Donut Falls

Salt Lake City / Big Cottonwood Canyon / Wasatch Front / Cardiff Fork, Utah, USA

About Donut Falls

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Waterfall Safety and Common Sense

Donut Falls (I’ve also seen it spelled Doughnut Falls) was so named because the Mill D South Fork Creek spilled into a pothole that someone imagined was shaped like a donut.

Beneath the donut was a natural bridge where the water continued cascading down a series of bouldery slopes to comprise the overall main drop of the waterfall.

Donut_Falls_155_08092020 - Donut Falls
Donut Falls

That made this one of those rare waterfalls where we got to witness that combination of a natural bridge and waterfall.

And for that reason alone, that made this place quite popular, especially considering how close it was to Salt Lake City.

Beneath the donut part of Donut Falls, Mill D South Fork Creek would continue cascading some more before reaching more flatter terrain well downstream.

Some of this cascading stretch was what I had to traverse before climbing up a jumble of boulders in order to get the view that you see pictured above.

Donut_Falls_084_05262017 - Donut Falls when the Mill D South Fork Creek was flowing quite heavily due to snowmelt during our first time visiting it on Memorial Day Weekend 2017
Donut Falls when the Mill D South Fork Creek was flowing quite heavily due to snowmelt during our first time visiting it on Memorial Day Weekend 2017

As for the waterfall itself, the donut part was towards the top of the cascade, and it was quite miniscule compared to the rest of its overall drop.

Speaking of which, I’d imagine that Donut Falls probably had a cumulative height of around 100ft.

Donut Falls Trail Description – walking to the official trailhead

We visited Donut Falls twice so far – once in late May 2017 and another time in mid-August 2020.

Each time we’ve hiked to this falls, we started from Cardiff Fork turnoff, which made the hike on the order of 3.2-3.8 miles round trip.

Donut_Falls_005_05262017 - On our first visit in Memorial Day Weekend 2017, the Cardiff Fork Road to the Mill D Parking Lot was closed so we had to walk this additional mile-long stretch to reach Donut Falls
On our first visit in Memorial Day Weekend 2017, the Cardiff Fork Road to the Mill D Parking Lot was closed so we had to walk this additional mile-long stretch to reach Donut Falls

Typically, if we only started hiking from the official Donut Falls Trailhead, then the overall hike should be only 1.6-1.8 miles round trip.

On our first visit during Memorial Day Weekend in May 2017, the gate was closed at the Cardiff Fork turnoff so we had to walk that road to the official trailhead.

This walk was on the order of 0.8-mile, and it only took us less than a half-hour.

On our second visit, which happened in mid-August 2020, the gate was open, but we still opted to do the walk from the Cardiff Fork turnoff.

Donut_Falls_036_08092020 - On our August 2020 visit to Donut Falls, we took a mostly-shaded trail that avoided the Cardiff Fork Road before descending to the official trailhead, but it did a few more twists and turns while having a bit more elevation gain and loss
On our August 2020 visit to Donut Falls, we took a mostly-shaded trail that avoided the Cardiff Fork Road before descending to the official trailhead, but it did a few more twists and turns while having a bit more elevation gain and loss

We figured that it might not be worth the trouble to compete for limited spots at the official trailhead.

So when we did this, we walked down the familiar road just under 0.2-mile before we encountered a signed trail that left the road and followed a narrower tree-shaded path.

The trail did a few more twists and turns than the straightforward Cardiff Fork Road so it was a little longer and narrower (which made it a little harder to socially distance).

However, it crossed a road leading to a campsite at one point before meandering through more tree cover and curves.

Donut_Falls_037_08092020 - Looking towards the Donut Falls Trailhead from the trail that avoided the Cardiff Fork
Looking towards the Donut Falls Trailhead from the trail that avoided the Cardiff Fork

Eventually after another 0.8-mile (or 1-mile from the Cardiff Fork), this trail descended upon the official Donut Falls Trailhead.

We never noticed this trail on our first visit, and we wondered if this was a newly-built trail.

I suspected that if this was the case, then it might have been motivated by the Cardiff Fork Community.

After all, it would make sense that they would want to alleviate trespassing concerns given the Cardiff Fork Road passed between residences.

Donut_Falls_043_08092020 - Looking back towards the official Donut Falls Trailhead
Looking back towards the official Donut Falls Trailhead

Add to that the Donut Falls’ popularity, then it also made sense to try to reduce the number of pedestrians walking the road as well.

In any case, despite the relatively easy walk to the Donut Falls Trailhead, we had to take it slow if we weren’t acclimated to the high elevation.

This was because the Cardiff Fork was nearly 7,300ft and the official trailhead was at nearly 7,500ft elevation.

Donut Falls Trail Description – hiking from the trailhead to the waterfall

Beyond the trailhead, where there was a little restroom as well as some signage, the Donut Falls Trail then resumed its ascent along a pretty wide dirt path.

Donut_Falls_279_08092020 - Context of the ascending Donut Falls Trail and the head of the parking lot and restroom facility at the trailhead
Context of the ascending Donut Falls Trail and the head of the parking lot and restroom facility at the trailhead

Apparently, there was also a separate path that crossed the Mill D South Fork and followed a track on the opposite side of the creek though we’ve never taken that path.

Anyways, there was a lot of tree cover, including some groves of the cottonwood trees that probably earned Big Cottonwood Canyon its name (so the Fall Colors here must be amazing).

In addition, there was still quite a few patches of snow flanking and crossing over the trail when we first did this hike back in late May 2017.

However, for the most part, the hiking was pretty straightforward though the high altitude made our hearts race and our lungs burn.

Donut_Falls_070_08092020 - Julie and Tahia approaching a footbridge over the Mill D South Fork Creek en route to Donut Falls
Julie and Tahia approaching a footbridge over the Mill D South Fork Creek en route to Donut Falls

At around a half-mile beyond the official trailhead (or 1.5 miles from the Big Cottonwood Canyon Road), we then crossed over a footbridge.

The trail then promptly intersected with a wider trail that continued south along the west side of the Mill D South Fork Stream.

I suspect that the other trail we didn’t take from the Donut Falls Trailhead would eventually arrive at this trail junction.

In any case, this intersection was noteworthy because it would be easy to miss on the return hike given how much narrower the trail to the bridge was compared to the larger trail paralleling the Mill D South Fork Stream’s west side.

Donut_Falls_083_08092020 - On our August 2020 visit to Donut Falls, there were a lot of people on the trail, which made for a bit of a social distancing challenge
On our August 2020 visit to Donut Falls, there were a lot of people on the trail, which made for a bit of a social distancing challenge

For the remaining 0.3 miles or so, we kept left at the forks and eventually scrambled down a short but steep embankment leading to the Mill D South Fork.

Since we didn’t pursue hiking on the right side of the forks, we can’t say anything more about where those paths went.

Nevertheless, we then followed the Mill D South Fork until the trail abruptly ended where any further progress involved crossing the very cold and fast-running Mill D South Fork.

In addition to signage proclaiming that swimming and wading was prohibited, this obstacle was pretty much the end-of-the-hike for most visitors unwilling to get wet to continue.

Donut_Falls_086_08092020 - Julie and Tahia descending a rocky scramble to get down to the Mill D South Fork Creek en route to Donut Falls
Julie and Tahia descending a rocky scramble to get down to the Mill D South Fork Creek en route to Donut Falls

While the view from here left a lot to be desired given the presence of obstructing trees and how distant the falls was, it was still possible to get decent photos as well as a glimpse of the donut that earned this falls its name.

Donut Falls Trail Description – getting closer to the donut

We came prepared with Keens so we were ready to scramble across the Mill D South Fork.

However, on our first visit back in late May 2017, there was still a lot of snow around Donut Falls.

So that made the crossing this creek painfully cold (it would have been a good idea to wear neoprene socks at the time).

Donut_Falls_093_08092020 - Context of Donut Falls and people scrambling up the boulders that it cascaded over to reach the donut hole as seen during our August 2020 visit
Context of Donut Falls and people scrambling up the boulders that it cascaded over to reach the donut hole as seen during our August 2020 visit

It also made climbing up to the donut hole dangerous so I didn’t try it on that trip.

On our return visit in mid-August 2020, the creek was significantly lower, but it was still high enough to make it harder for those who tried to avoid getting their feet wet.

It was especially difficult to keep the feet dry trying to scramble up the boulders to the donut hole.

I found the boulder scramble up to the donut hole to be fairly moderate for the most part.

Donut_Falls_128_08092020 - Closeup look at people doing the wet and rocky scramble up the Donut Falls to access the donut hole during our visit in mid-August 2020
Closeup look at people doing the wet and rocky scramble up the Donut Falls to access the donut hole during our visit in mid-August 2020

There were some tricky sections though I didn’t find them to be all that bad.

That said, there were some high-touch rock scrambling sections, which concerned me in terms of COVID-19 possibly sitting intact on the rocks that got touched a lot.

Anyways, I managed to get right in front of and inside the little “cave” that Donut Falls dropped into.

Some people scrambled even higher above the waterfall, but it looked too steep for my liking (or at least when I considered the risk versus reward of doing that).

Donut_Falls_211_08092020 - Inside the 'cave' that Donut Falls dropped into, which can only be accessed with water shoes and a low enough flow, which was possible when I made my visit in mid-August 2020
Inside the ‘cave’ that Donut Falls dropped into, which can only be accessed with water shoes and a low enough flow, which was possible when I made my visit in mid-August 2020

After having my fill of this intimate experience with Donut Falls, I then scrambled back the way I came to rejoin my wife and daughter, who didn’t want to do the scramble.

Then, we hiked back the way we came to the official trailhead before deciding to continue walking down the Cardiff Fork Road (instead of the trail) given the lighter foot traffic and the straightforward descending trajectory.

Overall, the trip log on our August 2020 visit said that I hiked a total of 3.8 miles round trip, and we had spent about 3 hours in total away from the car.

Authorities

Donut Falls resides in the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest near Salt Lake City in Summit County, Utah. It is administered by the USDA Forest Service. For information or inquiries about the area as well as current conditions, visit their website.

Maps and Routing Content are for annual subscribers. See Membership Options.
Content is for subscribers. See Membership Options.
Tagged with: salt lake city, wasatch front, big cottonwood canyon, cardiff fork, natural bridge, utah, waterfall, park city, summit county



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Johnny Cheng

About Johnny Cheng

Johnny Cheng is the founder of the World of Waterfalls and author of the award-winning A Guide to New Zealand Waterfalls. Over the last 2 decades, he has visited thousands of waterfalls in over 40 countries around the world and nearly 40 states in the USA.
Read More About Johnny | A Guide to New Zealand Waterfalls.