Scudder Lake sits in the Uinta Mountains near the Bald Mountain Pass area on the Mirror Lake Highway, accessible on a 4.1-mile roundtrip with 590 feet of gain. It’s the moderate-investment lake hike in a cluster that also includes Bald Mountain’s 11,943-foot summit and Hayden Peak’s 12,479-foot push. Scudder Lake is the easy version: a straightforward trail through pine forest and alpine meadow, no route-finding required, no summit scramble, a genuine alpine lake at the end.

I’ve hiked to Scudder Lake as a complement to a harder day and as a standalone when the legs were asking for something reasonable. I appreciate trails that offer a defined experience without ambiguity. Scudder Lake delivers what it promises: a maintained trail to a quiet alpine lake with the surrounding peaks visible above the water. That’s enough. Some days that’s exactly enough.

This guide covers the Scudder Lake Trail.

Quick Facts

How to Get There

From Kamas, take Mirror Lake Highway (UT-150) east approximately 33 miles to the Bald Mountain Pass area. The Scudder Lake Trailhead shares the Bald Mountain Pass parking area with the Bald Mountain Trail. The Bald Mountain Pass area is the established access point for both trails. Verify the exact Scudder Lake trailhead location on AllTrails before your visit.

From Salt Lake City, plan about 1.5-1.75 hours: I-80 east to US-40 east toward Heber City, then UT-248 east to Kamas, then Mirror Lake Highway east. From Park City, Kamas is about 20 minutes south on UT-32.

Mirror Lake Highway closes November 1st and reopens around Memorial Day weekend. The Scudder Lake Trailhead is inaccessible during the winter months. Check current conditions before a June visit; the upper highway corridor can carry snow into late June in heavy snow years.

Parking Information

Parking at the Bald Mountain Pass area is shared between multiple trails including Bald Mountain and Scudder Lake. The lot is larger than most upper-highway trailhead lots but fills on summer weekends. Arrive before 8 a.m. on peak days. Restrooms and information kiosks are available at the Bald Mountain Pass area.

Mirror Lake Highway pass required: $10 for 1-3 days, $20 for 7 days. America the Beautiful Annual Pass accepted. Self-serve kiosks on the highway.

Cell Service and Navigation

Cell coverage is absent at the Bald Mountain Pass area and on the Scudder Lake Trail. Download AllTrails offline before leaving Kamas. Unlike the route-finding trails in the Uintas catalog, Scudder Lake is a maintained trail without navigation complexity. Having the GPS map active is useful for tracking your position and confirming the lake approach, but this is not a trail that demands navigation skill.

What to Expect on the Scudder Lake Trail

The Trail

The trail from the Bald Mountain Pass area descends briefly before climbing toward Scudder Lake through pine and fir forest. The grade is consistent and gentle for most of the approach, opening periodically into meadow sections with wildflowers through July and early August. The views of the surrounding Uinta ridgeline become visible as the tree cover thins in the upper sections.

The trail is maintained and well-marked throughout. No route-finding required. The footing has a few rocky sections near the lake approach but nothing that demands special footwear or technical ability. This is a trail that delivers exactly the difficulty rating it advertises.

Scudder Lake

Scudder Lake is a compact alpine lake with the surrounding peaks visible above the water on clear days. The shoreline has accessible flat rock sections for sitting, picnicking, and photography. Fishing with a Utah license is permitted; the lake holds trout. The basin setting is quieter than the heavily trafficked areas near Mirror Lake and the Crystal Lake Trailhead, and the smaller crowd that reaches Scudder Lake reflects the trailhead’s proximity to the Bald Mountain and Hayden Peak approaches rather than the family day-hike corridor around Mirror Lake.

Trail Difficulty and Length

Easy is accurate for the Scudder Lake Trail, which earns a different label from the nearby Bald Mountain and Hayden Peak routes from the same parking area. Budget 2-3 hours for the round trip at a comfortable pace with time at the lake.

Dog Friendly?

Yes. High Uintas Wilderness allows leashed dogs. The maintained trail and moderate terrain make this one of the more approachable dog options from the Bald Mountain Pass area. The lake provides water access at the endpoint. Keep dogs leashed throughout and pack out waste.

What to Bring

Water: 2 liters per person. The elevation gain is modest but the high altitude environment is dry. Layers for the exposed upper sections. Rain shell for afternoon storm conditions. Trail runners or hiking boots both work on this terrain.

For photography: the lake reflection and surrounding peak views work best in morning before wind disturbs the surface. A fishing rod and Utah license if you plan to fish.

Rules and Regulations

Leave No Trace principles apply. Pack out everything. No fires in most Wilderness areas above 10,000 feet; check current restrictions. Overnight camping requires a self-registration permit. Day hikes do not require a permit. Dogs on leash. Fishing with a valid Utah license.

Where to Stay Near Kamas

Kamas is about 33 miles west on Mirror Lake Highway. Park City, 20 minutes south of Kamas on UT-32, has full resort infrastructure. For points travelers, check available Marriott Bonvoy properties, IHG Rewards hotels, and Hilton Honors options in Park City and Salt Lake.

Camping Nearby

Mirror Lake Campground, a few miles back toward Kamas on the highway, is the main developed option with facilities and reservations through recreation.gov. High Uintas Wilderness dispersed camping is permitted with a self-registration permit from the trailhead.

Nearby Adventures

Bald Mountain Trail from the same parking area is the summit companion: 2.8 miles to 11,943 feet with 360-degree Uintas views. Scudder Lake in the morning and Bald Mountain in the late morning makes a complete Bald Mountain Pass area day with both lake and summit character.

Hayden Peak from the same area is the hard summit option at 12,479 feet. For anyone stepping up from Scudder Lake’s easy rating, Hayden Peak is the next-level commitment from the same trailhead cluster.

Mirror Lake Loop, Haystack Lake Trail, and the 20 Lakes Trail Loop from the Crystal Lake Trailhead are the other lake options in the Mirror Lake Highway corridor at various difficulty levels. Upper Provo River Falls, back toward Kamas, is the easy waterfall stop for a multi-stop Mirror Lake Highway day.

Plan This Hike

AllTrails has Scudder Lake mapped with offline capability and condition reports. Download before you lose signal on Mirror Lake Highway. Plan your hike on AllTrails and pull the offline map while you’ve still got signal in Kamas.

Chase the Quiet

The Bald Mountain Pass parking area is surrounded by options that demand something from you. Hayden Peak wants 2,100 feet of gain. Bald Mountain wants 1,200. The 20 Lakes Loop wants navigation. Scudder Lake wants 590 feet and 4 miles, and in exchange it gives you an alpine lake in the High Uintas with no technical requirements and no competition from the harder routes in the same lot. That’s a trade worth taking. Not every mountain day needs to cost everything you have to be worth what you got.

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