Bonneville Shoreline Trai: Millville Canyon to Blacksmith Fork Canyon

Dogs Unknown

Features Birding · Fall Colors · River/Creek · Views · Wildflowers · Wildlife

From the trailhead at the parking lot for Millville Canyon, go through the Deer fence gate and make a quick right (to the south) at a locked gate. Unfortunately, this gate is always locked and (although everyone is free to go and use this trail) you'll need to jump over the fence or the gate to get onto the trail.

The trail itself drops down to where Millville Creek crosses under the road through a culvert, and you approach another gate that needs to be jumped over. Luckily, this is the last one of the trail. Once you pass the gate, the trail starts to go up and down the rolling foothills of the Bear River Range as it heads toward Blacksmith Fork Canyon.

The first couple of miles are fairly easy with not much elevation change, and then as the last mile approaches a couple of steep drops occur as the trail drops down the terraces of the Blacksmith Fork River and down to water level. Eventually, the river comes into view and then passes right by the trail (on the other side of the deer fence) which is scenic and beautiful.

Soon after, the trail narrows down to singletrack that goes up and over some rocky parts and then drops down into a very shady section with some thick trees around it. There is a gate that is locked in the winter when the elk are calving in the Millville Face Wildlife Management Area, but it is open during the rest of the year. Go through this gate and the trail goes up and around a spring that feeds a small creek that flows into the Blacksmith Fork River (and if you take the trail that goes closest to the small fence, you can avoid a small creek crossing). The trail eventually drops back into the shaded forested area, and then crosses a small fence to get to the parking area in Blacksmith Fork Canyon.

This trail is a great, easy trail and a fun way of getting to Blacksmith Fork Canyon from other parts of the valley. It also offers great views of Cache Valley and the surrounding mountains (Gunsight Peak, the Wellsvilles, etc.) and you can often see deer along the route if you go early enough in the morning.

There are lots of deer in this area, as well as many kinds of birds and beautiful wildflowers in the Spring.