Salt Lake City
Utah
2020 has been a tough year, I don’t have to tell you all that! For a lot of us, COVID has meant endless stress, job security anxiety, missing time with friends and family, and having to (at least partially) give up activities that we took for granted before the pandemic arrived. To be blunt, it sucks. A lot.
The girls and I were supposed to go to San Francisco for a long weekend in May, but that was derailed right around the time a cruise ship full of COVID positive tourists was floating just off San Fran’s coast and cases were skyrocketing in the Bay Area. Our AirBnBs started cancelling, and even domestic travel was not advised. It was an extremely tough decision, but ultimately we cancelled the trip. Fast forward a few months - we were all stuck with a flight credit that had to be used within a year (thanks a lot, United), and things didn’t seem to be close to resolution. With all the talk of things getting even worse over winter, we decided it was now or never, and decided to try to make something work!
We made some changes to the plan. Instead of exploring San Francisco we opted to fly somewhere closer to the mountains where we could spend our time outside, hopefully away from other people. We went back and forth thinking of several different options - California, Utah, Colorado, Idaho? We had trouble committing to something because not only were we dealing with COVID restrictions, but there were wildfires raging all over the western U.S. Eventually we settled on Salt Lake City, the perfect spot surrounded by tons of mountains and hiking trails! We pulled the trigger and booked everything about a month before we planned to leave, and then the (very short) countdown began. The excitement wasn’t without some sorrow - the four of us would not all be together. Kimmy we love you so much and we missed you, and we can’t wait for us all to be together next time!
Day 1: Getting there, hiking Cecret Lake
Lindsey and I met Jill in Salt Lake City on Friday afternoon. We picked up our rental car, raided a local Utah liquor store, then drove about an hour to our first hike: Cecret Lake (pronounced like “secret”). The trailhead was located in a really cool ski resort area and right away we were blown away by the beauty of the mountains surrounding us. I’m not much of a skier (I tried twice in middle school, and it was terrible) but I would go back there in the winter just to stare at those mountains. We were also happy to see that the fall colors were still hanging around a little bit - there were lots of golden aspens and bursts of red and orange leaves clinging to maple trees. We got turned around along the trail (haha, not surprising) and we all felt the effects of the altitude.
We huffed and puffed up the rocky trail and pretty quickly made it to Cecret Lake. It was very busy with lots of other hikers but we expected that since it was such a short, easy trail (and so scenic). Tall, gray mountains rose up above a blue green lake lined with deep green clusters of pine trees. We hiked a little higher above the lake and found a nice spot on a rock with a great view. We cracked a beer, stuffed our faces with delicious snacks, then talked and talked - so much to catch up on, especially Lindsey and Al’s recent engagement (congrats again lovebirds!) Eventually the cold got the better of us and we headed back to the car, picked up some chinese food, and checked into our AirBnB for the weekend. We feasted and laughed, and my fortune cookie said “A fun party with close friends is in your future” - it even had my lucky number on the back, how perfect is that? We stayed up late talking and catching up, then hit the hay!
Day 2: Lake Blanche
We slept in Saturday morning, made breakfast and coffee, then set off to hike Lake Blanche - about 7.5 miles roundtrip, with about 2,600 feet of elevation gain. We got to the trailhead around 10am and it was so packed we had to park down the road. Pro of hiking in Salt Lake City: the hikes are so close to town. Con of hiking in Salt Lake City: the hikes are so close to town! There were tons of people on the trail, and lots of them had pretty poor trail etiquette. It was definitely different than what I was used to, but I didn’t let it ruin the beauty. The trail followed a creek and we climbed higher and higher through a gorgeous forest alive with yellow, burnt orange, and fading red.
The trail opened up onto a beautiful ridge with gorgeous views of the craggy mountains and deep valley from which we came. The hike was definitely challenging, and the altitude made it even more difficult for all three of us. Finally we made it to Lake Blanche, complete with beautiful blue water and a tall rocky peak rising up over the lake with lots of other small peaks in the background. We found a nice spot away from other hikers and stayed there for three hours! It was a gorgeous day, sunny and warm (but not too warm), and the view was too beautiful to move on. We cheersed a beer (and later a second), had some snacks, and chatted away, all with the most beautiful backdrop.
Eventually we hiked down, then met our favorite Salt Lake City resident Lexi at Wasatch Brewing! We had dinner and drinks, caught up, and Lexi gave us some great hiking advice. Then we went back to the AirBnB, played “Quelf”, and stayed up way too late laughing hysterically and possibly waking up one of the many children our host had (cough cough Lindsey). Highlights of the game include funny rules where Jill had to say “I have you now” every time she made eye contact with one of us, I had to repeat everything I said twice, and Lindsey wore an empty gallon jug on her head like a helmet. We stayed up way too late having fun, then eventually went to bed!
Day 3: Red Pine Lake
We slept in again and really took our time Sunday morning having breakfast and coffee, and lounged around until the rain (and SNOW) stopped. When we finally emerged from our apartment it was chilly, and as we drove out to the mountains for our hike we could see snow accumulation on the ground! We were excited to see the parking lot only partially full and the trail seemed pretty dead - SCORE! We chose to hike Red Pine Lake, which ended up being about 8 miles round trip with about 2,000 feet of elevation gain. It was in the 30’s and windy, and we started hiking around 11:30, which I think is the latest I’ve ever started a hike haha! Clouds and fog loomed over the mountain tops and fresh snow lined the trail - it was gorgeous! We hiked up gentle to moderate inclines through a forest thick with pines and groves of bare birch trees.
The clouds moved fast, and every now and then we could see more of the mountain peaks and the city far below. The higher we climbed the deeper the snow - it was a gorgeous winter wonderland, slippery at times but a wonderland nonetheless. Finally we made it to Red Pine Lake. It was a beautiful, dark lake surrounded by a bowl of tall pointy mountains and everything was covered with a blanket of fresh snow. At first clouds covered the mountain peaks but we stuck around long enough for it to completely clear up! It was cold, and we hung out for as long as we could before heading back to the trailhead. We were so thrilled with this hike - it was gorgeous and we only saw a handful of people, much better than the day before at Lake Blanche. Even though it wasn’t the nicest day, we still thought it was a great day for a hike and the snow made the mountains even more beautiful, and kept other hikers away! We went to Level Crossing Brewery for a flight of local brews out on their patio, cooked some dinner back at the BnB, and relaxed for a while reflecting on our day.
Day 4: Brighton Lakes to Sunset Peak
Our original plan for Monday was to hike Mt. Olympus, a very intense summit hike that gains 4,000 vertical feet in less than four miles…we vetoed that after some excellent advice from Lexi (thank you again!) and realizing how difficult the high altitude made hiking ANY trail in the Salt Lake area. Instead we opted for Brighton Lakes to Sunset Peak, and boy am I glad that we did! This was about a 6.75 mile hike with ~ 2,000 feet elevation gain that featured three lakes and a summit, and it was my favorite hike of the whole trip! We started at a ski resort hiking up a moderate incline made to feel even more difficult due to the high altitude. There was still a decent amount of snow on the ground and we were glad to have trekking poles with us. We hiked through a snowy pine forest for about a mile, then made it to our first stop: Lake Mary. It reminded me a lot of Yosemite, with gray granite-looking mountains, big boulders, and dark green pines. A bright blue sky topped off this amazing view along with deep, blue-green water in the lake.
We had a snack on top of a big boulder and enjoyed the view, then we were harassed by a vicious pack of chipmunks. We kept them at bay for a while, but when one of them crawled up onto Jill’s thigh we decided it was time to move on (although Jill’s bloody murder scream was quite entertaining). We hiked about another half mile along the flat trail weaving through the forest, then made it to Lake Martha. It was a smaller lake with lots more pines and even more snow, and rocky peaks towering above the water. We stopped for a breather and to take some pictures, then continued on to the third and final lake - Lake Catherine.
Catherine was the snowiest lake yet, and one of the most picturesque places I’ve had the pleasure of visiting. We found a nice spot to rest and take in the views, but before long the chipmunks found us and sent us on our way! The trail thus far had been moderately difficult, alternating between ascents and nice flat sections through the snowy forest. We were having a great time and all agreed we were really happy with the trail so far. Traffic was pretty light, and we saw very few people after we passed Lake Mary.
Once we left Lake Catherine the trail started up toward Sunset Peak. Higher and higher we climbed, and we were treated to amazing views of the lakes below and the sea of snowy mountain peaks surrounding us. The snow got much deeper, we guessed up to 6 inches in some areas but luckily the trail was packed down from the hikers before us. We hiked through a steep, rocky section, and made it up to the saddle of Sunset Peak when the wind really started to pick up. There were some slippery and narrow parts but we did pretty well with our hiking poles. Finally we made it to our destination, Sunset Peak!
Located at 10,648 feet above sea level, Sunset Peak was windy and cold but we had the whole thing to ourselves! We sucked it up, cracked a beer, and ate our lunch staring out at my favorite views of the whole trip. We had 360 degree views from the summit - from one side we could see all three lakes, and from the other we saw steep jagged mountains packed with snow and dark green pines. To our delight there was one lone chipmunk at the top, which made defending our food much easier. Eventually we hiked back down, and all three of us slipped at least once but luckily no one fell! We went to Fisher Brewery to celebrate our last day of hiking, then went back to the BnB for some dinner, drinks, and crashed!
Day 5: Park City and heading home
We woke up early on Tuesday, cleaned up our AirBnB, and checked out. Then we drove to Park City, UT to walk around and explore its historic downtown. It was a neat little area surrounded by mountains and ski resorts, and we enjoyed looking around in its many art galleries, treating ourselves to chocolate and other sweets, and perusing the many shops. Eventually the time came for us to head back to the airport, and Lindsey and I said goodbye to Jill once we got through security. Our flight back to Minneapolis ended up being delayed 4 hours, resulting in us missing our connecting flight, and it was a pretty stressful hour waiting in lines and trying to come up with a plan to get home. Luckily they were able to get us on another flight out that night, and we breathed a sigh of relief (then shared a giant hug), had a beer at an airport bar, and made it home late Tuesday night.
Even though getting home was a little bumpy, everything worked out and it was an amazing long weekend away with people I love so much! Sometimes when the world is falling apart around you all you need is nature, friends, and a little perspective. Hiking isn’t just a fun hobby for me - it’s a rejuvenating, almost spiritual experience that helps me press the “reset” button on life. I’m forever thankful for these experiences and memories made with friends. Until next time, ladies!
Hope you enjoyed the post! Check out the rest of the pictures in our gallery. Thanks Jill and Lindsey for letting me use your photos/videos too!