Grab Your Gear and Head to Silver Lake

Silver Lake is a small alpine lake located up American Fork Canyon. It is a well known trail for good reason. Get there early to avoid struggling for a parking spot. The road is typically open spring through fall and is a small dirt road that winds up the mountain.

The trailhead begins at the beautiful Silver Lake Flat reservoir and to the right of the bathrooms. I am amazed at how I always seem to need to use the bathroom when there is one available in the mountains. Be sure to pay the $6 day use fee at the drop box if the booth at the mouth of the canyon is closed.

The hike begins up a wide trail through a grove of aspen trees.

It soon becomes somewhat steep and rocky as the trail begins to ascend up the mountain.

There are 2 stream crossings. The first one comes quickly and consists of 3 well positioned logs which makes it easy to cross. The next crossing is over a bigger section of the river where you can choose to go over the logs or if you are like me, which is someone with very little balance and confidence in my log crossing skills, you can opt to cross by stepping on the rocks. Hiking poles can also help with balance as I have learned :).

There are several long switchbacks coming up. Just take them at your own pace enjoying the cliff views being certain to look back every once in a while down over the valley. In the early summer keep your eyes open for the beautiful wildflowers. Towards the end of the hike it gets steep again before you pop over the ridge to the beautiful lake.

Find a nice rock to claim, hop on up and enjoy the view, eat lunch, or dry off after a dip in the very cold lake. Many people carry their fishing poles up to try their luck.

This is not a watershed area so expect lots of dogs on a busy day and most likely a dog or two on less busy days. Horses frequent this trail as well. So, all you animal lovers, this is the trail for you! Here is our Lucy living her best life.

This hike is 4.7 miles round trip. I consider this a moderate hike with elevation gain of 1433 feet. Families with children find this a good trail to tackle. If you are a family with teens, consider bringing a rope you can tie around your waist with which they can pull you up the mountain if needed. 🙂