If you are looking for an easy, short hike with a beautiful rewarding view in the dog days of summer, then you can't pass up hiking to Cecret Lake.
It is a relatively quick hike you can take with the the whole family. (href="https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=215238055622184880418.0004c58bdeb10c2b5b2ae&msa=0" target="_blank">Click here for map.) Since it is in a watershed area of Little Cottonwood Canyon, no dogs allowed. The trail is clearly marked all the way up and there are periodic trail markers and informative signs about the area. No swimming at the lake.
This time of year and with drought conditions Cecret Lake looked more like a shallow pond, but was still very pretty. Just above the lake you can see the peak of Sugarloaf Mountain.
Starting out at about 9,600 feet you will climb to almost 10,000 feet. Round trip plan on taking about an hour. It is roughly just over two miles. The sign at the trailhead says one mile to the lake, but when I mapped it, it was more like about 1.5 miles.
Watch out for wildlife. When I went up there. A park ranger told us there had been a bear sightingnorth of Albion Basin campground a few minutes later. As we hiked down the trail we could hear coyotes howling at the moon.
I went in at dusk, to avoid the heat. It provided perfect lighting for picture taking. The valley was filled with wildflowers. It was about 60 degrees.
I wished I would have gone a little earlier though, because I ran out of daylight. If you leave when I did, bring a flashlight,
At night you get a gorgeous view of the Milky Way and the stars, making it a serene night hike. I would highly recommend daytime to see more, though.
Watch for more about the Crecret Lake Trail in a forthcoming Hike of the Week.
— Cimaron Neugebauer
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