hear what sounds like rain coming from the opposite bank. This, of course, is the dripping rock, and there are several places to see it. We saw three dripping rocks before we actually made it to “the Dripping Rock.”

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This is one of the smaller dripping rocks that we spotted.
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And another small dripping rock you will see from the trail.

You will know you’ve made it to the famous Dripping Rock because it is quite a bit larger than the others you have already seen. There is also a makeshift trail down to the river, but be careful as it is quite a steep drop. The best way to find where to go down is when the rock wall ends along the trail.

We went down and waded in the frigid water, which felt great on a hot day. The boys waded in the knee-deep water and rarely went in deeper than their chins. After awhile, falling down became quite hilarious. You can even wade across the stream and right under the dripping rock. It was so much fun! If you don’t want wet clothes, you can come in swimsuits. Our boys were quite wet when we finished playing in the river, but nearly dry when we got back to the car.

Follow the rock wall on the right until it ends. The trail down to the river starts there on the left.
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The Dripping Rock is pretty cool.
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The water was shallow, but as you can see they still got plenty wet.
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It was fun to walk behind the dripping water.

The trail continues on past the Dripping Rock. After about .1 of a mile we came to two awesome bridges. One is a suspension bridge. We walked across the river and checked out both bridges. The trail also continues further up toward the golf course. The trail climbs more and there is a view of the windmills. Once you get to the top of the hill, there is a small water holding pond and the golf course. The trail continues on up to the Spanish Oaks Reservoir. It is a steep climb of about another half mile. This would be a pretty serious trip for a strolller, so we wouldn’t recommend it. Stopping at the far end of the holding pond made our total distance 2.0 miles roundtrip.  

This is the first bridge shortly after Dripping Rock.
The second bridge is a suspension bridge, so it does sway a little bit.
It is such a cool sight along the trail.
The trail continues on, but it begins to climb. There is a good view of the windmills.
The holding pond is behind a fence. The trail continues around and then climbs up to the reservoir. It was pretty steep!
Our boys liked watching the golfers for a minute. Then we turned around and headed back to our car.

While you are hiking, watch for squirrels and birds. We saw several birds including yellow warblers, cliff swallows, and an American Goldfinch. Also, there isn’t much shade, so this hike is probably best in the morning or evening, even though the cold water feels better in the hot part of the day.

So grab a backpack, add a few towels and everyone’s flip-flops, then head down to Spanish Fork. Another great trail in this area is the Escalante Cross.

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We got a little wet! 😉
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The river is beautiful!
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This was the perfect family adventure on a hot summer day.

Directions

The hike is easy to find. For the first parking area, Drive up Highway 6 to the popular landmark of the Little Acorn restaurant. Turn right on Powerhouse Road. Spanish Oaks Golf Course comes up on your right and trailhead parking is on your left.

For the second trailhead to walk under the tunnel, Drive up Highway 6 to the popular landmark of the Little Acorn restaurant. Turn right on Powerhouse Road. Go about 1 block and turn right on Rivers Bottom Road. Then take an immediate left into the trailhead parking lot.

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This Post Has 16 Comments

  1. Ray Anderson

    We look forward to taking our grandchildren on this trail. Thanks for bringing it to our attention!

    We have a few of our own “adventure places” up Little Cottonwood Canyon we will have to share 😊👍🏻

    1. Natalie Ockey

      We hope you love Dripping Rock. It is one of our favorite trails!

  2. Emily Johnson

    Went today! we parked by the Libby of the golf course and just went right under the tunnel. There’s no signs anywhere over there.
    Also, it’s pretty steep for littles so plan on carrying them off the trail (kind of steep but not too far.) My 3 yr old was waist deep.. ?But she had fun!

    1. Natalie

      Wow! Waist deep water…the river must be super full still. Thanks for sharing about your experience.

  3. KimberLee

    They even have doggy doo bags at the start of the trail.

  4. KimberLee

    Yes you can have dogs there. We had ours up there today.

  5. Jeni

    Are Dogs allowed?

    1. Natalie

      We are not sure. We have had a few people ask, but haven’t been back to check the signs and see. Sorry! Once we know, we will update the post.

  6. Gunnar

    Drove around for hours and couldn’t find it. Why don’t you guys just drop a Google map with a pin on it into your posts. Its really easy just goto Google maps fins the spot drop a pin then share the map click on embed then copy paste that code into the website.

    1. Natalie

      Sorry you had a hard time finding it! We try really hard to be very specific about our directions, so we’ll look again at the post and see if we can fix it up to make it easier for you. Keep on adventuring!

  7. Lawna

    I think this us so awsome I want to go this year

  8. Laura

    I love your blog! Thank you so much for documenting all of this. We recently moved back to Utah and look forward to many nature adventures here. THANKS SO much!!!

    1. Natalie

      Thank you for leaving such a positive comment! We love Utah and are glad you have moved back to enjoy it too!

  9. Jeanne

    Did u go recently? Wondering if it’s still running or dried up by now….

    1. Natalie

      We went last Friday, so about 4 days ago (late June) and it was going strong! I’m guessing it might be dried up in August, but we will have to go back and check it out.

  10. Aliza B

    This sounds perfect! I can’t wait to take my girls up there.