Cottonwood Heights, Holladay and Millcreek line the east bench of the Salt Lake Valley, where the canyons come out of the Wasatch. Millcreek holds the mouth of Millcreek Canyon, the one nearby canyon that welcomes dogs. Cottonwood Heights sits at the foot of Big Cottonwood Canyon. Holladay, one of the oldest settlements in Utah, fills the ground between them. The towns themselves are parks, pools, ice and a steady summer calendar of free concerts and festivals.
This page is the three-city day on its own. The canyons have their own guide: see Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons From Provo.
From Provo
By car: OpenStreetMap routing puts Cottonwood Heights City Hall about 40 miles and 49 minutes from downtown Provo, and Holladay and Millcreek city halls each about 42 miles and 52 minutes, all without traffic. Rush hour on the way north can add a good deal more. Without a car: the rail lines run down the middle of the valley, well west of the canyon mouths, and the connecting buses make a long trip of it, so from Utah County plan on driving.
Before you go
The upper half of Millcreek Canyon is closed this year. A federal road rebuild closed the upper canyon to everyone, on foot as well as by car, through the 2026 construction season. The lower canyon is open, and Salt Lake County collects $5 per car as you leave.
Dog rules change from canyon to canyon. In Millcreek Canyon, dogs can be off leash on the trails on odd-numbered days and must be leashed on even ones, and leashed in developed areas every day. Big and Little Cottonwood are protected watershed, and dogs are not allowed there at all.
Several Big Cottonwood trailheads now charge to park. Since June 1, 2026, the Mill B and S-Curves area and Donut Falls have been Forest Service fee areas in summer, Cardiff Fork and the Silver Lake area all year, and the Spruces winter trailhead in winter.
October is history month in Holladay. The city's historical commission has a historic garden tour and plein air quick draw on October 10 and a Holladay Cemetery tour on October 17.
Fifteen things to do in Cottonwood Heights, Holladay and Millcreek
1. Millcreek Canyon
The canyon rises from Millcreek's east edge, and it is the one canyon near here that welcomes dogs: off leash on the trails on odd-numbered days, leashed on even-numbered days and leashed in parking lots and picnic areas every day. Salt Lake County collects the fee at a booth as you leave, not as you enter. Getting there: Millcreek Canyon Road starts at about 3800 South and Wasatch Boulevard. Cost: $5 per car, or $3 for seniors; annual passes are sold too. Season: In 2026 a federal road rebuild closed the upper canyon to everyone through the construction season, so plan on the lower canyon. In an ordinary year the upper road is gated to cars from November 1 until about July 1 and groomed for skiing and snowshoeing in between. Trails Utah's Millcreek Canyon page
2. Millcreek Common and the Skate Loop
Millcreek's city center opened in 2022 around the Skate Loop, which the city calls Utah's largest outdoor skating rink: about 11,000 square feet, with roller skating in the warm months and ice in winter. A splash pad, fire pits, food trucks, a climbing wall and a public market inside City Hall surround it. The city broke ground in May 2025 on a second phase with a creek-style water play area, more skating, a 19-hole mini golf course and a playground, so check the Common's site for what has opened. Getting there: 1354 East Chambers Avenue. Cost: The plaza is free; skating admission and skate rental are charged. Season: Ice in winter, which ran from late November into mid-March in past seasons, and roller skating the rest of the year. Millcreek Common
3. Venture Out! Friday nights
Millcreek's free summer series has moved between the city's parks on Friday evenings for more than a decade, with live music, food trucks, local vendors, activities for children and a movie at dusk. In 2026 the festivals ran on Fridays in June, at Canyon Rim Park, Churchill Junior High and Evergreen Park, followed by movie nights in July. Getting there: A different park each week; the city posts the schedule. Cost: Free. Season: June and July Friday evenings. Millcreek's Venture Out page
4. Evergreen Park
A small Salt Lake County park in Millcreek with a separate playground for ages 2 to 5 as well as the main one, a reservable pavilion, a sports field and restrooms, next to the county's Millcreek Recreation Center. It also hosts one of the Venture Out! nights. Getting there: 2230 East 3425 South, on Evergreen Avenue. Cost: Free. Season: Open all year.
5. Knudsen Park
Holladay's 7.5-acre park at historic Knudsen's Corner, in the southeast corner of the city, has a playground, a hammock garden, an outdoor classroom, a grassy play area and a bike repair station. Its water play area is less a splash pad than a hands-on water lab, with channels, weirs and Archimedes screws that children use to move and steer the water. It is a good fit for toddlers. Getting there: Knudsen's Corner, in the southeast corner of Holladay; the city's park page has the details. Cost: Free. Season: Open all year; the water play is the summer draw. Holladay's Knudsen Park page
6. Summer concerts at Holladay City Hall Park
Free concerts every Saturday night from July 4 to August 22 in 2026, run by the Holladay Arts Council with Excellence in the Community. The lineup mixed bands with tribute acts for David Bowie, the Beatles, Neil Diamond and Linda Ronstadt. The arts council also stages a summer musical at the end of June; in 2026 it was Fiddler on the Roof. Getting there: Holladay City Hall Park, 4580 South 2300 East. Cost: The concerts are free. Season: Saturday nights in July and August. The Holladay Arts summer concerts page
7. Holladay Village and the Blue Moon Festival
Downtown Holladay's village of shops and restaurants is built around a plaza. Each September the arts council's Blue Moon Festival fills it with artists, vendors and street performers; the 2026 festival was on September 19. Getting there: Holladay Village, in downtown Holladay. Cost: Free to walk. Season: Open all year; the festival is in September.
8. Holladay's fall history tours
The city's historical commission runs its history programs in the fall. In 2026 that means a historic garden tour and a plein air quick draw with the arts council on October 10, a Holladay Cemetery tour on October 17, and an evening talk in its speaker series on November 11 at the Kiln. Getting there: The city's arts and culture pages list locations and sign-ups. Cost: Check the listing for each event. Season: October and November.
9. Holladay Lions Recreation Center pool
A Salt Lake County recreation center with an indoor leisure pool: a 30-foot slide for riders 48 inches and taller, an interactive play structure, a current channel and a zero-depth entry, in 88-degree water, plus a six-lane lap pool and a hot tub. Getting there: 1661 East Murray-Holladay Road, at 4800 South. Cost: A county day-admission fee. Season: Indoors, so it works all year; hours vary, so call ahead.
10. Big Cottonwood Regional Park
A Salt Lake County regional park in two parts. The Creekside area has a disc golf course, a pavilion, a playground and volleyball. The 37.8-acre Holladay Lions area has a playground, sports fields and walking paths, and it is the park in the photo at the top of this page. Getting there: The county lists the Creekside area at 1592 East Murray Holladay Road and the Holladay Lions area at 4500 South 1500 East. Cost: Free. Season: Open all year.
11. Cottonwood Heights Recreation Center
The city's recreation center has seven pools, including an outdoor pool with two water slides in summer, water playgrounds, an Olympic-size ice arena with public skating and lessons, a skate park, an indoor track, a gym and courts. Public swimming and skating hours vary from the building's hours, so check before you go. Getting there: 7500 South 2700 East. Cost: Day admission or membership. Season: The indoor pools and the ice run all year; the outdoor pool and slides run in summer.
12. Butlerville Days
Cottonwood Heights' summer festival fills Butler Park, beside the recreation center. In 2026 it ran July 16 to 18, with a parade, free fitness classes and free public skating in the recreation center's ice arena on the Saturday afternoon. Getting there: Butler Park, 7500 South 2700 East. Cost: Much of the program is free. Season: Mid-July. The Butlerville Days page
13. Mountview Park
Two playgrounds, a splash pad, tennis and basketball courts, soccer fields and a walking path, with the mountains behind. In 2026 the city cut the splash pad back to weekends and summer holidays, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., to save water in the drought. Getting there: 1651 East Fort Union Boulevard. Cost: Free. Season: The playgrounds are open all year; the splash pad runs in summer. The parks district's Mountview page
14. Ferguson Park and Ferguson Canyon
Cottonwood Heights' newest park opened in 2023 at the foot of Ferguson Canyon, with an off-leash dog area, a walking loop and trailhead facilities for the canyon trail. Getting there: 7722 South Prospector Drive. Cost: Free. Season: Open all year; the dog-wash station and drinking fountains are turned on from May. The parks district's Ferguson Park page
15. Big Cottonwood Canyon
State Route 190 starts at Wasatch Boulevard in Cottonwood Heights and climbs into Big Cottonwood Canyon, which our canyons guide covers in full. Two rules to know before you go: several trailheads are now Forest Service fee areas where a pass is needed to park, and dogs are not allowed anywhere in the canyon, which is protected watershed. Getting there: Big Cottonwood Canyon Road, from Wasatch Boulevard. Cost: A Forest Service fee or pass at the fee-area trailheads. Season: Year-round; the fee areas differ between summer and winter. Our Cottonwood Canyons guide
Related Guides
- Things to Do in Murray and Midvale, Utah, From Provo
- Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons From Provo: The Summer Edition
- Things to Do in Sandy, Utah, From Provo
- Things to Do in West Jordan and Taylorsville, Utah, From Provo
- Things to Do in Herriman and Riverton, Utah, From Provo
- Dog-Friendly Hikes Near Provo
- Toddler Activities in Utah Valley
Frequently Asked Questions
How far are Cottonwood Heights, Holladay and Millcreek from Provo?
Can I bring my dog to the canyons here?
Is Millcreek Canyon open?
Do Big Cottonwood Canyon trailheads charge for parking?
Where can toddlers play in Cottonwood Heights and Holladay?
Where can you ice skate on this side of the valley?
