Find your way up the canyon
A shaded-relief topographic map of the whole canyon, an interactive map you can pan and zoom, cumulative mileage from each trailhead, and driving directions. Distances and elevations here are measured from the trail centreline against the USGS elevation model — but carry an offline map for navigation: cell coverage fades above the falls.
Topographic map of Bells Canyon
Drawn to scale from the real trail centreline, with 200-foot contours and hillshading generated from the USGS 3DEP elevation model. Waypoint labels show the one-way distance from the Granite Trailhead and the measured elevation.
Trail, water and place geometry © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Relief and contours generated from the USGS 3DEP 1-metre elevation model. Download the underlying trail data as GeoJSON.
Pan, zoom and switch basemaps
The same route on live USGS topographic, satellite and shaded-relief basemaps. Tap a waypoint for its distance and elevation; use the layer control to turn features on and off. Click the map once to enable scroll-zoom.
Basemaps: USGS The National Map and OpenTopoMap (CC-BY-SA). No cookies or third-party trackers are used; basemap tiles are fetched directly from those services.
One-way distances from the Granite Trailhead
Starting from Boulders or Preservation changes the totals only slightly — the three approaches converge just below the Lower Reservoir.
| Waypoint | One-way | Elevation | Cumulative gain | Landmark to watch for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Granite Trailhead | 0.00 mi | 5,231 ft | 0 ft | Info kiosk; trail climbs south into scrub oak |
| Lower Reservoir | 0.76 mi | 5,612 ft | ≈390 ft | Shoreline loop; main trail continues around the east side |
| Wilderness boundary | 1.38 mi | 5,847 ft | ≈630 ft | Creek bridge and Lone Peak Wilderness sign |
| Lower (First) Falls | 2.31 mi | 6,738 ft | ≈1,520 ft | Short spur right, down to the falls viewing area |
| Upper (Second) Falls | 2.95 mi | 7,675 ft | ≈2,460 ft | Steeper tread; falls visible from a rocky clearing |
| Upper Reservoir | 4.58 mi | 9,370 ft | ≈4,160 ft | Follow cairns through boulder fields into the cirque |
Other guides commonly cite ≈4.8 mi and 9,388 ft to the Upper Reservoir. The small differences come from GPS-track smoothing and from where the reservoir is measured — the dam crest here reads 9,378 ft and the water surface 9,358 ft.
Driving directions
All three trailheads sit off Wasatch Boulevard in Sandy, about 25 minutes from downtown Salt Lake City. From I-215, take the 6200 South exit and follow Wasatch Boulevard south; or from I-15, take 9000 South east to Wasatch Boulevard.
Preservation Trailhead
East side of Wasatch Boulevard about a block south of Little Cottonwood Road (9400 S), Sandy. Best parking odds and the only reliable restrooms and water.
Open in Google Maps →Granite Trailhead
3450 E Little Cottonwood Road (9400 S), Sandy — just below the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon, on the right side of the road.
Open in Google Maps →Boulders Trailhead
East side of Wasatch Boulevard at about 10122 South, Sandy. Steeper start, shortest route to the Lower Reservoir.
Open in Google Maps →Download an offline map before you go. Cell service is unreliable above the wilderness boundary and effectively gone in the upper basin. The route above the second falls is faint and cairned — load the trail on an offline map app (or carry the USGS "Draper" quad) if you're headed to the Upper Reservoir.