Doughnut Falls

One for the list

Is it plungeworthy?

—feet tall

A waterfall on Mill D South Fork.

Scale12/60

Documentation15/20

Character8/20

The details

Watercourse: Mill D South Fork
Coordinates: 40.62971, -111.65482

Get directions →

About Doughnut Falls

Doughnut Falls is a waterfall in Utah, on Mill D South Fork.

Fed largely by snowmelt, it runs hardest in late spring and early summer and can thin to a trickle by late season.

Plungeworthy rates Doughnut Falls 3.5/10 — one for the list. The score weighs its scale, how confidently it's mapped, and its character.

What you'll find

Big Cottonwood's oddity: Mill B South Fork pours through a doughnut hole it drilled in the roof of a small cave, dropping into the grotto below. A short creekside walk through aspens; the final scramble to the hole is the spicy optional bit.

Getting there

Trailhead: Doughnut Falls Trailhead, 9 miles up Big Cottonwood Canyon
Parking: Trailhead lot fills summer weekends
Road: Paved canyon highway
Hike: 1.6 mi round trip, 400 ft of climb (easy)
Heads up: NO DOGS anywhere in Big Cottonwood — Salt Lake's watershed law, not a suggestion, not even in the car. Same law bans wading.

When to go

June through September; spring ice and runoff make the final rocks treacherous.

Rules & fees

Fee / pass: Cottonwood canyons day pass $10/3-day, or America the Beautiful
Dogs: Prohibited — watershed
Camping: Spruces and Redman campgrounds up-canyon
Warnings: The scramble into the grotto is polished and wet — plenty of visits end happily at the viewpoint.

Researched from Visit Utah — Donut Falls. Conditions change — verify before you drive. Been to Doughnut Falls recently? Post a conditions report below.

Where it is

Before you go

The pin marks the feature, not a trailhead or a legal route in. Some sit on private land or need a real hike, and conditions change with season and rain. Check local access, don't trespass, and never enter water — hot or cold — where it isn't safe.