The Goshute tribe named Parley’s Canyon, an’ka-so-kuup (meaning “red earth”), after the red-tinted rock lining the canyon walls. Stansbury’s 1852 map indicates the creek was called obit-ko-ke-chee by other tribes [01]. Later, it was renamed after Parley Pratt, who built the “Golden Pass Toll Road” through the canyon.
Parleys Creek currently flows underneath Interstate-80 through Parleys Canyon. It was buried in a culvert to make room for the highway. Once it exits the canyon, the creek flows underneath Interstate-215 into Parleys Historic Nature Park. Summertime daredevils often dam the creek before the culvert and “shoot the tube.”
Downstream, the creek flows through Hidden Hollow, a natural oasis within the bustle of Sugar House. In 1990, Hawthorne Elementary students cleaned up the site and built support to protect the creek. A conservation easement was purchased in 2000.
