My first real hike after moving to Utah. Although it was 96 degrees in the valley, it was a PERFECT day for hiking, and of course the higher you get the cooler it gets (not to mention how incredibly dry the air is). The trailhead is a quick drive up Little Cottonwood Canyon in the Wasatch Front (just a few miles from downtown Salt Lake City). From the parking area the trail winds down a short distance to Little Cottonwood Creek, which it crosses on a wooden foot bridge, and then proceeds at a gentle upward slope along the east side of White Pine Canyon. The first part of the trail is actually an old jeep road which was once used by small-claim miners in the upper part of the White Pine Canyon. The entire hike is slightly over 9 miles, with an altitude gain/loss of 2,540 feet.The setting of White Pine Lake is amazing. The rugged crest that separates Little Cottonwood and American Fork Canyons, as well as the Wasatch and Uinta National Forests, lies just beyond the lake. Pfeifferhorn Peak (11,326 ft.) juts out prominently only a mile to the southwest, and to the north, across Little Cottonwood Canyon, Dromedary Peak (11,107 ft.) and Superior Peak (11,132 ft.) are clearly visible. White Pine Lake is about 300 feet wide and 600 feet long, and incredibly blue, clear, and reflective, The altitude is too high for lush vegetation, but there are some fair-sized spruce trees near the water’s edge. The elevation of the lake is just short of 10,000 feet.
On the way up I surprised a herd of (alarmingly large) Mountain Goats (there were about 9 total, including a couple of babies). They were more concerned with grazing than in me, so they just sort of wandered off when I proved to be uninteresting. All in all an amazing day and a fantastic hike. Wow.
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