Lake Mary

Let’s head north and talk about Lake Mary. The Lake Mary hike was one of my first hikes ever completed in the Salt Lake City region when I was there for a grad school internship in 2005. It was the very first hike we took our three children on when we relocated from the Midwest to Salt Lake in August of 2020. In the winter, I learned to snowboard at Brighton and this was our home resort. This particular place in the mountains is very special to me, there is something about this area of nature that I connect with. If you think this is an exaggeration, the proof is our daughter’s middle name, it is Brighton.

The Lake Mary hike begins at the top of Big Cottonwood Canyon at Brighton Resort. Big Cottonwood Canyon is one of the most beautiful canyons in the northern part of the state, towering pines, huge granite rocks, a rushing mountain stream. This scenery continues once you are on the Lake Mary trail. You will meander through Brighton’s acreage and then through the forest, emerging to overlook Lake Mary. This is a subalpine lake nestled amidst the granite. In the fall, the aspen trees you hike through turn a brilliant yellow.

When we hiked this with our kids, a huge bull moose was grazing at the shoreline. Wow! We have seen other moose on this hike as well. While moose are so neat to see, steer clear and keep your distance, they are fast and dangerous.

Difficulty: Moderate related to elevation gain and higher overall elevation.

Trail Stats: 2.3 miles, out and back, 803 feet elevation gain.

Trail Finding: Pretty clear.

Conditions: Packed dirt most of the time.

Would I Repeat This: Yes, a beautiful and serene area and a place of nostalgia for us. 

Parking: Plentiful at Brighton Resort.

Timing:  Complete once the snow melts early summer until the snow flies in the fall.

Downloaded Map: Not necessary.

Fees: None.

Trails: Lake Catherine, Lake Solitude, Silver Lake Loop, and more.