Silver Lake

 Silver Lake is a particularly stunning lake located near the top of Big Cottonwood Canyon. It features a picturesque lake below some stunning peaks. As well as a partial boardwalk trail around it with wildflowers and wildlife, and pretty forests. We had the 4th of July holiday off, so I wanted to get an extra adventure in without being too adventurous. Ultimately I thought we should take advantage of the fact that they suspended the construction project, and the accompanying 1 way traffic signal. So we ended up here. I was a little worried about it being super crowded, but it actually wasn’t too bad today. They are currently working on rebuilding the old boardwalk, so you cannot do the full loop. We do this one often, usually as an extra hike or when I want to take it easy.

Quick Details:

Length: Normally about 9/10's of a mile loop. Right now, about 1.5 miles out and back.
Trail Type: Normally a loop, with the construction it is currently out and back.
Difficulty: Most of it is boardwalk and fairly flat but there is some loose dirt sections. DR3.
Elevation Gain: Normally about 50 feet, but with the out and back its double that.
Restroom: Yes. newly reconstructed with flush toilets and heated water even!
Dogs? No. Big Cottonwood Canyon is watershed.
Other Info: Ongoing boardwalk repair means you cannot complete the loop right now.

To Get Here:

Drive to the top of Big Cottonwood Canyon. When you hit the loop road park in the Solitude Nordic Center Lot, or the overflow lot across the way. If both are full you can park at Brighton and add about a quarter mile each way.

Twin Peaks and an American Flag (Passenger Seat Photography (PSP)). Happy 4th of July!

Into Big Cottonwood Canyon (PSP).

Approaching the S curve (PSP).

Mill D South between Reed and Benson Ridge and Kessler Peak (PSP).

More canyon (PSP).

Mount Millicent (PSP).

The Trail:

The new boardwalk is looking great! However at the rate they are going I expect it to last longer than this summer.

As far as I can tell, this peak doesn’t have a name.

Mount Millicent.

Starting to see the lake.

Better.

Panoramic.

Holy crap, Big Cottonwood Creek is quite swollen even up here.

The other side.

Another panoramic.

Well hello! A bald eagle on the 4th of July? Sure! What an pointedly perfect wildlife sighting for the day.

So cool!

Get a load of that huge beak!

Before now I have only ever seen bald eagles at Farmington Bay.

Eventually I managed to peel myself away. I was just enjoying the rare sighting.

Smaller inlet.

Super clear water.

Patch of snow. I wonder how long I will be finding these this year.

Into the woods.

I love this part.

Looking up.

A little closer to the eagle. The lighting at this angle hid it’s white head and convinced me we were no longer looking at the same bird for just a minute. I started to think maybe an osprey had replaced the eagle. But my pictures clearly show bald eagle. So, I do know. Like I said it must have been the lighting.

Again, get a load of that beak!

The lake again.

With Scott Hill. I say this all the time, but Scott Hill is easy to identify because of its Mickey Mouse shaped mine tailings.

Even closer to the eagle. Wow! This has been a great encounter today.

With the better lighting I was back to being 100 percent positive it is a bald eagle. I felt a little silly that I thought otherwise for a minute.

Once again, Take a look at that beak!

The lake again.

Another panoramic.

The eagle again.

And again.

Another panoramic of the lake.

I found a giant patch of shooting stars.

There are a bunch of springs flowing over the trail in the back section here.

Looks like this will be corn lilies.

Chipmunk!

I didn’t get a picture cause there were a bunch of people milling about but there is a trail split here at the far northwest corner that will take you Lake Solitude or Twin Lakes. There is also a sign here for the main loop warning that the trail is closed ahead. I think a lot of people take that to mean that that is closed here, but no you can keep going for a minute. I think this sign is here to remind people returning from the upper trails that they cannot reach the parking lot that way.

The lake with Mount Millicent.

Again.

Here is where the trail is closed. Mostly due to to the fact there is currently not a bridge over the outlet, but also because they are still rebuilding the boardwalk. Whelp, time to head on back.

The outlet. The new bridge is coming along. I don’t know for sure, but it looks like they might be making the pier a little bigger.

Mount Millicent again.

Pretty green trail.

The bald eagle decided to do a flyover.

It circled over the outlet several times.

Then flew directly overhead again.

Then it flew off into the woods near to where it was originally hanging out.

The lake again.

Baby duckies!

Lake reflections.

Another panoramic.

Little spring.

The shooting stars again.

The lake again.

Another panoramic.

We kept our eyes out for the bald eagle and before long, we spotted him again.

WOW!!!!

This is definitely my best bald eagle sighting.

And again, check out that beak!

He spotted me! There is a general rule that if the animal you are watching stops doing whatever it was doing and stops to stare at you, you are definitely too close. However there is a difference between stopping what they are doing to stare at you, vs. noticing you, taking note and going back to what they were doing.

See, back to preening.

Couple more shots before I finally peeled myself away. This was just such an incredible encounter for the 4th of July.

The lake again.

Pretty forest.

A couple more springs.

Another panoramic.

Bluebells.

Lots of them!

The scree field the Twin Lakes Trail goes through.

Scott Hill.

Another panoramic.

The bald eagle is still just hanging out.

Into the thick forest.

The lake with Scott Hill.

Another panoramic.

I wonder how they will handle this with the rebuild.

More snow.

More forest.

Trail counter. These are seriously showing up on just about every trail we do.

Smaller inlet.

Scott Hill again.

The bigger inlet of Big Cottonwood Creek, with a beaver dam.

The lake again.

The new boardwalk looks great but it taking a long time!

Mount Millicent as we head up to Brighton (PSP).

I don’t know what they are doing but their little project appears to be flooded.

Big Cottonwood Creek coming from Lake Mary, Lake Martha, Lake Catherine, and Dog Lake. On its way to mingle with it’s next sources Twin Lakes and Silver Lake.

The outlet from Twin Lakes is really gushing! Is it still a waterfall is its just rushing down a steep hill?

Rushing off to join Big Cottonwood Creek.

Again.

There is so much water that is is struggling to go under this culvert and is kind of belching up!

Big Cottonwood Creek on it’s way to Silver Lake.

The waterfall again.

Brighton. Alright, time to head on home and find something for dinner.

Landis noticed this carving by the fire station, so we decided to come in and get a closer look. He’s cool!

Heading down the canyon (PSP).

Still really pretty up here (PSP).

Nearing the mouth (PSP).

Well that was a fun day! Silver Lake is generally busier than I like but it wasn’t too bad today. Actually the entire canyon was less busy than I expected today. I guess everybody was getting their barbeque on. I really enjoyed the completely appropriate wildlife sighting today too. The boardwalk rebuild project, while I understand it absolutely needs to happen but it is frustrating, so, 9 out of 10 squirrels for today.

As for difficulty, it is pretty flat, and mostly boardwalk, but there is some hills. I would say it is stroller friendly, but maybe not full ADA friendly. DR3.

Dogs are not allowed in Big Cottonwood Canyon, so be sure to leave Fido at home.