Rocky Mouth Falls

Tough Guys

We found a new waterfall to try this week. Near the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon is a short hike beginning in a residential neighborhood that leads to a beautiful little waterfall.

The trail is rocky and steep, but only about a little over a mile round trip. Hold onto little ones' hands (though it was Dad who took a tumble today).

To get to the trailhead, take Wasatch Blvd. to 11250 South. There is a small parking lot labeled Rocky Mouth Falls. Park here and walk up the stairs to the left. Look out for wildlife-- we saw several Western Scrub Jays (blue) and a squirrel that leaped over our heads from one tree to another.

Stairs up to the neighborhood

At the top of the steps, you run into a residential neighborhood. Turn right on the sidewalk and stay on the right hand side on the road as it curves around to the east. The trailhead starts between two fences and is clearly marked. (Note: it is illegal to park on the street here for the hike, and it would only save about 1 block of walking.)

The hike starts by that sign.

The trail is uphill for quite awhile, but beautiful in the fall.

The trail gets steep and rocky here, but it is well-marked and easy to follow. There are two little "caves" though neither is deep enough to actually be a called a cave. Still, the boys felt like regular spelunkers.

The waterfall is quite beautiful, and is sort of a carved out grotto that cascades down a good 30+ feet. We've heard that you can hike up around to the top (go left), though it looked to us that this trail would be challenging for most mountain goats. In the summer, this would be a perfect place to play in the water running down from the waterfall. It was too cold when we went.

This hike was definitely one more of Utah's little gems-- short, accessible, and absolutely beautiful.

Rocky Mouth Falls

One of the two caves you can check out.