Reynolds Peak & Dog Lake

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Lake Blanche 2012

Sundial Peak is so Beautiful

This lake never gets boring. The beauty is never ending. We did this hike a year ago (16 June 2011) and ran into piles of snow. This time around the trail was much easier to follow and we were able to take our time and marvel at the sites around us. 

The trail starts at the Mill B trailhead up Big Cottonwood Canyon. From the parking area on the South side of the road head east along a paved path about a 1/4 mile. The trail then heads south up a steep incline to the south. This small climb then levels out and crosses over the Mill B South fork of Big Cottonwood Creek. After crossing the creek the trail heads north for a bit as it gains a little elevation and then switches back to head south. The trail follows the creek much of the way up the canyon till you make it to the final approach the trail then goes East up a few switchbacks. 

As the trail makes its way past the final switchback and makes its way to the lake there are many markings on the rocks that people have made as they visited the lake some dating back to the  early 1900's (if they are legit). We saw a few markings from 2012, it is sad that people do this still. Because lake Blanche is in the Twin Peaks wilderness area all visitors should use "Leave No Trace" principles in order to preserve the beauty of the area.

 Around the lake there is a rock wall this part of the old Dam that was used before the Twin peaks wilderness area was created. Below Lake Blanche there is also Lake Lillian and Lake Florence. These two sister lakes also offer peaceful views and beauty. 

Normally on or hikes we try to stick to a time frame because we have to head to work right after but as we hiked around the lake and took everything in our time frame went out the window and we spent about an hour just hanging around the lake.    

Joel and his brother Bret hanging out by the old dam.

This is a comparison photo of our 2 hikes to lake Blanche

View Lake Blanche in a larger map
View Lake Blanche in a larger map

Lake Blanche

Frozen Lake Blanche covered in snow, rare for June.

The Lake Blanche trail starts about 4 miles up Big Cottonwood Canyon. Parking is on the right side of the road just before the "S curve" at the Mill B parking area. On our way up the Canyon we saw a large moose standing right next the road blocking our turn into the parking area. We waited for him to cross the road and proceeded to the trail-head. What a great way to start of the morning.

For Directions to the trail-head click here.

The Stream was flowing high

The trail starts on the East end of the parking lot and follows the Creek on a paved walkway for the first 1/4 mile. The trail  splits off to the right just before a bridge that crosses over the creek that flows down from the lake.  The well maintained dirt trail to Lake Blanche begins on the west side of the bridge and is signed.  From here the trail is easy to follow and leads directly to the lake. The trail is a very manageable climb for an intermediate Hiker until the final climb before the lake.  The last 1/2 mile is a little more difficult especially for us because the ground was covered in snow. When we arrived at the lake we found it frozen and covered in snow. Located just to the west of Lake Blanche is Lake Florence and Lake Lillian. 

Looking back down the trail towards Mount Olympus.

The setting around Lake Blanche is Beautiful, the perfect alpine setting. We found complete solitude which isn't normal for this time of year. 
 (I did this hike on 19June2009 and it was crowded on the way down the trail.) As I sat down to take in the scenery and enjoy a granola bar I was greeted by a few Potguts (ground squirrels) that seemed to know what I was eating. I guess they are no strangers to human interaction.


 One of the great draws of the lake is the abundant wildlife and today was now exception in addition to the moose at the trail-head we also had a close encounter with one on the trail. The 2nd moose stood up about 15 feet away from us  as we headed up the trail. We also saw mule deer and many birds, I'm sure this hike would be a bird watchers paradise. 

Sundial Peak above lake Blanche

Overall distance on the hike was just over 6.5 miles round trip we had a total hiking time of 4 hours maybe 3.5 of that actually moving. The map below is of the Mill B trail-head up Big Cottonwood Canyon.



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