Elberta, Utah

This quick hike to a beautiful lake in the Wasatch Mountains is perfect for the whole family. Park at the visitor center at the Silver Lake Recreation Area near Brighton Ski Resort, pick up a trail map and walk behind the building to find the trailhead. You can also pick up a wildflower guide at ...

The trailhead begins at the Solitude Nordic Center. Walking around Silver Lake, you get a chance to observe the ducks and lovely wetlands area. This trail then leads you into the lower aspens, and if you are hiking just as fall colors have begun to emerge, they create a glowing effect in the wood...

Silver Lake is one of the easiest, most accessible hikes in the Wasatch, located at the top of Big Cottonwood Canyon, Utah, close to the ski resorts of Brighton and Solitude.The lake is accessible all year; with a boardwalk or a well-signed path circling the lake through spring to fall. In the wi...

The trailhead begins along Big Cottonwood Canyon Road, with a relatively small parking lot at the trailhead. Starting early in the day is advised, as on nice summer days it will fill up quickly. The trail has a steady ascent for the first 2 miles starting around 6700' through aspen forests and cr...

Since this is a loop you can start at either end, but this is the way we did it. Start driving up Big Cottonwood Canyon. Enjoy the views and take in the impressive peaks on either side of the road. See the changes in vegetation as you gain elevation in the canyon. As you near the top and pass Sol...

Clayton Peak is approximately 1.5 miles from Guardsman Pass (3 miles round trip), and you'll gain about 1,600 feet of climbing.  There is parking on top of the pass, but it fills up quickly with hikers and mountain bikers during peak season as this serves as the trailhead for Bloods Lake, Jupiter...

To get the the trailhead, drive up Big Cottonwood Canyon until you reach the upper entrance into Solitude Ski Resort. You can park on the road just below the entrance to the resort. Across the street is a road called Old Stage Road, this is where the trail head begins. The road is covered in snow...

The Trail Follow the trail for just a little bit and when it forks, stay to the left and you will arrive to Donut Falls. Once at the waterfall, climb up the rocks to get to the cave at the top, which is not visible from the bottom. To take pictures inside of the cave, you will most likely get yo...

Kessler Peak is a 10,403-foot peak located in Big Cottonwood Canyon. From the top, you can see all the way to the Uintas to the East, The tram at Snowbird to the south, and the Salt Lake Valley to the west. To the north is Mount Raymond and Gobblers Knob.  Kessler Peak is the terminus and highes...

The trail starts from the same trailhead as Donut Falls which is extremely popular. In the winter, the gates are closed and you need to park just off the highway. Follow the road and crowds along the trail but once you cross the bridge continue straight ahead instead of following the trail that c...

Drive up Big Cottonwood Canyon until you reach the Mill D South parking lot (aka Donut Falls parking). Head up the main road until you reach the bathrooms at the Donut Falls trailhead. Here you can either keep straight past the bathrooms, but the best way to go is to keep right along the road. Yo...

Cardiff Fork and Donut Falls share the same parking lot, so depending on what time of week you go exploring here, it may be the most packed parking in all of the Wasatch. Head up on a weekday for less crowds.  The Cardiff Fork trailhead is follows the rocky jeep road around the parking lot to the...

Park at the top of Thousand Oaks Drive, and make your way to the dirt path heading east. It will be a well maintained, well-covered single dirt track which takes you to the base of a really impressive couloir. Follow the trail until you reach the couloir / rocky gully. You will then see the West ...

Willow Fork is just across the mountain from Solitude Ski Resort in Big Cottonwood Canyon. You can access Willow Fork from a few different trailheads; either from the Willow Heights Trailhead or across the street from both the lower and upper Solitude parking lots. The Willow Heights Trailhead wi...

Willow Lake has become my favorite spot in all of Utah.  It feels so distant from civilization in the mountains, but is only a 25 minute drive from Salt Lake City. I have hiked to Willow Lake close to 10 times this year during different seasons, and have never seen more than 5 people on the trail...

The Trail: Follow the marked trail and you'll hike less than a mile up to the edge of Willow Lake. Moose like to hang out in the thick willows there, so make lots of noise to warn them that you're coming and you won't startle any. Standing on the shoreline, you'll have a great view of Solitude ...