Dog Lake Via Mill D North

Dog Lake is a small lake high up near the ridgeline between Big Cottonwood Canyon and Millcreek Canyon. It can be accessed via Millcreek Canyon on the Big Water Trail or in Big Cottonwood Canyon via Mill D or Butler Fork. Since we were camping nearby I decided to see what the Mill D north Trail had in store for us. This trailhead also goes up to Desolation lake but that is at least another mile longer.

Quick Details:

Length 2.6 Miles to the lake
Difficulty: DR5 A lot of up!
Elevation Gain: 1500 ft.
Pets: No.

We have been doing an annual camping trip with a bunch of our friends at Jordan Pines. It is always a good time, but since we are up the canyon I tend to get a good hike in as well. After hiking up to Doughnut Falls again, I decided to check out the Mill D North trail.

To get here drive 9 miles up Big Cottonwood Canyon to the Mill D North trailhead. You can park at the Mill D South one if needed, but then you have to scurry across Big Cottonwood Canyon Rd, which is a bit dicey.

Mill D North on the left, South on the right. Both are pretty much full. very popular trailheads. Then again, the entire canyon was packed yesterday and today. First real nice weekend in a while without rain tends to drive people up to the mountains!

Trailhead sign.

Interesting geological sign. The jist is a small glacier coming out of Mill D South met a larger slower glacier coming down Big Cottonwood here and got wedged down here for a while.

And the trailhead. I thought I was going to be climbing up this little gulch, and well you do, but only for a minute.

Beautiful and green up here.

Nice view of I think Kessler Peak on the right and… Reed and Benson Ridge to the left Mill D South Fork in between.

Pretty blue flowers growing out of a rock.

The U shape of Mill D South from the glacier coming down out of it.

This section of the trail lifts you up above the canyon pretty quickly. Some nice pine trees though this rockslide section.

Eventually the trail rounds a corner, and you are NOW in the canyon of Mill D North.

Green mountains, blue skies. Yes, that is a cabin down there.

For the most part the trail is comfortably wide, but there are definitely some thin sections.

Moving into the aspens.

There are loads of wildflowers up here.

After a while high up on a steep slope, the bottom of the canyon is slowly catching up to the trail. This one wasn’t too bad, but I am not a big fan of trails on steep slopes.

And here is the stream. Kind of a trickle.

I have never seen so many butterflies in one spot before, holy cow! They seriously had to have just emerged.

The trail then follows the stream for a while.

This trail is seriously beautiful.

Looking down the canyon. Pretty sure that is still Reed and Benson Ridge.

The creek again.

More aspens.

At the 2 mile mark (I think) the trail splits. another .6 miles to Dog Lake, or another 1.9 miles to Desolation lake. The reason I am kind of confused is the earlier sign said dog lake 2.6 miles, desolation lake 3.5 so…are the missing .4 miles before or after this sign? Anyway, we had planned on Dog Lake, and that is where we were going.

Still in the aspens.

This last section of trail is seriously UP! So we had to take quite a few breaks to catch our breaths.

Looking up. What a beautiful day!

More aspens.

Ants on a flower.

It looks like we are nearing the ridgeline.

Yep, definitely getting flatter. That last push was rough!

First glimpse of the lake!

The other side of the sign. I guess this is officially the ridgeline, we are now in Millcreek Canyon, or considering the lake has no inlets or outlets, a bowl between the 2 canyons.

And here is Dog Lake. 8745 feet in elevation.

There is the trail that continues down into Millcreek.

I climbed up the hill to get an upper view.

Logs at the bottom.

It’s a small lake, but it sure is pretty.

Some yellow flowers.

A log and it’s shadow.

Panoramic.

Chipmunk!

Well, we had a wonderful time at the lake, but it was time we headed home.

Eh, you can’t see it really, but there is a deer back there.

Headin back down.

Aspens!

And back into the conifers.

reed and Benson Ridge and Days Fork.

White butterfly.

Green hills above.

Like the Doughnut Falls trail, this trail is popular enough that the stones are worn smooth

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Days Fork.

Some fun rocks in a landslide section

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Rock formation below.

Caterpillar nest.

And a last look into Mill D South.

Well, that is a great trail. it is a little longer and tougher than we are used to but it was really pretty and I am glad that we did it. Even if my body is protesting a bit.

The trail itself is really pretty and that section with all the butterflies felt like being in a fairytale. But it was really a tough trail for such a small lake and there were quite a few bikes we had to dodge. Going with 8 squirrels.

As for difficulty, it starts out rough, and really ends pretty rough. So going with a DR5.

Big Cottonwood Canyon is watershed so dogs are not allowed. They are allowed at Dog Lake, but only if you take them up via the Millcreek Canyon side.