Red Butte Creek is a small stream whose headwaters are found in the northeast part of Salt Lake County, Utah, United States.

[citation needed] The first major use of Red Butte Creek water was by the United States Army at Fort Douglas, which was established at the mouth of the canyon in 1862.

Protection has grown steadily since Fort Douglas was first established and particularly since the canyon was acquired by the U.S. Forest Service in 1969 and declared to be a Research Natural Area.

However, by 1875 Army personnel constructed two reservoirs east of Fort Douglas and diverted water from Red Butte Creek to fill them.

In response to the recurrent stream pollution problems caused by quarrying activities, the Territory District Court, in 1890, declared that the waters of Red Butte Creek were the sole property of the U.S. Army and under the jurisdiction of Fort Douglas.

Red Butte Creek is a perennial third-order stream without upstream regulation or diversion until the flow is collected in the reservoir located near the base of the canyon.

Spring melt flow, typically an order of magnitude greater than other periods of the year, peaks in May and persists for six to eight weeks.

Daily, stream flows can vary tremendously during snowmelt, depending on air temperatures and snowpack depth, primarily upper Red Butte Canyon and Knowltons Fork.