Hiking the Skull Crack Trail, Causey Reservoir Girl on a Hike

Hiking the Skull Crack Trail, Causey Reservoir

The Skull Crack Trail at the Causey Reservoir, is located 45 minutes East of Ogden, Utah. This 142-acre reservoir sits at an elevation of 5,700 feet and is surrounded by steep, forested, valley terrain, which extends into three small canyons.

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About

The Skull Crack Trail is only 5 miles RT, and leads to the end of the Right Fork South Fork of the Ogden River. In Fall, this is one of the best spots to see the Kokane Salmon Hatch run, where the fish swim, spawn and succumb. The Kokane typically peaks in mid-September each year. As for the Skull Crack Trail, it’s a very gentle trail offering amazing Fall colors and great views of the reservoir. It’s perfect for dogs off-leash, and kids since it’s never very steep. Most of the reservoir is best explored by kayak, canoe, or paddle board, however, hiking along the Skull Crack Trail also provides jaw-dropping scenery. The Causey Reservoir was built from 1962-1966 as a way to provide water to the Northern Wasatch front.

Directions

Use this map if driving from SLC. There is one restroom at the TH.

Trail Info

Distance: 5 miles RT

Elevation gain: 400 ft

Time: 2-3 hours

Dog friendly? Yes, while it is off-leash, the day we went there were so many people that we ended up keeping them on leash.

Kid-friendly? Yes

Fees/Permits? None

The Skull Crack trailhead parking area. It’s located at the southern end of the reservoir, where the road ends.

The sign says 2.3 miles one way, but I tracked 2.5 miles.

The water level looked really low, even though we had an amazing snow year in 2023.

Towards the beginning of the trail, you will hike up on small hill. You will also get great views down to Causey Reservoir, of course.

Sections of the trail are somewhat shaded but it’s mostly exposed. This is another reason why Fall is a great time to hike here – cooler temperatures!

You’ll get up much higher above the reservoir as you continue to hike. You should have some pretty amazing views of the lake.

Finally the trail begins to descend, and you can now see the stream.

The famous Salmon run! I was so amazed by this – I had never even heard that this was a thing until my friend brought it up. She suggested hiking here so we could check it out – I was pleasantly surprised! So cool to see. This photo above was from 2016 – look how many there are!

And this photo is from 2023. Wow, what a difference. I don’t know if it was from timing or if there was just a lower population of Salmon this year. You never know what you will see when you arrive.