Hiking Nobletts Creek Trail Utah: A Beautiful and Easy Hike

Looking for a stunning family hike where you can beat the heat, escape the crowds, and let the kids play? With the popularity of many Utah hiking trails that can be hard to find. We’re going to show you all about Nobletts Creek Trail, one of the best easy hikes in Utah that’s perfect for kids and adults alike.

Here’s what you need to know to plan a fantastic day hiking Noblett’s Creek Trail. The trail is easy to follow and is a great all ages hike near Heber City, Utah.

Nobletts Creek Trail Details

Distance: 2.1 miles
Elevation Gain: 250 ft
Difficulty: Easy
Dogs Allowed: Yes, on leash

Other Adventures in Park City

Nobletts Creek Trail Location

Find the exact location HERE. Nobletts Creek can be accessed by either going south on highway 32 through Kamas or heading east on highway 32 out of Heber City. Once you hit highway 35, you’ll drive through the small towns of Francis and Woodland. The trailhead is 12 miles east of Francis.

The trailhead is on your left at a large parking lot. In the winter, you’ll find lots of snowmobile trailers parked here, but in the summer, it’s primarily cars. At the parking lot, you’ll find a couple of vault toilets that you can use before you hit the trail.

As you pass through the town of Woodland, keep an eye out for the Woodland Biscuit Company (just one block west of the LDS church). They have a limited opening schedule, but it’s one of the best places for breakfast in all of Utah, so it’s worth stopping on your way to or from the trailhead. Lines there can be long on weekends, so consider calling ahead to make a reservation!

What To Bring When Hiking Nobletts Creek Trail

Nobletts Creek is a pretty easy hike, that doesn’t need much training or preparation. In fact, we often use it with our kids as a training hike to get their little lets stronger for longer hikes or to get out of the house for a quick and easy hike.

As with any hike, we always carry a backpack with some snacks, water for everyone (at least a liter, 20 oz for kids), and an extra layer of clothing.

In the summer the creek is flowing and it’s dammed up in several places by beavers. Knowing that our kids are incredibly attracted to water along the trail, I go, knowing that we’re going to get wet feet. That means that we wear either waterproof hiking shoes or sport sandals. These are our favorite open toe sandals and if you want more closed toed protection, choose these sandals.

We occasionally see mosquitoes near the beaver ponds later in the summer, though they’re not usually a big issue. Pack some bug spray just to be safe.

Since most of the hike is shaded, we usually wear a lightweight long sleeve shirt to protect against any potential bugs and to stay warmer once the temperatures get cooler in the shade. We especially love this affordable sun shirt for kids!

In the winter, you’ll still find a few places with some water, so waterproof hiking boots or good fitting snow boots will both work. Don’t wear chunky moon boot style boots, since those are difficult to cover any milage in, even though they’re great in the snow. There have only been a handful of times that snowshoes were necessary beyond the first 1/4 mile of the hike, so we typically leave them in the car and only go grab them if the snow on the trail is extra deep once you enter the forest (it’s usually not that deep and well packed down. Trekking poles are incredibly helpful in the winter, especially for going down and back up the first big hill past the parking lot.

Hike Details

The Nobletts Creek hike is an easy out and back hike that follows Nobletts Creek. If you’re hiking in June, there are a few sections where the water is higher and can occasionally overflow onto the trail, but this is rare.

The hike starts at the parking lot and continues northwest across the meadow and over to stand of trees. There is a short and steep section for about 100 feet where you descend down to the beaver ponds. Moose are commonly seen here as are beaver and deer. If you do encounter a moose, remember to give it at least 150 feet of space and to never approach a mother moose with a calf.

From the beaver ponds, the trail follows the creek up and into the forest. The trail is really easy from here on out, and there are plenty of opportunities for kids to play in the water and explore the forest. The trail dead ends at the end of the canyon, and for a coulpe of months in summer, there is a small waterfall here. The end of the trail has a few small cascades as well which are absolutely beautiful.

If you’re looking for a good spot for a picnic lunch, the meadow at the beginning and the flat areas in the first 1/3 of the hike up are your best options. There’s a log bridge over to an island with a log fort, which is our personal preferred spot to stop and eat lunch.

In August and September, you’ll find wild raspberries growing along the sides of the trail on the second half, so make sure to keep an eye out for those so you can enjoy them. Occasionally, we’ll see a few wild strawberries in July as well!

When To Hike Nobletts Creek Trail

Nobletts Creek Trail can be hiked all year round. Truthfully, our family loves to hike it as much in the winter as we do in the summer. On summer weekends, the trailhead parking lot is usually full from about 10am to 4pm, so this hike is best done during the week. Since many of the parking lot visitors are parking there to unload their OHV’s even when the parking lot is busy, the trail doesn’t get too crowded.

Here are some tips on hiking Nobletts in each season.

Hiking Nobletts Utah in Summer

We first fell in love with hiking Nobletts in the summer. The trail is lush, the wildflowers are abundant and best of all, the water is flowing in the creek.

July is the most beautiful month, with the wildflowers in full bloom.

Hiking Nobletts Trail in Winter

Winter is the least crowded time to hike Nobletts and also one of the most beautiful times. The meadow up from the parking lot is usually covered in deep snow and the steep hill down to the beaver ponds can be tricky in the snow (though it’s really short). Trekking poles are a great idea for hiking here in the winter.

Once you get into the forest (about 1/4 mile down the trail), there’s a lot less snow and you usually won’t need snowshoes. We often bring our snowshoes, leave them in the car, and go back and grab them if there is lots of fresh snow on the trail. The trail is used enough that it’s usually packed down and the snowfall in the forest floor is considerably less than in the meadows.

We highly recommend hiking Noblett’s in both the winter and the summer!

Tips for Hiking Nobletts Creek With Kids

Nobletts Creek is an easy hiking trail for kids of all ages. We’ve hiked this with kids of al ages, and even our 2-year-old could complete the hike on his own (with plenty of breaks to throw rocks in the Creek).

The second half of the trail up is quite narrow, so talk to your kids about trail etiquette and moving over for other hikers. Overall, it’s an easy Utah hike that even beginner hikers can accomplish and easily enjoy!