Conditions Right Now
Use sunset as your turnaround alarm.
Why Hike This
The appeal here is specific: the creek drops through a hole it has worn in the rock, so the falls pour out of what looks like a donut rather than over a lip. It is 8.9 miles up Big Cottonwood to a short gravel spur and a small dirt lot with limited parking. There are two accessible vault toilets at the trailhead, which matters with young kids. The last stretch to the falls is a rock scramble, and wading in the creek is not allowed anywhere in this watershed.
The Trail
Waterfall that pours through a donut hole in the rock. Kids scramble right up to it.
Pack Loadout (Easy)
Water bottle, sunscreen, hat, snacks, comfortable shoes.
Getting There
Make it a weekend: Spruces Campground (Camping, 1 mi) · Redman Campground (Camping, 3 mi) · Albion Basin Campground (Camping, 5 mi) · Tanners Flat Campground (Camping, 5 mi)
More hikes nearby: Lake Blanche (Hike, 4 mi) · Silver Lake Boardwalk (Hike, 4 mi) · Cecret Lake (Hike, 4 mi) · Lake Mary, Martha & Catherine (Hike, 4 mi)
Quick Answers
- How long is the Donut Falls hike?
- 3 miles round trip with 551 feet of elevation gain.
- How hard is Donut Falls?
- Easy. Kid rating: 5 out of 5.
- When should I hike Donut Falls?
- Best season: May-Oct.
- Why hike Donut Falls?
- The payoff is unusual and it comes cheap. Three miles round trip through spruce and fir along the creek ends at a waterfall that shoots through a hole in the rock, and most kids can do the whole thing. Dogs are prohibited in Big Cottonwood, so this is not the one for a family dog.