Dog-Friendly Hikes Near Salt Lake City and Lehi

Millcreek is the canyon near the city where dogs can be off leash on trails, on alternating days. The Forest Service renewed the odd and even day rule in February 2026. There is a fee at the tollbooth ($5 a day), and the county says the booth takes no cash.

The upper canyon road, from the Terraces up, has been closed to all public access for construction since March 2026, with the county aiming to finish before winter recreation resumes in late 2026. The lower canyon stays open, and the county names the Pipeline Trail as the way into the upper canyon on foot. That closure also covers the Big Water trailhead, the usual route to Dog Lake, so check the county's road updates before planning that one.

Two cautions. If a trail such as Desolation crosses the ridge into Big Cottonwood Canyon, the watershed ban starts at the ridge. In winter, dogs are kept off the groomed ski trail on odd days.

A short climb to a view over downtown and the valley. Salt Lake City asks hikers to stay on the trail and keep dogs leashed, and the trail connects to the Bonneville Shoreline Trail and the city's Foothills Natural Area if you want to keep going.

The city's foothill trail network runs along the east bench, with the Bonneville Shoreline Trail through it. Dogs are welcome on a leash. The city is clear that the Foothills Natural Area has no off-leash areas.

The lower canyon is a paved road and trail a few minutes from downtown. Salt Lake City says the treatment plant sits about three miles north of the canyon gate. Above it is protected watershed, and dogs are not allowed even on a leash.

All three appear on Salt Lake City Public Utilities' list of places to take your dog, and Mount Olympus and Ferguson are on Salt Lake County's list too. We could not find an official leash rule for each trail, so bring a leash and read the trailhead sign.

A creekside park more than a hike, and a good pick for an easy morning. Visit Utah notes that trails are marked as on-leash or off-leash, so follow the signs.

Mueller Park is 7.0 miles out and back and rated moderate by Visit Utah, on Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest land. Salt Lake City's watershed brochure notes that dogs are allowed on National Forest land in Davis County.

The flattest option and the closest to Luxe Den. The main trail is 46 miles long and starts at Inlet Park in Saratoga Springs, so you can pick it up near Lehi for an easy morning walk. Lehi also has a citywide leash law.

Draper allows leashed dogs on the Bonneville Shoreline Trail and the trails below it, from Hidden Valley Park in Sandy to the Potato Hill Trail, and on Potato Hill and the trails below it to the junction of Ann's Trail. Everything above the Bonneville Shoreline Trail is the Corner Canyon watershed, and dogs are not allowed there.

Draper's off-leash test area in the foothills. It is the same spot as the Deer Ridge trailhead in our Lehi dog parks guide, and a good place to let a dog run on dirt instead of grass.

The Forest Service says dogs must be on a leash at Tibble Fork, where the Tibble Fork, Mill Canyon and Holman trails start. Silver Lake Flat is the trailhead for the Silver Lake Trail, next to the Lone Peak Wilderness, and dogs must be leashed in developed sites there.

The canyon charges $10 per vehicle for three days, $20 for seven days or $60 for the season. One stop to skip with a dog: pets are not allowed on the Timpanogos Cave trail, which is in the same canyon.

The Forest Service requires leashes at all times here because of a rise in incidents of dogs harassing wildlife. The trailhead serves the summit trail and Scout Falls, and the same American Fork Canyon fees apply.

A popular waterfall hike on the Provo Canyon side of Timpanogos. Provo.com reports that the Forest Service requires a leash at all times at the Aspen Grove trailhead, which serves both Stewart Falls and the Timpanogos trail.