Camp at Willow Lake

Salt Lake City, Utah

4.6/5

based on 7 reviews

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Details

Distance

2.41 miles

Elevation Gain

659 ft

Route Type

Loop

Description

Added by Lindsay Daniels

Beautiful alpine lake with reflection of willow trees. 1 mile hike. Great photo location. Moose. Yellow leaves in the fall, wildflowers in the summer.

The trailhead to Willow Lake is about 11 miles up Big Cottonwood Canyon and is on the north side of the road right after the passing lane begins. It can be easy to miss, and is only marked with a plaque on a rock (40.630302, -111.604639). As you hike a little in from the road you will see the trailhead. This hike is just under 1 mile, but is pretty steep. It eventually levels out the closer you get to the lake. Before you reach the lake you will come to a wide open field. Continue on and take the trail on the left.

Moose often hang around this lake, so keep an eye out. The colors in the fall are amazing, but the lake is fuller in the spring and summer. Wildflowers are also abundant in the summer months. Camping is allowed as long as you are 200 feet from the lake. Swimming is not allowed.

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Features

Camping

Photography

Backpacking

Hiking

Family Friendly

Forest

Lake

Scenic

Wildflowers

Wildlife

Reviews

Tyson Sorensen

Camp at Willow Lake

08/02/20

This was a great morning hike. We had 7 and 4 year old with us. Not to hard, very beautiful with wild flowers the whole way.

5.0

Mckayla Swink

Camp at Willow Lake

11/08/17

I️t was so pretty!!!!! I️ found this app and I’m honestly so impressed with it. I️ found so many beautiful places, with this app. I️ definitely recommend this place. It’s amazing

5.0

Nathan and Brianna Milot

Camp at Willow Lake

06/17/16

Pretty steep hike, but it's definitely doable because of the short length. The lake was gorgeous and the summer wildflowers were all over the trail!

5.0

Explorer

Thomas Burton

Explorer

Camp at Willow Lake

05/25/16

This is a fun place to visit in the fall. The hike is all uphill to the lake so its also a great workout but short enough that families can enjoy it as well.

3.0

riley finnegan

Camp at Willow Lake

03/29/16

5/5 for the hike, 3/5 for the "lake," averaging a 4/5 total. this is a little pond thing. not a lake. a pretty pond thing, but not a lake.

4.0

Liam McNally

Camp at Willow Lake

10/20/15

such a nice spot!

5.0

Erica Fasoli

Camp at Willow Lake

06/14/15

Beautiful scenery! During the summer of 2014 a family of moose lived in the area around Willow Lake. Be careful on your approach during dusk and dawn in order to not startle these gorgeous creatures! I saw them every time I was up there! What an amazing sight!

5.0

Leave No Trace

Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your adventures and follow local regulations. Please explore responsibly!

Nearby

Backcountry Ski Willow Fork

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 will take you up to the Beaver Pond Basin where you can either keep left and tour up through West Will...

Willow Lake

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 Ski Resort to the south. Getting There: The Willow Heights Trail is located in Big Cottonwood Ca...

Photograph Wildlife at Willow Lake

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. You can hike year-round, but the best season is Fall, when the aspens change from green to vibra...

Backcountry Ski Beartrap Fork

You can access the trailhead to Beartrap by driving up Big Cottonwood Canyon 10.4 miles and parking on the right side of the road. You will see the "Bear Trap Fork Rd" sign on the left side of the road, this is where the trailhead begins. Make your way up the skin track through the dense aspens until you reach the fork in the trail. Here you can either make a right and make your way up to the t...

Backcountry Ski USA Bowl

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 in the winter so you can put your skis on here and follow it up. Eventually the skin track splits o...

Backcountry Ski Short Swing, Mill D North

Drive up Big Cottonwood Canyon until you reach the Spruces Campground on the right. You will park here and prep your gear for the day. Walk back out to the canyon road and cross the street to the trail head. As you hike up the trial, you'll pass some cabins, once you've passed all the cabins, you'll eventually come to a fork in the skin track going to your right up the mountain and through the ...

Camp at Willow Lake

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Leave No Trace

Nearby

Backcountry Ski Willow Fork

Willow Lake

Photograph Wildlife at Willow Lake

Backcountry Ski Beartrap Fork

Backcountry Ski USA Bowl

Backcountry Ski Short Swing, Mill D North

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