Trails Utah is excited to announce the completion of this Upper Millcreek / Great Western Trail connector. With our partners at the Salt Lake Ranger District, we built a long sought-after trail connection in Millcreek Canyon just outside Salt Lake City. This new 3-mile trail links trailheads at mid-canyon (Elbow Fork) and several trails accessed from Big Water Trailhead at the end of the canyon. In 2017 Trails Utah secured grant funding from Salt Lake County to study the area and conduct necessary NEPA studies to determine the best location for the new trail.

Trails Utah hired professional trail builders to research and design a trail connector that would allow mountain bikers, runners, and hikers to move through the upper canyon away from the narrow, dangerous road. Previously, the only way to get between Big Water Trailhead and the Elbow Fork area mid-canyon was on pavement. The Pipeline Trail, starting mid-canyon just below the Elbow Fork trailhead, allows trail users to traverse the bottom half of the canyon on the north side, which is especially popular for mountain bikers coming off the Wasatch Crest.

After extensive study a new trail alignment on the south side—north facing—was identified late 2017 as the most feasible and cost efficient option. With the new trail corridor identified, the Forest Service stepped forward and conducted the necessary NEPA. The trail was completed in Fall 2021.