Silver Lake

 Silver Lake is a picturesque lake located at the top of Big Cottonwood Canyon. The short easy trail features the lake surrounded by stunning peaks, a creek, pretty forest, wildflowers, and often wildlife.

My walking group is a group of people with mixed abilities. It has also been hot a hell lately so we have been looking for easier options to do in the mountains where it is a bit cooler. So, this is not really much of a guide, but it's pretty so here we are. :)

We tend to do this easy little trail fairly often.

Quick Details:

Length: About a mile loop.
Trail Type: Loop
Difficulty: DR2. It is mostly boardwalk, with some wild flat hard packed sections.
Elevation Gain: About 80 feet.
Restroom: Yes there are flush toilets in and next to the Visitor Center.
Dogs? No. Big Cottonwood Canyon is watershed.
Other Info: Fee area. $10.00 per vehicle for a 3 day pass.

To Get Here:

Drive to the top of Big Cottonwood Canyon. Just after you start on the one way loop road around Brighton, you will see the Solitude Nordic Center on the right. Park. There is overflow parking across the street at the general store.

The trail picks up on either side of the Nordic Center.

Some of the leaves are already starting to change color (Passenger Seat Photography (PSP)).

Mountains above Brighton (PSP).

“The First Statewide Pioneer Day Celebration

Was held in this Basin July 23-24, 1857

Headed by Brigham Young, the company reaching here July 23d numbered 2,587 persons, with 464 carriages & wagons, 1,028 horses & mules, and 332 oxen & cows.
A program of addresses, six brass bands, singing, athletic events, drills by six companies of militia, and dancing, was punctuated by salutes from a brass howitzer. U. S. flags were flown from two highest peaks and two highest trees, the flag tree in front of Brigham Young's campsite being 70 feet N. W. of here. At noon July 24, Judson Stoddard and A. O. Smoot, 20 days from the States, with Elias Smith and O. P. Rockwell, arrived with news of the advance of Johnston's army against the "Mormons". The company returned in orderly formation on July 25th.”

“Elevation above sea 8750 Feet”

Fireweed.

Fee Free Days.

The Trail:

Welcome sign.

We decided to go around counter-clockwise today.

Scott Hill. I always say this but, it is pretty easy to pick out due to the Mickey Mouse shaped mine tailings.

First glimpse of the lake.

Closer.

One of the inlets.

Heading out to the big dock.

View from it.

Panoramic

Beaver Lodge.

Not great shots, but the dragonflies are going nuts right now. We couldn’t decide if they were trying to fight or mate.

Back to the main loop.

Looking back at the dock.

The lake and the unnamed peak above.

The other inlet.

Then, into the woods!

1 little monkshood still hanging on.

Pretty forest.

Someone is remodeling or building a new cabin back there.

More forest.

The lake.

Forest.

Scott Hill.

Panoramic.

More forest.

The lake.

Panoramic.

Reflection.

The beaver lodge again.

Mixed forest.

Fireweeds.

The lake.

Another panoramic.

Reflection.

Fireweed.

Forest.

Beaver damage.

Another big dock.

View from it.

Panoramic.

Cute little duck.

Its hard to tell with this image, but the flyfisher next to us somehow managed to hook a dragonfly! Total accidental 1 in a million chance. The poor thing was trying to fly away but was now tied down. It gave us the sads so we walked away before finding out what happened to it. I'm choosing to believe the flyfisher managed to get the dragonfly loose and it flew away uninjured. 

More forest.

The back trailhead which leads to Twin Lakes and Lake Solitude.

Oh my, there is a warning about  recent mountain lion sightings up there.

A group heading out to the back trails.

A moose right next to the trail stopped traffic in both directions.

Look at the rack on him!

I feel like people were a little closer than they should have been, however I think the Silver Lake moose are used to it. It doesn’t really excuse it, but do pay attention to warning signs that it is starting to get annoyed. Starting with raised hackles, then grunts and snorts. Seriously if you start noticing that, back up. Otherwise if you are lucky, you will get the final warning that it is pissed, and that will start stomping. Of course a moose may skip all of that and just go directly to stomping on you or charging and flipping you up in the air with its antlers. When there is a crowd like this, I like to strategically put a couple people between me and the moose as a little safety net. As the saying goes, you don't need to outrun it, you just need to outrun your friend (or in this case rando strangers you don't care about).

I have seen a moose get very annoyed with people getting too close, and started exhibiting the warnings I mentioned. Nobody moved. Then it started with the stomps, and finally a warning charge before people finally took it seriously. I really thought I was going to see someone get stomped on that day. Oddly enough, it was here at Silver Lake, but people were REALLY pushing it that day. People were being better today. So, nobody got hurt.

We could hear another moose back in the foliage, as well as see some branches moving.

He’s starting to come out a little more.

Hello handsome.

In all his glory.

Back to munching. I still do not feel comfortable passing him.

Alright, keep going buddy.

The lake again.

The moose finally made its way far enough into the foliage that I felt comfortable passing.

Ah, now we can see both of them. I swear the other one is somehow even bigger! This makes 12 moose we have seen so far this year. Wow.

And look at that rack! wow he’s a biggun.

The lake.

The bridge/dock over the outlet.

Beaver lodge.

The unnamed peak, and the fun scree field that the Twin Lakes Trail crosses.

The beaver lodge again.

Mount Millicent.

Beaver dam.

The Visitor Center.

Back to the front. Here we debated about what to do next cause it’s short and we all still had some energy. We decided to just do another lap around the lake.

More boardwalk.

Back around where the moose was…. holy shit…

Little digital crop. I didn’t see it at the time, but it looks like one of them laid down you can see his antler above the grass.

Into the woods.

The lake.

Again.

Reflection.

Squirrel!

Scott Hill reflecting nicely.

Panoramic.

I suspect this is a beaver hole of some sort.

Beaver lodge.

Berries.

The lake.

Panoramic.

Continuing around.

Mount Millicent above the lake.

And... the moose is back on the trail.

There is a pretty good sized group of people who are trapped on that small dock right now. What an absolutely horrible predicament to find oneself in! Their options are big ass moose, or cold ass lake. Mental note for future adventures, don't let yourself get trapped on a small dock with a wild animal!

He’s soooo big!

With a big rack too.

The longer we sat here waiting, the more I started to wonder where the other one was?

More of his face.

Crossing the trail.

Crossing.

He looked over at the people on the dock for a minute.. I would’ve crapped my pants if I was stuck on it right now.

Then he moved on.

Terrible shot, but I found the other one, set about 5 feet back in the bushes laying down. I think it is a little funny, the super nervous people who were hanging back further away from the other one… were right next to this one the whole time.

Passing by the first one.

The moon above Mount Millicent.

Little bit of color streaking across the sky.

The Visitor Center again.

More colorful streaks.

I don’t think I have ever noticed this marker before.

“Erected 1962 to

William Stuart Brighton

Born in Scotland, Sept. 24, 1829. Arrived in Utah 10 years after first Mormon pioneer company. Built a hotel here in 1874, establishing the area as a mountain resort, which has since been identified with his name. Died April 28, 1895.”

Then we decided to head down the canyon.

Well that was fun! I don’t think I have ever done a double lap around the lake before. But it was fun. I am glad my friends who don’t really hike came with us, and got to see 2 big moose friends! I had hoped that it being a weekday it would be a little less busy, but no. It was still busy. However, I think with kids going back to school (does it feel early to anyone else) people are sensing summer is coming to an end. meh… 8 out of 10 squirrels.

As for difficulty, it is mostly boardwalk, and then wide, flat like paved trail. DR2.

Dogs are not allowed in Big Cottonwood Canyon due to it being protected watershed. Please leave Fido home for this one.