Wasatch High Route: Big Cottonwood Lakes, Little Cottonwood Cirque, and Mount Olympus Summit

The 7-mile round-trip trail from Mill B South Fork trailhead at 7,600 feet is one of the signature alpine hikes of the central Wasatch: 2,700 feet of elevation gain through old-growth spruce and fir, aspen groves, and open granite slabs to the Lake Blanche cirque at 10,200 feet. The cirque contains three glacially carved alpine lakes — Lake Blanche, Lake Florence, and Lake Lillian — in a granite bowl ringed by 2,000-foot walls; the Sundial Peak ridge (11,400 ft) dominates the skyline to the southeast. Wildflower season peaks mid-July with Indian paintbrush, columbine, and glacier lilies on the upper slopes. Plan 5-6 hours for the round trip with time at the lakes.

An easy 1.7-mile round-trip recovery hike to the waterfall that flows through a natural donut-shaped hole in granite — the right scale for an afternoon after the Lake Blanche morning effort. The trail gains minimal elevation through riparian forest along Mill D Creek; the geological curiosity of the formation and the family-friendly character of the trail make it the most visited waterfall in Big Cottonwood Canyon.

The 6.9-mile round-trip trail from the White Pine Trailhead at 7,680 feet climbs through dense Engelmann spruce and subalpine fir, gaining 2,100 feet over 3.5 miles to the Red Pine cirque at 10,000 feet. The turquoise alpine lake sits at the foot of the Pfeifferhorn's northwest ridge (11,326 ft), ringed by granite walls and populated by one of the Wasatch's densest yellow-bellied marmot colonies. The trail shares its first mile with the White Pine Lake trail before diverging; the Red Pine fork is steeper and less traveled, with wildflower meadows in the cirque basin that peak in mid-July.

Alta's oldest ski lodge (1939) serves lunch on its summer deck at 8,500 feet with views up Little Cottonwood Canyon toward the Pfeifferhorn and the Albion Basin wildflower meadows. Simple mountain fare — sandwiches, soups, cold drinks — served at the right elevation and with the right view for a midday recovery.

The narrow seasonal road above Alta climbs to 9,500 feet through the Albion Basin, where a concentration of subalpine wildflowers — columbine, paintbrush, shooting stars, larkspur, elephant heads, and phlox — covers the open meadows above the treeline in what is consistently cited as one of the finest wildflower displays in the contiguous United States, peaking in late July.

The 8-minute aerial tram from Snowbird base (8,100 ft) to Hidden Peak (11,000 ft) delivers the full Wasatch panorama: Great Salt Lake to the northwest, Uinta Mountains to the east, Mount Timpanogos to the south. The Cirque Traverse trail along the summit ridge offers technical ridge walking at 10,500 feet above the Peruvian Gulch.

There are no food services at the Mount Olympus trailhead. Pack lunch before leaving your hotel — the summit flat below the peak is an ideal lunch spot with views of the Salt Lake Valley.

The Mount Olympus trail gains 4,058 feet over 4 miles from the Wasatch Boulevard trailhead at 4,968 feet to the 9,026-foot summit — the peak that rises directly above Salt Lake City's eastern bench and dominates the central valley's visual horizon. The trail ascends through oak scrub, then mahogany, then quartzite slabs and ridgeline exposure in the final mile to the twin-summited peak; the route is non-technical but sustained and requires 5-6 hours round trip. The summit panorama is the finest single viewpoint in the Wasatch Front: the entire Salt Lake Valley, the Great Salt Lake and its islands, the Oquirrh Mountains, and — on clear days — the Nevada ranges beyond the lake. The Mount Olympus Wilderness was designated in 1984 and the trail is one of the most heavily used in the Wasatch, particularly on weekday mornings when Salt Lake residents treat it as their training peak.

Use the afternoon to explore a different side of Mount Olympus Summit Trail — there's more to discover beyond the morning highlights.

The Bonneville Shoreline Trail runs along the base of the Wasatch — if you have energy after Olympus, the section nearest the trailhead makes a gentle 1-2 mile cool-down walk. Do not plan this as a separate afternoon destination; treat it as an optional extension of the Olympus descent.