Big Cottonwood Canyon
Personal Notes:
Lake Desolation, Great Western Trail,
and Dog Lake Loop
This page presents our personal notes on our hike to Lake Desolation, along the Great Western Trail, and along the Dog Lake Loop from Big Cottonwood Canyon in the Wasatch Mountains in Utah.
| Sunday, August 14, 2005 | |
Sunday, August 14, 2005
This morning we headed out once again to Big Cottonwood Canyon in the Wasatch Range to hike the Lake Desolation/Great Western Trail/Dog Lake Loop. I had estimated, from the maps, that it would be about 11.7 miles. It turned out to be 12.8. But that was okay. We needed the extra workout. This was also our first hike with our new boots. These are our third pair of Vasque Clarion boots. They cost about $140.00 from REI. We’ve found that we don’t have to break them in much. We did this entire hike without any serious foot problems. I ended up with a small blister on the side of my big toe on my right foot. I also had a sore spot on the bottom of that same foot, but it was not serious and went away as soon as I got the boots off. And the upper edge of the boot cut into my right ankle just a bit by the end of the hike. That's easy enough to fix by massaging the upper edge of the boot to soften the padding just a bit.
Trailhead
7:19 a.m.
We arrived at the Mill D North Fork Trailhead in Big Cottonwood Canyon in the Wasatch Range. We spotted a young bull moose on the road just before we arrived. He bent down to eat or lick something from the middle of the road. As we approached he moved off to the side and continued on into the brush.
It was cold this morning. We wished that we'd brought along a jacket or sweat shirt to add over our t-shirts.
The map coordinates for this location are 40 38.948N; 111 38.854W; at an elevation of 7,272 feet. There are flush toilets across the road, but no drinking water. There is an informational kiosk with local information. When we arrived there was only one other vehicle. It’s a fairly large mostly paved parking area along the side of the road.
Also, this is a shared trail. Mountains bikes are not allowed on odd numbered days. And wouldn’t you know it, once again it was an even numbered day. It seems that whenever we hike in this area there are also bikes. Ah well ... share the trail. But they sure tear up the trails and make them difficult to hike in some places. They also pulverize the trail and make it quite dusty in some areas.
7:35 a.m.
We headed up the trail.
8:11 a.m.
At this point we both put on our rain jackets (which we always carry in our packs). The air temp was between 40 and 45 degrees F. with a slight breeze. They sky was clear, but we were still in the the shadows of the mountain.
The map coordinates for the junction with the trails that go west to Dog Lake and east to Lake Desolation are 40 39.746N; 111 37.792W; at an elevation of 8,260 feet. The junction is approximately 1.7 miles from the trailhead. We headed off to the east.
8:33 a.m.
From the main trailhead to the junction to Lake Desolation is pretty rocky, and begins with a pretty good climb. It levels off at times, but generally trends upward. Eventually it parallels the stream, with a short, steep climb to the junction. From the junction it is 1.9 to the lake, with a steep, rocky climb that eventually levels off as it passes along the shoulder of a meadow. There are some ponds and marshy areas, lots of aspen, then another climb on the east side of the meadow.
Moose Encounter
8:43 a.m.
At one point Anne walked around a curve to see a mother and baby moose standing on the trail. They casually checked us out, then moved down slope into the brush and trees and then out across a meadow.
Lake Desolation
9:18 a.m.
We arrived at Lake Desolation, and were the only ones there. By this time the sun was high enough that the air was beginning to warm, so we removed our jackets.
The lake is not very pretty, and its level is slightly down from its full capacity.
Great Western Trail
From the side of the lake it looks like a good climb out of the small basin to reach the ridge above and the Great Western Trail. The map coordinates for Lake Desolation are 40 39.696N; 111 36.207W; at an elevation of 9,235 feet.
From Lake Desolation to the Great Western Trail junction is .4 miles. The map coordinates for the junction are 40 39.681N; 111 35.926W; at an elevation of 9,611 feet. The climb from the lake was not as difficult as we had anticipated. There are sweeping switchbacks and the trail is solid and makes for easy walking.
Mill Creek Canyon Trail
It is about 2.3 miles from that junction to the junction with the Mill Creek Canyon Trail, at map coordinates 40 41.227N; 111 36.095W; at an elevation of 8,932 feet. This part of the trail passes along a ridge with views of Big Cottonwood Canyon, upper Mill Creek Canyon, and over into the Park City area to the east. This is also a heavily used mountain bike trail and we had to step aside often to make room for the bikers.
Little Water Trail
It is about 2.7 miles from the junction of the Great Western Trail and the Mill Creek Canyon Trail to the junction with the Little Water Trail. The map coordinates are approximately 40 40.716N; 111 38.419W; at an elevation of 8,136 feet. The Little Water Trail to Dog Lake is either .8 or .9 miles long, depending on which route you take, and it is quite steep in places. At .6 miles there is a junction with a trail that leads to the Big Water Trail and a second route to Dog Lake, of .2 miles. We took the left route, of .3 miles, because it has switchbacks and we suspect that it is less steep.
Dog Lake
12:07 a.m.
We reached Dog Lake. The map coordinates are 40 40.062N; 111 38.358W; at an elevation of 8,753 feet. There were a few people, some with dogs. Again, this is not a pretty lake. It is small and muddy looking. It is just a low spot in the basin where snow melt and rain water collect. We talked to some people with a short haired collie; an interesting looking dog. Our trail was all down hill from here. And between the lake and the Mill D North Fork Trail junction the slope is steep and has many loose rocks. There were also quite a few insects flying around in the warming air. A bit of an annoyance, but they really weren’t interested in us.
Return Trip
1:10 a.m.
We arrived back at the trailhead. It is crowded with cars and bikers. It appears to be full. According to our GPS we hiked 12.8 miles round trip. That took us 4 hours and 46 minutes of moving time. Our total accumulated ascent was 2,844 feet. Our highest point was 9,664 feet. Our average speed during the hike was 2.7 mph. We had averaged 2.5 on the way up to Lake Desolation, so, obviously, we had picked up a bit of time on the more downward trending slopes.
