We have being hiking in Utah for a number of years, but we had never tried hiking in the wintertime. This year we decided to bundle up and head to the mountains, and we fell in love with winter hiking. We feel like we have been missing out on so much fun in past years. Winter hiking has become a new favorite activity of ours, and we want to share our favorite Easy Winter Hikes in Utah with you.
This list are some of the easy, family friendly winter hikes that we have found for our family. Most of these hikes we enjoy in the warmer weather, but wanted to check them out during the winter. We will add to this list as we find other great hikes for kids.
We also learned a few tricks along the way, so we have put together a list of 10 Essential Tips for Winter Hiking. We hope they help you have an enjoyable winter hiking experience with your family.
Bridle Veil Falls (Provo Canyon)
Bridal Veil Falls is an iconic waterfall in Utah. It is also a simple trail to follow, and well traveled, with a beautiful ending. This hike is 1.0 mile round trip and has some fun stops to make it a great winter hike.
Lisa Falls (Little Cottonwood Canyon)
Lisa Falls is a short hike, only 0.3 miles round trip, and it has a small, but unique waterfall at the end. This is one of our favorites in any season, and we had the trail to ourselves.
Little Cottonwood Trail (Little Cottonwood Canyon)
This trail is a simple, gently rising trail that walks through the beautiful canyon scenery. We loved this trail because you can go as long, or as short, as you would like.
AF Canyon Nature Trail (American Fork Canyon)
We love the Canyon Nature Trail in American Fork Canyon because it has a bridge at the beginning and the end. It is only 0.5 mile round trip, and we had the whole area to ourselves.
Ensign Peak (Salt Lake City)
This was the toughest trail we tried simply because it was an uphill climb, but it was wonderful to get above the the dirty air of the inversion. It’s also a short climb with a few easy places to rest, so it’s not too difficult. And going downhill was a lot of fun!
Dripping Rock Trail (Spanish Fork)
This is one of our favorite trails to hike in the summer, so we decided to give it a shot in the winter. There wasn’t much snow, so walking on the paved path was easy. This trail is a little over a mile roundtrip, but it doesn’t feel that long. We didn’t put our feet in during the wintertime, but there was mud along the riverbank, so be prepared with shoes equipped for mud. Enjoy Dripping Rock Trail all year long!
Knight Rider Trail (Highland)
This 1.0 mile loop trail is right in city limits on the edge of Lehi and Highland. It’s a flat, easy trail with a frozen river and lots of birds. We even spotted an owl! We can’t wait to check this trail out in the Springtime, too.
