Willow Heights

 Willow Heights is a lovely trail system in Big Cottonwood Canyon. The trail features a nice mixed forest, wildflowers. a stream and a small lake at the end. It is also a good spot for a chance of seeing moose or other wildlife.

This was not what I had planned today, but since the trail I wanted to do was closed it was our backup plan. But we like this trail and do it fairly often, we even just did this one last month.

Quick Details:

Length: The west fork is about 9/10 of a mile. The east fork is about a mile, and the loop around the lake is about 3/4 of a mile total 2.65 mile loop.
Trail Type: Loop, Figure 8, out and back your choice.
Difficulty: It is a bit of a climb, DR4.
Elevation Gain: About 650 feet.
Restroom: No. Closest would be at Solitude, or Brighton. Or if heading back down, Mill D is the next option.
Dogs? No. Big Cottonwood Canyon is watershed.
Other Info:

To Get Here:

Head up Big Cottonwood Canyon about 11.6 miles up from Wasatch Boulevard. It is just past the Silver Fork Lodge. About halfway between mile marker 13 and 14 there will be a boulder on the left (north) side of the road. If you reach Solitude you went too far, but don’t worry. the canyon ends at a loop that will easily turn you around.

Heading back down from Brighton (Passenger Seat Photography (PSP)).

The Trail:

The dedication stone at the beginning of the trail.

Thick forest.

The trailhead kiosk is set back just a bit. It also has not been updated since the trails were rerouted. But don’t hold your breath for that. From what I have observed they probably won’t anytime soon.

Aspens.

The original closed trail to the right, and the reroute to the left.

And the new trails split off here. Left leads to the west fork which is a little tougher but slightly shorter at 9/10ths of a mile. Right leads to the east fork which is a little easier, but a little bit longer at a mile. There is a short spot on the east fork that I do not like so I prefer the west fork so, left it is.

The lower bridge. This came with the rerouting project.

Upstream.

Downstream.

Daisy like flowers, or something in the aster family. 

Different ones. I am terrible at identifying many petaled flowers. I love them, but can't tell them apart.

Aspens.

Eventually the trail connects to an old dirt road.

Skyrocket.

Aspens.

Geraniums.

Arnica, I think.

The next switchback is a little more steep and rocky.

Some leaves getting a jump on the fall change. I don’t know why, but I think its neat.

Paintbrush.

Another.

Forest.

More daisy like flowers.

The next switchback gives you a little break from the climb.

Aspens.

I have no idea what these are, but there is a lot of them up here.

Old trail they are trying to revegetate. New trail to the right.

Lots of these white daisy like flowers too.

Lovely mix.

Larkspur with a bee.

I don’t know what these are either but they are cute.

More of these white guys.

Mixed flowers.

Fireweed.

Another.

The last switchback is back to the steeper rocky climb.

Paintbrush.

Asters and a bee.

More forest.

Small clearing.

Paintbrush.

Asters.

Thick section.

Mixed asters.

Larkspur that is taller than us.

Lupine.

Since there is a ton of these all over up here I decided to use google image search to help me identify it. It says it is goldenrod, which does seem right.

Lots of it.

Another little clearing.

Aspens.

We used an alternate route today that bypasses the upper bridge and big clearing.

Someone has cut away some of the fallen logs along this alternate route so, I guess its an acceptable route to use.

Paintbrush.

These fading paintbrush are almost purple.

Geranium.

Another with a beetle.

Nice mix of flowers and a deer friend.

Well this is just adorable.

I don’t often find deer surrounded by wildflowers.

Hello cutey!

She has spotted us, but she didn’t bolt. Which makes me happy. I don’t like when we scare them off of whatever they are doing. I get that instinct keeps them safe, but still it makes me feel like a jerk.

Back to doing deer things.

Lots of lupine.

A pair of butterflies. Google tells me they are police car moths.

Flowers, aspens, and deer back.

Fireweed.

Another.

Two more.

The upper, upper crossing that does not have a bridge. I can cross log bridges, but I don’t really like them. So I like that this alternate route skips that.

Geraniums.

There are a lot of fireweeds up here right now. It’s one of my favorites so, yay!

Geraniums.

Fireweed.

First view of Willow Lake.

Closer.

Little penstemon.

Not sure what this is.

The lake again.

Panoramic.

Initially I was not going to walk around the lake, but we were hearing a strange noise that sounded like a possible owl, so I decided we should investigate. Plus, you know, we did the tough part, might as well enjoy the easy part. We never did locate the strange noise that I suspected to be an owl. But, hindsight think it might have been another family of hikers. Meh, I still enjoyed it.

The aspens behind the lake.

So, just a quick FYI, due to the hydrology of the area, the loop around the lake, doesn’t go directly around the lake. It goes through the forest to avoid a wetland area behind the lake.

The lake and the mountains on the other side of the canyon.

Pot gut squirrel.

Some ducks emerged from the tall grass.

The little canyon above.

The lake with the mountains across the canyon again.

Panoramic.

With a fireweed.

Corn lilies.

Monkshood.

Into the woods. Its uh… quite thick back here.

Closer view of a monkshood.

Lots of larkspur.

Closer view of larkspur.

I decided this is a good trail to play ‘larkspur or monkshood’ since they look pretty similar from a few feet away or further haha.

Side by side. Up close they are easy to differentiate, but you can see how a few feet back it might be a little difficult to at first sight.

Can you tell which is which?

Paintbrush.

Spring area. A little earlier in the year this area is quite flooded and muddy. I find the stones to be adequate to get you across without issue when it is wet. But right now we can just walk though it.

Monkshood.

One growing horizontally.

I love watching the bumblebees with monkshood. They really get up in there!

Cute little guy.

Mixed forest.

But mostly aspens.

Looking up.

It is quite overgrown back here. Woo.

Larkspur.

Paintbrush.

So overgrown.

Western coneflower. I think this is the most flower covered one I have seen in a minute.

Forest.

Super thick foliage.

Larkspur.

Western coneflower with a bumblebee and moth.

More bumblebees. The whole forest is abuzz with them.

Paintbrush.

Super thick forest.

Paintbrush.

Super tall larkspur.

More thick vegetation.

Another bumblebee on a coneflower.

Aspens.

Cone shaped peaks.

Columbines.

Lupines.

Its a little hard to see the lake on the east side without going through the thick foliage. This is why I generally start on the west side of the lake.

Beaver activity.

Looks like someone put up a trail cam to watch them. I want to see it!

Back to the big clearing, with a view of the mountains across the canyon. Silver Fork to the right.

The crossroads. Left goes down the east fork, forward the west fork, and right leads back to the west side of the lake. I totally last minute decided we should go down the east fork today. It’s been a minute since we have done that. Plus, I do better with the part I don’t like going downhill.

A little depression. A little earlier in the season there is a little pond here.

The big clearing.

Panoramic of the big clearing with the mountains on the other side of the canyon. East fork trail to the left, west fork trail to the right.

Sulphur flowers.

The little pond depression again.

Another cone shaped peak.

Elkweed. I am not having luck finding one of these closer to the trail this year.

View down canyon.

Back into the woods.

Aspens.

Super thick through here as well.

More asters.

Aspens.

The old original route is revegetating nicely. I almost missed it.

Looking up.

Aspens.

I do like the way the trail on this side goes through the aspens better.

Lots of aspens.

With a larkspur.

Flowers and aspens.

Silver Fork on the other side of the canyon.

Continuing down.

Aspens.

Down canyon again.

The old original trail again. Again, it appears to be revegetating nicely.

Not a great shot at all, but here all the sudden we heard some noise and plants started moving in 3 different spots around us 1 right after another. It actually kind of scared the shit out me for a second. As far as we could tell it was just a few pot guts but man, why did they have to surround us like that? LOL. I haven’t been that startled on a trail since I stumbled upon a momma grouse!

Continuing down.

Silver Fork again.

Aspens.

This last switchback is the part that I don’t like. The slope of the hill is quite steep, and all you can hear is the traffic on Big Cottonwood Road. As I said, I do better on the way down than up. But I still don’t like it. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, there is no reasoning with the lizard brain.

It’s a little rough on me for just a little ways more, but eventually it mellows out and my lizard brain shuts up. So, its a section that I really, really don’t like but it's short and I can force myself through. Of course, there is an alternate route so I don’t have to deal with it at all, and well most times, I just do that instead.

I think this is the goldenrod again.

Lots of it.

It looks like the deer use the trail as well.

Lovely thick forest.

Aspens.

Asters.

Where the east and west forks split off. Left will get us back to the trailhead. If you cross the stream, you went too far.

Another pair of police car moths.

Forest.

Trail counter. This just counts how many people pass by. The data they collect helps them determine if it is worth spending money on improvements like they did at Deer Ridge, or possibly in this case if the money they already spent rerouting the trails and adding bridges was worth it (and hopefully if so, more improvements to come).

Forest.

Another plant getting a jump on the autumn change.

Aspens.

Asters.

A geranium leaf getting an early start as well.

Back down to the trailhead.

Heading back down the canyon (PSP). We followed the cyclist down the entire way, it kind of blows me away that these guys are totally okay cruising down the canyon at 40 miles per hour between cars. But hey, you do you.

Nearing the mouth of the canyon (PSP).

I really enjoy this trail, and all of the ways I can enjoy it and that I can decide what to do depending on my comfort level for the day as well. Not a lot of amazing trails offer that. I guess that is probably why it is one of our go to trails when we can’t think of anything else or are hit with a surprise closure like today haha. 9 out of 10 squirrels.

As for difficulty, this is a bit of a climb so DR4.

Dogs are not allowed due to watershed restrictions. So be sure to leave Fido home for this one.