Foothill / East Bench
About the area
Foothill / East Bench is Salt Lake City's luxury foothills cluster, occupying the elevated eastern bench between the Bonneville Shoreline and Interstate 80. The area comprises three recognized micro-neighborhoods—St. Mary's, Oak Hills, and Indian Hills—along with the Foothill Drive commercial corridor anchored by Foothill Village shopping center. St. Mary's, developed in the 1950s and 1960s with intentionally curvilinear streets departing from the city grid, is the most prestigious sub-area; St. Mary's Circle is the signature address. Oak Hills and Indian Hills deliver larger-lot single-family living with direct Bonneville Shoreline Trail access from residential streets. Entry condos near Foothill Village start in the mid-$300,000s; mid-range single-family in Oak Hills and Indian Hills runs $800,000 to $1.5 million; St. Mary's Circle and upper Oak Hills estates reach $1.5 million to $5 million and above.
Foothill / East Bench
Living in Foothill / East Bench
Amenities & Lifestyle
Foothill Village Shopping Center is the neighborhood's walkable commercial anchor: Dan's Market (full-service grocery), Starbucks, yoga studio, and salons within the neighborhood fabric. Bonneville Golf Course, the city's premier public 18-hole municipal course, runs directly through the neighborhood. Hogle Zoo, Utah's premier zoological park, sits at the canyon mouth at 2600 Sunnyside Avenue. This Is the Place Heritage Park, the pioneer living-history site at the mouth of Emigration Canyon, is immediately adjacent. Red Butte Garden and Arboretum—100 acres and the largest botanical garden in the Intermountain West—is five minutes north, with a summer concert series that draws national acts. The Natural History Museum of Utah at 301 Wakara Way provides both exhibits and one of the most-used Bonneville Shoreline Trail access points in the city. The University of Utah and U of U Health are a five-minute commute.
Getting Around
Downtown Salt Lake City is 12 to 15 minutes west. Salt Lake City International Airport is 20 to 25 minutes. University of Utah and U of U Health are under five minutes north—one of the fastest university commutes from any SLC neighborhood. Little Cottonwood Canyon (Snowbird, Alta) is approximately 20 to 25 minutes south via Wasatch Boulevard; Big Cottonwood Canyon (Brighton, Solitude) is approximately 20 minutes south—making this cluster one of the most canyon-proximate neighborhoods in the city. Park City resorts are roughly 35 to 40 minutes east via I-80. UTA bus routes serve Foothill Drive; the campus TRAX station is accessible nearby.
Foothill Living—Bonneville Shoreline Trail and Canyon Access
The Bonneville Shoreline Trail runs directly above the Foothill / East Bench cluster, with trailheads accessible on foot from Oak Hills and Indian Hills residential streets. The Living Room Hiking Trail, accessed above Foothill Drive, leads to a stone-outcropping summit with panoramic valley views that has become one of Salt Lake City's most-used sunset hikes. Jack's Peak Trailhead, also above the neighborhood, provides a longer summit route. Emigration Canyon—not a ski canyon, but one of Utah's most celebrated road-cycling climbs—opens at the Hogle Zoo / This Is the Place intersection at the neighborhood's northern edge. The bench elevation of 4,600 to 5,200 feet places residents above the valley floor's winter temperature inversions.
Schools
Foothill / East Bench is served by the Salt Lake City School District. Indian Hills Elementary serves the Indian Hills area and portions of Oak Hills; Uintah Elementary serves portions closer to Federal Heights. East High School is the primary assigned high school for most of this cluster. Confirm the exact attendance boundary at slcschools.org.
Foothill / East Bench Sub-Areas
- St. Mary's— The most prestigious sub-area, with curvilinear streets, estate-scale lots, and St. Mary's Circle as the signature address.
- Oak Hills— Hillside single-family above St. Mary's with direct Bonneville Shoreline Trail access from residential streets.
- Indian Hills— A quieter residential pocket northeast of Foothill Village with direct foothill access and Indian Hills Elementary.
Foothill / East Bench
Foothill / East Bench Real Estate FAQ
Foothill / East Bench spans a wide range by sub-area. Condos near Foothill Village start in the mid-$300,000s, mid-range single-family homes in Oak Hills and Indian Hills run $800,000 to $1.5 million, and St. Mary's Circle and upper Oak Hills estates reach $1.5 million to $5 million and above. Verify current pricing with live MLS data.
The housing stock ranges from 1950s to 1970s ranch homes and split-levels to 1990s and 2000s custom builds to fully contemporary estates on larger foothill lots. St. Mary's Circle commands a premium for its curvilinear streets and estate-scale parcels. Condos and attached units are concentrated near the Foothill Village corridor. New construction on standard lots is very limited.
Downtown Salt Lake City is approximately 12 to 15 minutes west. Little Cottonwood Canyon, home to Snowbird and Alta, is about 20 to 25 minutes south via Wasatch Boulevard. Big Cottonwood Canyon, home to Brighton and Solitude, is approximately 20 minutes south. Park City resorts are roughly 35 to 40 minutes east via I-80.
Both are Salt Lake City East Bench neighborhoods with primarily single-family homes. Foothill / East Bench sits at higher elevation with larger lots, curvilinear streets, and direct Bonneville Shoreline Trail access, and is among the city's most canyon-proximate neighborhoods. Yalecrest is a flat-grid historic district further west, known for its 1920s to 1940s period-revival architecture and walkability to the 9th and 9th and 15th and 15th corridors.
