Hike to a trio of alpine lakes with a waterfall in between.
As the calendar shifts to June, alpine lake hiking gets into full swing. The first of our Utah Lake visits would be Lake Blanche, which would provide two sister lakes as well.
The trailhead is known as Mill B. South, though Google Maps will recognize Lake Blanche Trailhead if its easier to remember. There's probably less than 25 parking spots on site, you may expect to park along of the road of Big Cottonwood Canyon.
The trail begins hugging Big Cottonwood Creek on your left. It's easy to get thrown off early on as the trail appears to cut left, but you'll veer off to the right and head up a small rocky slope.
The trail, while beautiful, is largely uneventful along the 2,800 feet of elevation gain. Throughout the hike, you'll hear the rushing water in the creek below. As you near the halfway point, you'll go through a grove of aspen trees that stand out among the lush green of the forest in the early summer.
As the trail nears its conclusion, the terrain becomes a bit more rocky and a switchback actually cuts through a large rock slide. The final stretch of the trail takes you over a large slab of rock with a reddish-tint to it.
As you climb the final few feet, Lake Blanche will unfold in front of you. Sundial Peak towers above it, producing a memorable view.
From here, you have a lot of options. Some went down to the water's edge, though swimming is not allowed. Others went up on the large stone hills set next to the lake to take in the view. We chose to continue our hike by exploring the other features beyond Lake Blanche.
Often overlooked is the waterfall located between Lake Blanche and Lake Florence. It's not exactly easy to get as you either need to slide down some steep rocks to the left or through a bushwhacking trail (with lots of bugs) to the right. The falls is pretty impressive and could be a hike in its own right.
The waterfall is connected to Lake Florence, which I'd argue is the most beautiful of the three. The water is a deep green and free of wind, will create a mirror image of the mountains above.
After admiring the clarity of the water at the shoreline, we made our way down to Lake Lillian. There are some smaller cascades between Florence and Lillian that you may have to hop. Lillian is probably the least appealing of the three as there are some dead trees at one end and it doesn't have the clarity of the other two. It is however, your best bet if you want to avoid crowds of other hikers.
After Lillian, we made our way back up to Lake Blanche and circled the entire body of water. There are some different perspectives and it's definitely worthwhile to add some mileage to your hike.
After you've explored the Lakes to your liking, you'll simply head back from the way that you came. Along the way, we encountered quite a bit of wildlife, including many woodpeckers, some chipmunks, and even a large moose.
While the hike has some mileage and incline, it did not feel overly difficult and could be accomplished by intermediate hikers. You can also cut mileage out, but skipping the loop or the sister lakes. Whatever you chose, it's sure to be time well spent on the trail!
Know Before You Go
Limited paved parking spots at the trailhead, most parking along the main road.
While the trail itself has many shaded spots, the Lakes are mostly exposed to the sun, but be sure to pack sunblock, hat, and plenty of water.
Swimming is NOT allowed in the lake.
The trail surrounding the lake isn't defined, so there are spots where children could potentially slip and fall.
Resources
Video
Location
Found just a short drive up Route 190 in Big Cottonwood Canyon, closer to the Salt Lake City side. You'll be looking for the Mill B. South trailhead. Limited parking in the lot, and most hikers will park on the road near the trailhead.
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