Monday, August 19, 2013

Cecret Lake Hike

Cecret Lake in Alta, Utah is an easily accessible, short 1 mile hike. The nice thing about this hike is that hikers can drive most of the way to the lake. This makes it appealing to hikers with limited abilities such as small children or the elderly who still love getting outdoors. It is an alpine experience without having to hike a long distance. The hike itself starts out nice, easy, flat and gets a bit steeper the closer you get to the lake. This is a highly used trail so do not expect solidarity. Even with that caveat it is a wonderful family hike.


We decided to continue hiking and summit Sugarloaf Peak. Once you reach the lake, look across the water and you will see the trail continuing up the mountain towards the ski lift. When you get to the top you will lose the trail. The goal is to get to the top of the lift where you can once again find the trail located on the ridge between Sugarloaf and Snowbird's mineral basin. If you are unsure where that is, head over towards Snowbird to the view area. Once there look to the left up the small hill and you will find the trail that leads to the summit. It gets steep on loose dirt and rocks, but we all did it without any trouble. 




To get there: Head up Little Cottonwood Canyon until you reach Alta. There is an information booth and you will pass through the booth continuing up the mountain for a good 10 minutes. Stay on the road until it ends at a campground and there is a small parking lot off to the left. Park and then look for the trail that is marked on the southwest side of the lot. Follow the trail until you get to the lake.
There is limited parking so going on a weekday is ideal.