Not every hike needs to be hard to be worth doing. Silver Lake Loop is the proof.

The Silver Lake Loop sits at the top of Big Cottonwood Canyon at Brighton, circling a mountain lake at roughly 8,700 feet with views of the surrounding Wasatch peaks reflecting off the surface on calm mornings. The trail is 0.9 miles on a flat boardwalk and gravel path, accessible to almost anyone, and genuinely beautiful. Moose habitat. Beaver ponds. Aspen and spruce forest. The kind of place where you walk slowly on purpose. I’ve stopped here on the way up to or down from longer canyon hikes and stayed longer than I planned every time. It photographs well, it quiets the brain, and it costs nothing but the drive up Big Cottonwood Canyon Road.

Here’s everything you need to visit Silver Lake.

Quick Facts

How to Get There

From Sandy, head east on 9400 South, which becomes Wasatch Boulevard. Turn left on Wasatch Boulevard and right onto Big Cottonwood Canyon Road (UT-190). Drive approximately 14 miles up the canyon to Brighton. The Silver Lake Visitor Center is located just past the Brighton Ski Resort main parking lot at the top of the canyon. The drive from Sandy takes about 40 to 50 minutes. Note: this is Big Cottonwood Canyon, not Little Cottonwood, which branches off Wasatch Boulevard to the south about 3 miles earlier.

Parking Information

A large parking lot serves the Silver Lake Visitor Center and Brighton area. Significantly more capacity than most Wasatch trailheads. It fills on peak summer weekends, particularly during wildflower season in July and August, but early arrivals before 8 a.m. are almost always accommodated. Restrooms and picnic areas are available at the visitor center, which distinguishes this from most canyon trailheads. No day-use fee.

Cell Service and Navigation

Cell service at the top of Big Cottonwood Canyon is unreliable on most carriers. Download your map offline through AllTrails before leaving the valley. Navigation on Silver Lake Loop is not a concern, the trail is a flat boardwalk loop around a lake with one obvious path. But if you’re combining this with longer hikes from the same area, have those maps loaded before you enter the canyon.

What to Expect on Silver Lake Loop

The Loop

The trail starts at the Silver Lake Visitor Center and circles the lake counterclockwise on a combination of boardwalk and gravel path. The boardwalk sections protect the marshy lakeshore habitat and make the trail accessible to strollers and wheelchairs. The path stays flat and close to the water the entire loop, with the lake surface visible almost continuously. Aspen, spruce, and pine frame the views. On still mornings the peaks reflect in the water in a way that photographers set up for specifically.

Wildlife

Silver Lake is genuine moose habitat. A moose sighting here is a realistic possibility, not a tourist novelty. They use the lake and the surrounding marshy areas regularly, particularly in early morning. Beavers are active in the pond sections. Ducks and other waterfowl are present throughout the season. Move slowly, keep noise down, and give any moose significant space. They’re large, unpredictable, and not interested in your timeline.

Trail Difficulty and Length

Silver Lake Loop is 0.9 miles on a flat, well-maintained boardwalk and gravel path. It’s rated easy and that’s accurate for the terrain. The elevation is the only real consideration: at 8,700 feet, visitors arriving from sea level may notice the altitude on even a flat walk. Pace yourself if you’re not acclimated. For Salt Lake City locals this is a casual 30 to 60-minute outing. Boardwalk sections make it stroller and wheelchair accessible in good conditions.

Dog Friendly?

No. Big Cottonwood Canyon is a protected municipal watershed. Dogs are prohibited throughout the canyon to protect water quality. No exceptions. Millcreek Canyon, one canyon north, allows dogs on odd-numbered calendar days with a leash requirement and has good trail options at multiple difficulty levels if you need a dog-friendly alternative.

What to Bring

Water, even for a flat 0.9-mile walk at altitude. More than you think you need. A camera because the lake reflections and wildlife are the primary draw and you’ll want to be ready. A telephoto lens if wildlife photography is the goal, particularly for moose on the far side of the lake. A light jacket for the upper canyon even in summer, Brighton sits high enough that mornings and evenings stay cold. Bug spray in July and August when the marshy sections get active.

Best Time to Hike Silver Lake Loop

Summer (June through September) is the primary season. The trail is snow-free by mid-June in most years. July and August bring peak wildflower bloom and the lake is at its most lush and photogenic. Fall turns the aspen canopy gold in late September and early October, which is the other strong window for photography. The trail is accessible for snowshoeing in winter but the boardwalk can be icy and the visitor center is closed outside summer hours.

For photography, arrive early. The lake reflection is best in the first hour after sunrise when the surface is calm before canyon winds build. Overcast days eliminate harsh shadows and render the aspen and spruce colors fully. A wide-angle lens captures the lake and peaks together. A telephoto reaches wildlife on the far shore without disturbing them. Midsummer mornings before 8 a.m. give you the best light and the best wildlife odds simultaneously.

Rules and Regulations

Silver Lake Loop is in the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest inside the Big Cottonwood Canyon watershed. No dogs, no swimming or wading in the lake, no camping outside designated areas. Stay on the boardwalk and trail to protect the marshy lakeshore habitat. The boardwalk exists specifically because foot traffic in the wetland areas causes serious damage to the fragile ecosystem. Leave No Trace applies fully. Check the Silver Lake Visitor Center website for current hours and any seasonal closures before heading up.

Where to Stay Near Big Cottonwood Canyon

Sandy and Cottonwood Heights have chain lodging within 20 to 30 minutes of the canyon entrance. The Brighton and Solitude resort areas at the top of the canyon have lodge options that put you steps from the trailhead, which makes early morning starts easy and eliminates canyon traffic. Salt Lake City has the broadest inventory. For hotel points check Marriott Bonvoy, IHG Rewards, and Hilton Honors.

Camping Nearby

Redman Campground in Big Cottonwood Canyon is the primary established option, reservable through recreation.gov and about 3 miles below Brighton. It fills fast in summer, particularly on peak wildflower weekends. Staying in the canyon puts you at the Silver Lake trailhead before the valley crowd arrives. The Brighton area also has additional dispersed-adjacent options; check current availability with the Wasatch-Cache National Forest.

Nearby Adventures

Brighton is a hub for multiple Wasatch hikes. The Lake Mary, Lake Martha, and Lake Catherine trail starts from the same visitor center area and extends the Silver Lake visit into a full-day alpine lake loop. Twin Lakes Trail connects to a scenic overlook of the Twin Lakes Reservoir. The Brighton Lakes Loop connects several of the area’s lakes for longer mileage. The Lake Solitude Trail (3.2 mi / 442 ft) is another nearby option in the canyon system.

For a bigger day, Lake Blanche in Big Cottonwood Canyon is one of the best alpine lake hikes in the Wasatch at 6.2 miles and roughly 2,800 feet of gain with Sundial Peak rising directly above. One canyon south, Cecret Lake at Albion Basin in Little Cottonwood Canyon is a similar easy alpine lake loop (2.0 mi / 400 ft) with exceptional wildflower meadows. Both make good companion stops for a multi-canyon day.

Solitude and Brighton ski resorts run summer mountain biking and hiking access. The Silver Lake Visitor Center has educational exhibits on the canyon’s natural history and wildlife that are worth 20 minutes before or after the loop.

Plan This Hike

AllTrails has the Silver Lake Loop with a downloadable map and recent user conditions. Given the flat terrain and clear path, the most useful check is current wildlife activity reports and parking conditions from recent visitors on peak summer weekends.

View on Alltrails

AllTrails Pro is worth it for the broader Big Cottonwood Canyon trail network if you’re combining Silver Lake with longer hikes from Brighton. Download maps for the lake chain trails before you lose cell signal in the canyon.

Chase the Quiet

Silver Lake on a still morning at 8,700 feet, before the wind comes up and breaks the reflection. Spruce and aspen on every side, peaks above, a moose working the far shore. The whole loop takes less than an hour. It’s worth the 50-minute drive from Salt Lake City for exactly that. Some places don’t need to be hard to be right. Silver Lake is one of them.

Support the Adventure

To make your walls less boring, check out my photography portfolio and bring a piece of the wild and my story into your home.

If you’d like to fuel future adventures, you can donate a coffee on Ko-Fi. Every cup keeps me chasing sunrises and stories.

When you shop using my affiliate links, every click helps support this blog at no extra cost to you. It’s a small way to keep Unicorn Adventure alive and kicking while I keep exploring.

Subscribe to my mailing list for future updates, new stories, and behind-the-scenes adventures.

Stay connected with me on Instagram and Facebook for more photos and daily inspiration.

Thanks for being part of the journey, Unicorn Squadron!