Twin Lakes

Twin Lakes is a great hike to a small reservoir above Brighton, Utah. You start at the Silver Lake trail and make your way about around Silver Lake. At the far side, there’s a fork where the trail splits off to go the rest of around Silver Lake or to Lake Solitude and Twin Lakes. A little further and it splits again to Twin Lakes. This hike is beautiful in spring and fall. In the summer, it can a welcome relief from the heat in the Salt Lake Valley, but a good portion of the trail is exposed to the sun, so it can still get warm. After you leave Silver Lake, the trail heads uphill almost the whole way to Twin Lakes. It’s a rocky, uneven trail, so bring appropriate footwear. You’ll get a beautiful overhead view of Silver Lake too! 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! Once you get to Twin Lakes, there’s a dam on the left side and a wide, beachy area where you can play or have a picnic. There are picnic tables at the Silver Lake visitor center and restrooms with flush toilets along with 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.