Lake Blanche Trail

We needed to get in more tough climbs to help us get into shape for our big Grand Canyon hike in late September, so we decided to hike the Lake Blanche Trail once again. We did it several years ago and, although it is relatively short, we always remember it as a tough climb with a knee pounding descent. The sky was clear when we left for Big Cottonwood Canyon, and the air was at least cool, if a bit humid.

Trailhead

7:15 a.m.
At the trailhead there were six other vehicles. It’s a large paved lot, with Big Cottonwood Creek roaring nearby. There are flush toilets, garbage cans, and an informational kiosk, but no drinking water. The Broads Fork Trail leaves from this trailhead as well.

The expected temps today should be in the 90s. The GPS coordinates for the trailhead are: 40 37.995N; 111 43.411W; at an approximate elevation of 6,219 feet.

7:27 a.m.
Leaving to head up the trail. There is an asphalt path for the first part of the trail from the parking area to the picnic area. A trail sign along this path indicates that it is 2.8 miles to Lake Blanche. That is a bit different from other sources, which have the distance listed as 3.1 or 3.2 miles. That’s not a significant difference, so I guess it depends upon where each source started their measurement.

Just before the picnic area the Lake Blanche Trail heads off toward the south. There is a sign on the right side of the path. The trail climbs immediately and continues climbing for almost the entire distance at a fairly steady grade of about 1,000 feet per mile. There are a few flatter areas, but there are also some very steep areas as well. The trail varies from packed earth to gravel, and there are some segments where you must climb briefly over exposed rock. Most of the trail is under the shady canopy of the surrounding trees, but there are a few exposed areas.

For the first mile of the trail the stream (Mill B South Fork) parallels the trail and provides a soundtrack for the hike. Gradually you move away from the stream and work into a series of broad switchbacks. The middle mile of the three seems to be the steepest and most difficult. Once you make your way across a couple of large rock slides you’ll find more, tighter, switchbacks and the climb doesn’t seem so difficult. You’ll be able to see Sundial Peak looming overhead, and the bare, rocky ridge of glacier scrapped stone. Just beyond that ridge is Lake Blanche. The final ascent takes you directly through the glacier scrapped terrain, with its fascinating markings and vibrant colors.

Lake Blanche

9:30 a.m.
This is an approximate time. I forgot to record our arrival. The GPS coordinates for the spot where the trail reaches the northeastern dam are: 40 36.400N; 111 41.497W; at an approximate elevation of 8,916 feet. Our GPS indicated that we'd hiked 3.2 miles to this point.

The lake itself sits at the base of Sundial Peak and you’ll come up at a small dam that was obviously built and abandoned years ago. There is also another, larger dam along the west side of the lake. It has been breached and water is pouring from Lake Blanche into the lower Lake Florence, and eventually into Lake Lillian.

We wandered to the west, along the lake, and looked down on the two lower lakes, then made our way down to them, about 120 lower than Lake Blanche.

Lake Florence

From this area we could look down the canyon that we had just climbed. We walked over past Lake Florence (GPS coordinates: 40 36.315N; 111 41.786W; at an approximate elevation of 8,825 feet) to Lake Lillian. There were two backpacker camps in this area, each in a cluster of trees on opposite sides of a large outcrop. One was a pair of 30-something guys, and the other appeared to be two women and a young girl.

Lake Lillian

10:07 a.m.
At Lake Lillian we found a nice spot overlooking the small lake and had a snack. It was sunny and nice, other than there were a few nasty insects flying around us. We had sprayed ourselves with insect repellent as soon as we reach Lake Blanche because Anne had gotten stung by a mosquito and there were others flying around. The GPS coordinates for Lake Lillian are: 40 36.218N; 111 41.848W; at an approximate elevation of 8,809 feet.

After we rested for a few minutes, we headed back toward Lake Blanche.

10:31 a.m.
We walked over to look at the waterfall south of Lake Blanche, along the east side of the lake. The GPS coordinates for the waterfall are: 40 36.282N; 111 41.407W; at an approximate elevation of 8,916 feet. By this time there were more hikers completing the hike, and so we headed down. We met many more hikers on the way down.

Return Trip

Although it’s easier to breathe on the way down, because of the constant descent, it is hard on the knees and other joints. The air was also starting to warm by this point.

12:22 p.m.
Back at the trailhead. We averaged a slow 1.9 mph moving time on this hike. Well below our normal average. The GPS showed that we’d hiked a total of 7.87 miles round trip, with an approximate elevation gain of 2,697 feet. By the time we completed our hike the parking area was completely full.