Difficulty: More Difficult ◼︎◼︎
Length: 7.6 miles round trip
Elevation Gain: 2,700 feet
Dog Friendly: No
Trailhead coordinates (copy + paste): 40.6331, -111.7230
Directions: Follow the coordinates to the parking lot, which is attached to the S-turn on Big Cottonwood Canyon Road. The lot is small, so you may need to park along the road. The trail starts behind the bathrooms and is easy to follow to the lake. Be sure to take the paved path and not the trail on the other side of the lot, which leads to Broads Fork Basin.
A picturesque alpine lake at the end of a steep but manageable trail, Lake Blanche is neighbored by her two smaller and lesser-known sisters Florence and Lillian. The trail begins as a paved path running parallel to Big Cottonwood Creek, and then takes a sharp right up a hill. The hike is unchanging from here to the end—steep, rocky, and lined with dense plants that encroach on the trail and limit the view. If you look back once in a while you may catch a glimpse of the Salt Lake valley below, but the real prize on this trail awaits at the end of it. The plants recede just before the lake, revealing large rock slabs leading up to a rock dam. Walk along the dam to reach the lake, then keep heading around the edge of the water to the second dam for a better view of Sundial Peak. Lake Blanche is a popular destination and can get busy, so continue on to Florence or Lillian for a more peaceful experience. This trail is in a watershed, so the dogs will have to sit this one out.
