The trail is fully exposed to all elements, so be prepared to take plenty of water and sunscreen with you. You can get up close to the falls, but be careful as the rocks are slippery and the water is moving faster than it looks. If you continue past the lower falls, you will reach the upper falls and an old abandoned mining cabin, which is only another 1/2 mile up stream.
Directions
Drive about 3 miles south of Helper, UT on HWY 191. Turn right onto Consumers Road, and drive 2.7 miles. Veer left onto a dirt road. If you drive past the railroad track you’ve gone too far. Once down the dirt road, immediately cross the first cattle guard and continue driving. At 1.6 miles you will be parallel to the railroad track on your right.
Then, at 2.5 miles cross the railroad track and continue down the dirt road to the left, and the railroad track will now be on your left. 3.1 miles cross the 2nd cattle guard. At 3.3 miles look for the Gordon Creek Trail sign on your right. Park anywhere near this sign. The trail literally starts here, so to get to the falls just walk down this ATV road.
Do NOT follow Google Maps to get you here – it takes you a completely wrong way! Make sure to follow my written directions.
There are no restrooms or services along this road. On a Sunday, we didn’t even pass one car or see another person.
Trail Info
Distance: 2 miles RT
Elevation gain: 400 ft.
Time: 1-3 hours depending on how long you stay at the falls
Dog friendly? Yes, off leash (beware of ATVs)
Kid friendly? Yes
Fees/permits? None
The drive time from SLC is about 1:15-1:30 hours. Charlie made himself comfy in the backseat on a pile of purple.
Official TH sign. This is where you’ll want to park and where the trail starts.
To get to Gordon Creek Waterfall simply follow the ATV road.
The ATV road goes down a steep portion near the beginning, down to the creek.
You’ll see from this view that there are several game/single track trail heading up (West) in this canyon. DO NOT take any of those! We initially did this, and ended up hiking 3 miles before realizing we were in the totally wrong canyon! As long as you stay on the ATV road, you’ll reach the falls.
After crossing the stream, you should see the brown trail sign.
After hiking for roughly 10-15 minutes, you should be able to see the falls from a distance. Along this road you will see several campsites, but also a lot of trash from previous campers. I encourage everyone to pick up at least one piece of trash and pack it out.
Continue following the ATV road.
Gordon Creek Waterfalls!
January 2018
We returned to Gordon Creek Waterfalls January 13, 2018 and it was cool to see the falls frozen! Here are some photos from the same spots.
This time we climbed around the falls. Make sure you bring microspikes with you so you don’t slip.
Trail Map
My track via Gaia GPS – the best tracking app! Get your app here for a discount.
If you plan on riding your ATV here, check this out first before coming here.
Nearby Hike
Best Dog Friendly Waterfall hikes in Utah!
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