Out and About ~ Dog Lake

You’re going to get a lot of "Utah’s a pretty great state" sales pitches from me. Here’s the first of many.

Those who’ve been here know the draw of the outdoor life in particular. We’ve got the greatest snow on earth in the winter and those same mountains are perfect for camping, hiking, fishing, 4-wheeling and a bajillion other things in the summer. And that’s just up north. Then we’ve got all the gorgeous red rock canyons and deserts down south. It’s pretty hard to beat.

When I was living in the DC area one of the things I missed most was access to real mountains (apologies to the Appalachians, Great Smokeys, Poconos and more, you’re beautiful but you’re just not the same!) I’d made a goal to get to the mountains once a week when I finally made it back to Utah but as usual, life took over and had other plans. But, this past weekend the husband-to-be and I took a much-needed break from wedding planning and life in general to spend some time in the nearby mountains.

Mill Creek Canyon is part of the Wasatch Range, and unlike the other canyons, is managed by the Forest Service so there’s a small usage fee (usually $3 for day use-hiking, picnics.) Located about 8 miles south east of downtown Salt Lake City there are trails for hiking/biking, camping and picnic sites, Boy Scout camps and even yurts available for rent. There is even a fun inn and restaurant if you want to take in the scenery sans bugs and dirt.

We ventured to the very top of the canyon where we picked up one of the many trails leading from the parking area. We headed east and hiked about 3 miles to Dog Lake. The trail itself is well-maintained and heavily used. On alternating days hikers share the trail with either mountain bikers or dogs off-leash (leashed dogs are welcome anytime). It’s a moderately difficult hike pretty much all uphill to the lake, (about 1200 feet in elevation gain) and obviously almost all downhill back to the car. It took us a little over 3 hours to do the roundtrip with lots of stops along the way for photo ops and breathers, as well as a break at the lake to eat a snack and watch the dogs frolic in the water.

The day was unusually cool for us here in July, but we worked up a pretty good sweat along the way (and felt very justified in eating the big, unhealthy lunch afterwards!) The hike is great for kids who are used to a little hiking, again the elevation change is pretty constant, but there are no cliffs or loose rocks or things to worry about. And the water at the end is a great reward! For those who might be a little more ambitious the trail connects to Big Cottonwood canyon at the lake. You could easily make the 3 mile trip back that direction if you had a car waiting for you on the other side! (Just be aware that no dogs are allowed in Big Cottonwood.)

Any other Utah lovers out there? What are your favorite hiking trails or mountain spots?

photos by me: Dog Lake, Mill Creek Canyon trail