After some serious hemming and hawing and facing the fact that I could be spending the day watching TV (good grief NO!) I decided to venture up to Solitude / Brighton for a quick hike. Everything I had read indicated that I could hit 3 lakes in less than an hour and possibly a 4th.
I ventured up Big Cottonwood Canyon and arrived at my destination about 20 minutes later. The clouds were still threatening and the temperature dropped a good 8 degrees by the time I arrived. There were some hints of sunshine however, which left me optimistic.
I parked at the Brighton Ski Resort and quickly found the trail head (directly behind the Brighton Sky Center). The path was very well defined and even runnable. In fact, this is probably the best trail to run on I've found yet. However, it was crowded -- with it being a national holiday the trail was well traveled and there was no shortage of crying kids, families, and screaming boys and girls.
The trail isn't a backbreaker by any means but the first .5 mile or is an ascent. Compared to other hikes like Lake Blanche or Gobbler's Knob, this one is easy. The trail is wide and consists of packed dirt with some rocks. There are some technical sections but they are super easy and again well traveled.
My first stop on my tour of lakes was Dog Lake. This deviation is about 500 feet from the main trail and while they call it a lake, it is hardly anything but. It reminded me of a very small pond. This lake wasn't very busy and seemed to be very quiet. I am told it does get bigger if there is a lot of rain or if it is early in the season.
I have attached photos of the lake and the initial journey there.
A ski lodge
typical section of trail
view from near dog lake
A mini waterfall on the way there
Dog Lake
Dog Lake
More of Dog Lake
Yours truly at Dog Lake.
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