Take the
detour.
The back way over the mountains, which almost nobody takes — up Big Cottonwood past a waterfall you can walk inside, over a pass at 9,700 feet, and down the other side for lunch on a deck above Deer Valley. Every stop scouted, driven, and vouched for by a local who lives for a good adventure. Show up. Lose track of time. Not a list. A plan.
Free · Full day · 45 minutes from Salt Lake
01
Get a taste.
The first stop is already open below. The rest of the day is sitting right behind the blur.
02
Open the whole day.
Twenty seconds — who you are, when you're going. The full plan appears right here. Nothing to wait for.
03
Just show up.
Every pin, price, and best-time-to-be-there is already sorted. You bring the person and the playlist.
The back way, quickly
Big Cottonwood climbs east out of Salt Lake and looks like it dead-ends at Brighton — except it doesn’t. Past the ski area the road keeps switchbacking up to Guardsman Pass at 9,700 feet and drops you down the far side into a valley that was silver mines before it was ski lifts, and then hosted half the 2002 Winter Olympics. Everybody else takes the freeway and gets there in thirty minutes. This road is only open half the year, and it’s the half of the day nobody expects.
The Donut Falls Detour
Donut Falls × Deer Valley × Olympic Park.
Curated by Hayden W., who takes this road instead of the freeway every month it’s open. Every stop is one he’s hiked, eaten, and vetted in person.
When to go
Once Guardsman Pass opens — roughly June through October
Guardsman Pass Road is a seasonal road. UDOT gates it from about late October until the snow is gone, and there is no version of this day without it — check the road status before you commit, especially in June and again in October when it can close on a week’s notice. Late September into early October is the one to aim for: the aspens over the top turn, and the drive stops being the way to the day and becomes part of it.
Hours change with the season and any stop can close without notice. Every map link opens that place's live Google listing — confirm before you drive up.
9:00 am
Donut Falls
A couple of miles round trip, mostly gentle, ending at a creek that pours through a hole in the rock — that’s the donut. Go early; the lot is small and it’s gone by ten on a summer Saturday. In summer, scramble up and get inside the falls, and wear something with grip because the rock is slick. In spring or fall, pack a thermos of hot water, two cups and a couple of hot chocolate packets, then sit at the top and drink them looking back down the canyon. Give it two hours.
An adventure awaits
The rest of the day is right here — where to eat, where to wander, and exactly where to be when the light goes gold.
Unlock the full detourFree · 20 seconds
What you get
- The whole day, already sequenced — so you never have to ask what’s next
- Every stop: what to do, what it costs, and how long to give it
- The exact map pin and street address for every stop — no wrong turns
- When to reach the Donut Falls lot, and what to pack for the top of the falls
- The funicular nobody knows is free, and the lodge hallway worth five minutes
- How to run the whole thing backwards if you’re already on the Park City side
- Where else to eat, and which sunset spot fits the way you’re driving home
- Free. All of it.
Unlock the rest of the day
Free. 20 seconds.
The whole day is one step away — every pin, every price, and exactly where to be when the light goes gold. One unlock opens every town on the site, and you’ll be first to know each time we drop a new date or adventure idea.
Tell us who you are and when you’re taking the detour. The full day opens right here.
Free. No spam. The page unlocks instantly.
More detours
Donut Falls isn’t the only one.
- MidwayUtah
55 minutes from Salt Lake
Swiss chalets and a cuckoo clock, the swim spot locals don’t post, a dairy farm, and a hill timed to the sunset.
See the day
- WendoverNevada
2 hours from Salt Lake
Thirty thousand acres of salt, the airfield the Enola Gay flew out of, Indian food at a truck stop, and the best sunset in the state.
See the day
Questions
Is it actually free?
Yes. Unlocking the detour costs nothing, ever. A few stops cost money once you’re standing there — lunch, a ticket, a tank of gas — and we put the price on every one so nothing catches you off guard.
Who put this together?
Hayden W. — these are his places. He’s either lived in these towns or drives out to them often enough that the stops aren’t research, they’re habit. He drove the whole thing, ate at every stop, and cut anything that wasn’t worth your day. No scraped lists, no sponsored placements, no tourism board. Just the day we’d take ourselves.
Why do I have to give my info?
Because we’re building more of these. The people on the list hear about every new date and adventure idea first. Twenty seconds, no spam, instant unlock — and it unlocks every town, not just this one.
Do we have to do the whole thing?
Not even close. It’s a plan, not homework. Do three stops, skip the rest, stay somewhere twice as long as we said. Getting lost in it is the point.
What if the weather’s bad?
Bring a rain coat and go anyway — you’ll have a good day. Check the forecast before you drive, then decide how you want to adventure: some stops don’t care what the sky is doing, and the ones that do are easy to swap or save for next time.
Is this a date thing or can I bring friends?
Either. It works as a date and just as well with three friends in the car — same stops, same day. Bring whoever you’d want sitting next to you at sunset.