Ferguson Canyon to SLC Overlook

Another great view from the Wasatch Front over the Salt Lake Valley is Ferguson Canyon. Just outside Little Cottonwood Canyon in the Twin Peaks Wilderness, this is a great dog friendly hiking area. There are also lots of climbing walls, if that is your thing. There are a few different hiking options from the Ferguson Canyon Trailhead. Winter and I hiked up to the Ferguson Canyon viewpoint – the trail map is on All Trails. The hike is listed as moderate with about 1,459 feet of elevation gain over 3.2 miles. *We tracked it at 3.6 miles.

Ferguson Canyon Trail

The trail starts out gently sloping up from the trailhead along a maintence road. Once you make it around the water station the road ends and the trail starts. From there to the climbing walls is relatively gentle elevation gain following the creek. When we started around 11AM there were only a two groups of climbers out. When we were heading back down at 1PM the climbing walls near the trailhead were much busier.

There were a few creek crossings lower on the trail that Winter played in. As we gained elevation and switched to the south slope, the snow and ice returned – even in April. I was glad I brought my microspikes, it gave me a little more security on this section of the trail.

The switchbacks getting to the overlook gave gorgeous views across Ferguson Canyon. Pictures do not do it justice. The views looking back across Ferguson Canyon were far better than the view over the Salt Lake Valley. But overall this hike was a fun one! Thankfully no unexpected events, only a great afternoon spent on the trails.

Before you go

Before you head out to the trailhead to enjoy a day in the Canyon with your pup it is important to know that parking is extremely limited at the trailhead. It is in a private neighborhood and the trailhead has about 15 park spots. About 0.25 miles down the hill there is additional parking, but that is also limited. Plan to knock out this hike early in the day or hunt for a parking spot. Especially on the weekends!

Also, this is an on-leash trail. However, almost every person did have their dog off-leash. With Winter, any time I saw or was around another dog I put her on-leash. As always, if your dog does not have a solid recall they should always be on-leash regardless of if it was an on or off-leash trail.

Enjoying all of Winter and my adventures? Check out more hiking and trips we have taken on our archives page! More hikes across Utah are also featured here!