Lake Blanche is a popular day hike destination close to Salt Lake City, and when you reach the lake you realize why. The lake sits nestled within the Twin Peaks Wilderness Area below the spectacular 10,320′ Sundial Peak. The hike in is only three miles, but don’t let that fool you. There is also over 2,600′ of elevation gain.
The trail leaves the Big Cottonwood Canyon at the Mill B trailhead and follows the river up through a beautiful pine and aspen forest. About two miles up, you get your first views of what is to come as the high peaks above Lake Blanche come into view. It is also about here that you gain views of the beautiful big cascades coming down the steep mountainside below Lillian Lake.
Lake Blanche is one of several lakes that can be explored in the upper basin. We also visited Lake Florence and Lake Lillian. And upon further exploration just below Lake Lillian we found a spectacular large waterfall raging down the mountainside.
It was an exhausting but beautiful day in the Wasatch, but we were chased down from the high alpine basin all too soon by an approaching thunderstorm.
Bring good trail shoes, plenty of food and lots of energy if you plan to tackle this one. And if you make it, you will be rewarded with a little slice of paradise…
