Cecret Lake is about 10 miles up Little Cottonwood Canyon Road and east of Salt Lake City, Utah. Primary activities include hiking, rock climbing, and camping but dogs and bikes are not allowed. Parking is free. There are restrooms near the trailhead but I did not see water. In addition, there is a campground near the parking lot that likely has additional amenities. Cell phone and GPS service were intermittent; hence the shaky GPS coordinates in the map below.
The hike to Cecret Lake is one mile with an elevation gain of 300 feet; from 9,500 to 9,800 feet. The following chart shows the relative change in elevation.
At the beginning, the trail is wide, smooth, and ascends gradually.
We visited during the first week of August and along the edge of the trail were an abundance of blooming wildflowers. Notably, blooming flowers here generate enough heat to melt snow and create space for their developing leaves. The subsequent flower is Jacob’s Ladder.
The following is Indian Paintbrush which hummingbirds are attracted to because of its red coloring.
Accompanying the flowers were numerous birds. The following is the only one I captured on film. I believe it is a Western Tanager.
Here is another look at the Western Tanager (photo credit: Sari Soutor). It didn’t sit still for very long so we felt lucky to each get one picture.
At about the half way point, the trail transitions into a steeper climb with switchbacks up the following ridge; the lake is on the other side.
On our way up, we spotted a yellow-bellied marmot (I think??). The last time I had seen one was at 11,000 feet on top of Twin Sisters Peaks in Colorado.
The trail ends at Cecret Lake and offers a serene setting. Some rock climbers passed us on the trail. They appeared to be headed to the left side of the following picture.
The following video provides a 360 degree perspective of the scenery at the lake’s edge.
The subsequent picture is the view looking down into the canyon from the lake.
In sum, hiking to Cecret Lake is fun, relatively easy, and full of vibrant flowers and wildlife. Another hike only a few hundred feet away is Catherine Pass. Similar trails nearby include:
