Hidden Hollow: The Secret Nature Trail Most Sugar House Residents Have Never Found
There's a 17-acre nature preserve hidden behind the Sugar House business district. It has its own ecosystem, its own wildlife, and almost no foot traffic.
You've walked past the entrance to Hidden Hollow a hundred times and probably never noticed it. That's the whole point. Tucked behind the Sugar House business district, this 17-acre natural preserve is one of the most surprising green spaces in all of Salt Lake City.
Hidden Hollow has its own creek (Parley's Creek runs through it), its own wildlife (herons, foxes, and dozens of bird species have been documented), and a trail system that feels genuinely wild despite being surrounded by one of SLC's busiest neighborhoods.
The history is fascinating: this was the original site of the Sugar House sugar mill, ordered built by Brigham Young in 1849 as the first attempt to produce granular sugar from sugar beets. The mill failed — the beets didn't produce enough sugar — but the land remained, eventually becoming the hidden gem it is today.
How to find it: Look for the entrance near 1100 East and Sugarmont Drive. There's no big sign. That's intentional. The people who know about Hidden Hollow like it that way.