Lake Solitude

Lake Solitude is one of many alpine lakes around Brighton in Big Cottonwood Canyon. The trail takes you about halfway around Silver Lake, where it’s flat and stroller-friendly. Then you take a right where the trail forks from the Silver Lake trail. Then you take another right from the fork between the Lake Solitude Trail and Twin Lakes Trail and head up into the mountains a little bit. The hike is not flat, but it’s not difficult either, and it meanders through an absolutely gorgeous aspen forest. In my opinion, the trail itself is the real treat, not so much the lake. The last quarter mile of the hike is where it gets pretty steep and it’s where you’ll really start to feel the elevation being over 8000 feet if you’re used to living at sea level. Thankfully, it’s short and you’re rewarded by the little lake. We’ve seen moose at Lake Solitude a couple of times too. This hike is beautiful in spring, summer and fall. In the summer, it’s a welcome relief from the heat in the Salt Lake Valley; it can sometimes be as much as 15° F cooler up there. Mid-July is when wildflowers put on their show and in late-September the aspen turn bright yellow and the scrub oak turns orange. It’s quite beautiful. There are picnic tables at the Nordic Center where you parked along with restrooms and a water fountain. This trail is closed to hikers in the winter once the ski resorts are open. Only cross-country skiers are allowed. All of Big Cottonwood Canyon is a watershed canyon, so no wading or swimming in the lakes or streams and no dogs are allowed.