Lake Mary Trail

Distance: 3.5 miles
Time: 3 hours
Elevation gain: 800 feet
Difficulty: 2
Overall: 7
Reference: North-central Utah, southeast of Salt Lake City, at the end of Little Cottonwood Canyon.
User groups: Hikers, kids, cross-country skiers. No wheelchair access.
Pets are not allowed on this trail
Permits: No permits are required. Parking and access are free.

Directions

Wasatch Boulevard and 9400 South meet a Y junction at the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon. From the Y, drive up Little Cottonwood Canyon about 11.5 miles to the Albion Basin Campground.

Maps

Trails Illustrated's Wasatch Front/Strawberry Valley. For a USGS topographic map, ask for Brighton.

Contact

Wasatch-Cache National Forest, Salt Lake Ranger District; 801-466-6411.

Trail notes

Looking for a way to connect deadending roads up Little Cottonwood Canyon and Big Cottonwood Canyon? This is it: Lake Mary Trail, rambling past rock-lined lakes, alpine cirques, wildflower dotted meadows, and through silent forests. From the Little Cottonwood end, the trail climbs to Catherine Pass in about one mile, where a spur trail leads south to Sunset Peak. Dropping to Lake Catherine, Lake Martha, then Lake Mary, the largest, with a possible side trip to Dog Lake, the trail eases on down to the parking lot at Brighton. This trail is pretty enough to allow you to turn back after a short hike, and return to the start with a sense of pleasure.

Information courtesy of Buck Tilton, author of Utah Hiking.