Mill Creek - Moab 
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RATING: Easy Hiking
LENGTH: 1+ Hours
GEAR: Sunscreen, A Swimsuit
MAPS: Moab, UT; Rill Creek, UT
Hype:
If it is a hot day in Moab, Mill Creek is THE place to be. This is a beautiful and very social place in the hotter times of the year.Trailhead:
From downtown Moab, head east on center street, turn right on 400 E, then left on Mill Creek Dr. Make sure to go right when Mill Creek Dr. turns right and the Sand Flats Rd. goes straight. Finally, left on Powerhouse Lane until it ends at a dirt pullout and parking area. See the maps at the bottom of this description for a visual map of the roads.Route:
From the pullout you will see a good trail heading east, up Mill Creek canyon on the south (right) side of the stream. Less than 5 minutes from the car is a sandstone gorge below a small dam that provides a great place to hangout a short distance from the car.For the more adventurous, continue heading up canyon, staying on the well used trail. The trail crosses the stream a few times, so don't be afraid to get your feet wet right from the start. About 15 minutes from the car, you may or may not notice a side canyon on the right (south). If you do notice it, stay in left fork (the main canyon on the most well used trail).
20-30 minutes from the car, you will arrive in shang-gri-la, a large pool and waterfall. This is an amazing place! The bold can swim the pool and up climb the waterfall, but another approach is to hike down canyon a short distance until you can easily climb up the right (looking down canyon - north) side of the canyon to a bench and walk above the pool to the top of the waterfall.
The waterfall is the destination for most, but continuing up canyon provides a nice hike in a beautiful setting. Return the way you came.
Photos:
My History:
Having heard about Mill Creek a few times, and getting a strong recommendation to see it from a friend who used to live in Moab, Cristina and I finally visited one very hot summer day. We were not disappointed! The water at the falls is crystal clear and refreshing. What a great place to spend an afternoon.Comments:
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Comments (3)
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There are a few petroglyphs on the rocks right after the dam on the right. They are very close (arms reach).
As always there was some garbage, but there was a very pleasant lady who was policing the area, and what she missed we packed out.
Totally worth the very easy hike in.
I don't know how "dog-friendly" it is, though. Just because they aren't banned yet doesn't mean they're welcome. Dog owners often have freedom fantasies that seriously inconvenience everybody else. Keep your wet, muddy dog away from people & clean up after yours & everybody else's unless you want to see them shut out.