Corner Canyon Regional Park
Personal Notes
This page presents our personal notes on the hiking trails accessible from Corner Canyon Regional Park in Draper, Utah.
July 2010
Even though we live within view of Corner Canyon, we hadn't been up into that area for several years. We were pleasantly surprised to find modern restroom facilities at the main parking area at the bottom of the main canyon road, including drinking water and picnic tables. Up the dirt road, at the main trailheads, there are defined parking areas and vault toilets. Some also have picnic tables, and each has an informational kiosk.
Brochures are now available with colorful and well detailed trail maps, and the many trails are well marked and signed. The city of Draper has done an excellent job of preserving and upgrading the area to make it more accessible for hikers, mountain bikers, and horse riders.
Over the course of several weekends in July we hiked portions of several of the newly defined trails, as well as the full length of the well established dirt road. We generally hike this area in the early morning because the trails are mostly exposed, with little shade. But unlike many of the trails in the Wasatch Mountains, because of the predominant scrub oak and grasses (instead of pines) you can see out across the Salt Lake Valley, getting great views of the cities and towns that occupy this region.
We were impressed with the improvements to this area and intend to hike each of the defined trails in the near future.
June 14, 2004
Trail of the Eagle
We finally made the hike up the Trail of the Eagle in Corner Canyon. We wanted to conquer it once and for all. I kept thinking, for some reason, that it was only 1.9 miles up. It turned out to be a bit over 4 miles up, with about a 3,900 foot elevation change. And the trail was up up up all the way. In some places it was very steep. Not the kind of trail we generally like, especially for a first hike of the year.
Because we thought it was only a short hike, we took our fanny packs with one quart of water each. We didn't think we’d be out that long. Of course, as we climbed along, we kept saying that we’d hate to stop so close to the end. And as our legs and knees got more tired, and as we got hungry and thirsty, it became harder and harder to continue. But we persevered and made it.
The trail did go on a bit further, to where it crossed over the head of Bear Canyon and met up with the Cherry Canyon Trail. We had thought about taking that route back down, but it would have meant continuing on up for maybe another quarter of a mile. We just didn’t have it in us.
We did get to see the head of Bear Canyon and all of the granite protruding through the surface. It’s very pretty up there, and there was still some snow. There is a lot of water running in the canyon as well. And, from up there, you really do get an eagle eye view of the valley and the cities.
We saw a solo golden eagle, while, the previous week, lower down on the trail, we had seen two. We also spooked up a pair of Chukars. The previous week we spooked five or six. We also saw a small, shiny blue bird with several other vibrant colors. I’d never seen anything like it. At first we thought it was a humming bird, but as it flew off we realized that it wasn't. I was unable to identify it in any of our bird books.
The trail is strenuous and narrow. In the lower portions it is gravelly to rocky. The higher you climb the less traveled it is, and the less defined. But it is, in most places, easy to follow. As you get up higher you get into the scrub oak and other thorny, brushy areas. There are even some pine trees. In some areas the brush is high enough to create some welcome shade. But in other areas the trail is overgrown and you have to push your way through. If you wear shorts, like we do, your legs can get a bit scratched. There is also some wild rose along the sides of the trail, but there were no blooms at this time.
We passed by several cob web worm nests along the trail, with all the little squirmers wiggling around in their happy (but spooky) home. We also spotted several, but not many, small lizards.
After we rested some, and enjoyed the refreshing view, we headed back down. And the journey down is almost as difficult as the journey up. Because of the steep slope of the trail and the loose rock, it is often difficult to keep ones footing, even with heavy lugged soles. Fortunately, the scrub oak along the trail’s edge provided hand holds at some key points. Although, at one point, this practice didn't work well. Not watching what I was grabbing I wrapped my fingers around a thorny bush instead of the expected oak. Boy that stings.
My knees were shaky by the time we got to the bottom of this one. My bad knees just don't hold up well under these steep mountain climbs and descents. It took us 5.75 hours to do the hike. We only averaged 1.8 miles per hour moving. Well below our normal average. The highest elevation we reached was 8,277 feet. Because we took a slightly shorter route back down, our round trip mileage was 7.7 miles. The coordinates of our destination are: N 40 31 337, W 111 48 112. Our actual elevation change, as per our GPS, was 3,287 feet.
The weather was nice. Cool in the morning, with a slight breeze. It warmed up on the way down, but it was not unbearable.
June 6, 2004
Bonneville Shoreline Trail
For various reasons, took complicated to explain here, our hiking was delayed this year. So this was our first "hike" of the season. More of a warm up for longer and more strenuous hikes later on. On this morning we went for a five mile hike up in Corner Canyon. We walked along the gravel road for a ways, until its junction with the Bonneville Shoreline Trail. We then headed north along there until we got to the bridge and waterfall in Bear Canyon. Then we climbed out and hiked up the Trail of the Eagle for about half a mile, to a nice rocky perch where we could view the city below. We sat there for a while then hiked back down to the old access road, above the houses, and back to the Trooper. The total distance was 5.1 miles, according to the GPS. Anne’s pedometer showed over 11,000 steps.
It was a nice morning, warm, but generally not too hot. There was a slight breeze, a few bugs, we saw, what I think, were golden eagles overhead. We also spooked up a flock of Chukars. We also saw a couple of lizards.
May 18, 2003
GPS Coordinates (NAD83)
The following coordinates were taken with our GPS receiver. The elevation figures are approximate.
- Parking Area (near gate)
N 40 31 290; W 111 50 041; elevation: 4771. - Road Junction
N 40 31 076; W 111 50 131; elevation: 4710. - Bonneville Shoreline Access
N 40 31 595; W 111 49 659; elevation: 4980. - Bonneville Shoreline Junction
N 40 31 523; W 111 49 590; elevation: 5226. - Trail of the Eagle Junction
N 40 31 483; W 111 49 511; elevation: 5360. - Bear Creek Bridge
N 40 31 446; W 111 49 476; elevation: 5267. - Cherry Canyon Logging Trail Junction
N 40 31 254; W 111 49 766; elevation: 5219. - Salt Lake City Marker
N 40 30 456; W 111 50 063; elevation: 5190.
June 3, 2001
Corner Canyon Area
We live in the Sandy/Draper area of the Wasatch Front, and are very close to a protected area known as Corner Canyon. It's at the junction of the Wasatch Mountains and Traverse Ridge, which makes the prominent boundary along the southern part of the Salt Lake Valley.
Within the Corner Canyon area are many dirt roads, bike trails, and foot paths. The two main trails are the Lone Peak Trail and the Bonneville Shoreline Trail. Although the Shoreline Trail is fairly easy to locate, the Lone Peak Trail can be elusive. We've tried several times to locate the trailhead, but have not succeeded so far.
Bonneville Shoreline Trail
We have walked the Bonneville Shoreline Trail in this area, and find it to be fairly easy. There are a few ups-and-downs, but not much of significance. The trail pretty much runs along the upper most bench that was, during the last Ice Age, the shore of Lake Bonneville, of which the present Great Salt Lake is the remnant. The trail will eventually follow this ledge all the way from Provo, up through Salt Lake City, and around through Bountiful and up to Ogden. Portions of the trail are already completed.There are several points of entry to the Bonneville Shoreline Trail within the Corner Canyon area. From the main north-south gravel road along the foothills, watch for paths and jeep trails heading into the range. Follow any of these east and you will likely cross the Shoreline Trail. It is marked at most of the main junctions. There is not much trail to the south, but if you head north you will eventually come to the Bear Creek bridge, which sits just below a wonderful cascade, in a shady little side canyon. When you climb out of this densely vegetated area, you'll soon come to a marked junction. You can continue on along the Bonneville Shoreline Trail, hike up a side trail to the Nest of the Eagle, or take another steep route, back down to a gravel access road above some splendid houses. This footing on this route can be loose, with gravel and small stones. Going south on this road will take you back to the main Corner Canyon road and your entrance point.
If you follow the Bonneville Shoreline Trail to the north you will see some great views of the city below, and follow beneath some wonderful granite cliffs above. Eventually you will come to a barricade across the trail, warning that it is illegal to continue. Apparently the local landowner does not currently allow access across his property. However, the trail does pick up on the other side of the property and continues on for a way through a public park and provides access to several other canyons that cut back into the Wasatch Range. It is best to stay off of the private land until those responsible for the Bonneville Shoreline Trail can complete negotiations.
Trail of the Eagle
We haven't explored the Trail of the Eagle yet, but from our reading and the maps, it appears to climb back into the range and provides some great views of the valley below. We understand that if you like to bushwhack you can take this route all the way to Lone Peak.
