The Wasatch Mountains are full of trails, and I thought it would be nice to write about a few of the easier trails here in the Wasatch. If you are looking to start hiking or you have been hiking for years but would like a quick hike, read on. I have come up with 5 hikes that I think everyone should at least do once, if not multiple times in their life. The 5 hikes are: Silver Lake, Cecret Lake (Secret Lake), Ensign Peak, Willow Heights and Ferguson Canyon. Over the next week I will be posting about each one of these hikes. First up is Silver Lake.
Silver Lake is probably one of the easiest hikes in all of the Wasatch Mountains. This hike is also one of the most accessible hikes, having a boardwalk the circles much of the lake. The trail has little to no elevation gain and circles the entire lake. This is a great hike for families and young kids. Kids love that the water is so close and the trail is easy hiking.
Because this hike is so accessible and easy, this also make this hike a little more crowded. So if you are looking for solitude, you might want to try the Willow Heights hike. Also if you are feeling a little more energetic than you thought when you started you can take a side hike up to Lake Solitude. Lake Solitude is about 1.5 miles from the trailhead so plan accordingly.
How to get there: From anywhere in the Salt lake Valley take I-215 east until you reach the 6200 South Exit (Exit 6). Drive east on 6200 S. The road will turn into Wasatch Boulevard. Follow Wasatch Boulevard south until you come to the intersection of Fort Union Boulevard (7200 South). This intersection is located about 1.7 miles after exiting I-215 (There is a 7-Eleven on the South-West corner). Turn left at the intersection and drive east up Big Cottonwood Canyon. After driving 14.2 miles up canyon the road will fork into a one-way loop. Head right on the one-way loop and drive until you see a sign for Silver Lake Trailhead on the right side of the road.
