Haugen Flag | Little Willow Canyon Flag

  • Posted in Hikes
  • Updated

2023 Update: I drove up July 6 to see this flag, and it was not on display. I will update if this changes.

Utah has a second massive flag for the Fourth of July holiday! We know you have heard of the world’s largest flying United States flag in Pleasant Grove. It is one of our traditions to visit every Independence Day. But we recently found out about the Haugen Flag in Little Willow Canyon in Sandy, Utah. This large flag hangs across the canyon for most of July.

The Haugen Flag flies over Little Willow Canyon in the month of July.

Harold Haugen and his family hang this 60′ x 30′ flag across Little Willow Canyon every year. Haugen got the inspiration for the idea while on a trip to Europe.  He noticed national flags hanging in several mountain countries and thought an American flag would be a nice touch at home. Ever since 2012, the Haugen family has been displaying this large flag for others to enjoy in Sandy.

It is neat to stand beneath this large flag blowing in the wind.

You can see this huge flag while driving in Draper and Sandy. We noticed the flag when we were on Wasatch Blvd heading toward the Bell Canyon Reservoir hike. Then we decided we needed to find out more information and get closer. Now you can enjoy the Haugen Flag, too.

Hike Information

You can see the flag waving from the parking lot.

Park at Hidden Valley Park at 11700 S Wasatch Blvd. There is a nice view of the flag from here, but if you’d like to walk closer, it’s only 0.4 miles to stand below the Little Willow Canyon flag. At the far east end of the parking lot, we walked the paved trail for about 1/4 mile. There is a branch for the Bonneville Shoreline Trail that looks like it heads to the flag, but our boys wanted to stay on the flatter trail. At the 1/4 mile mark, there is a bench and a small dirt path up toward the flag.

Follow the paved trail toward the flag.
Watch for this little side trail that branches off from the paved trail after 1/4 mile.

This dirt trail is a climb, but it’s only steep for less than 1/4 mile. If you don’t want to walk up the hill, you will still have a great view of the flag from the paved trail. At the top of the hill you can stand beneath the flag. There is a gate that says no trespassing because of the watershed. We stopped and took a few photos before heading back the way we came. If you’d like to hike back along the Bonneville Shoreline Trail, there is a sign showing the way.

The trail up to the flag is steep.
If you climb up the hill, the flag hangs right above you. A gate prevents you from going further.
The trail to stand beneath the flag was pretty short.

We hope you’ll take the time to enjoy this beautiful flying flag. We didn’t see anyone else on the trail when we visited on a Friday morning. The Haugen Flag is on display from July 4 – July 24 (and sometimes a few days before and after). There is also a large star that the Haugen family hangs in this spot during December. We will be back to take a look!

Leave a Reply