Silver Lake

Perfect hike with family, young kids.
Also good for longer hikes, great start/​end point.
Very helpful visitor station with restrooms, water and maps.

I love Brighton and all the hiking up Big Cottonwood canyon.
If you’re looking for a great outing with the family, then check out Silver Lake. The hike is super mellow and more of just a stroll on a boardwalk around the lake while enjoying the beautiful wasatch mountains!

Very cool place. Boardwalk goes all around the lake and has stops with educational signage about the surrounding wildlife and how to help protect the inhabitants. Trails lead from this lake up to another lake. (About a mile hike– one way) Beautiful scenery!

excellent area to be!

Beautiful spot for a fall walk with your gal and enjoy the Indian summer that we are fortunate enough to have in Utah. I hope to make this a yearly hike going forward…
xoxo

beautiful location!

Silver Lake is a great place to visit for a quick bit of escape from the valley, and a good place to find some cooler temperatures for a nice relaxing walk in the height of summer, or indeed in the fall.
The trail around the lake is almost completely flat and most of it is on boardwalk like others have already mentioned. Even the short parts that are not, are easily negotiable in summer time. If you want to be a little more adventurous you can come earlier in the year and walk it when there is still snow on the ground — that’s kind of fun, but wear the right shoes and wrap up — it can be pretty cold up here until early June comes around and the snow melts, and the dirt parts of the trail in particular can be kind of dangerous so be careful!
The lake trail also connects to what are the actual hikes up here, those being Twin Lakes and Lake Solitude the start of the trail-​head for you can quickly find by going anticlockwise from the parking lot and then taking a right about ¼ of the way round the Silver Lake loop. I’ll do separate reviews on those. Personally I won’t even attempt them until late June or early July comes around for safety but you can do them too right through fall without any issue providing it’s not too wet.
It’s also a very scenic drive up Big Cottonwood Canyon, and you can often see a variety of wildlife. We have seen Moose a number of times around Silver Lake as well as deer and the usual chipmunks etc.
Just a real nice place for a relaxing stroll around in our wonderful mountain scenery.

Only a short drive up the canyon from Salt Lake City, Silver Lake is a beautiful outdoor area. There is an alpine lake and wetlands with a boardwalk, making it easy for children and the elderly to enjoy nature without too much effort, and there are hikes to the nearby Lake Solitude and the Twin Lakes for the more adventurous. Autumn is particular beautiful at Spring Lake when the aspens show their brilliant gold leaves.

Lest you be confused (there are at least three well-​known Silver Lakes in Utah) this is at the tippy top of Big Cottonwood Canyon. At the end of the road near the Nordic Center you can park at the lot and haul the whole family up to the water’s edge.
It’s a busy place, but because it’s so accessible you can expect that. Find a boardwalk around this serene little lake that even has disability access and piers.
What to do once you’re there? It’s frequently stocked with fish, and though it’s not a stellar fishery the kids will enjoy it. You can also continue around the lake off of the boardwalk and hike the dirt trail. It’s mostly level, but be cautious with the kids. One small tumble and they’re rolling down to the water.
Several areas off-​trail are off-​limits. After years of abuse it’s showing, so be mindful of that. But there are a few places to sit down and enjoy a small snack. Just remember that because BCC is a watershed, you need to leave your dog at home. No pups allowed, even on leash.
In the fall, the area around the lake lights up in color. Come up the canyon, take a nice stroll around the lake and enjoy a little bit of nature just off the paved road.

Silver Lake is one of those destinations we tend to hit up a few times every summer. They call it a hike, but really, it’s just a walk around the lake. Most of it is a boardwalk, but even once you get to the dirt trail, it’s an easy walk with only small hills. It’s my go-​to mountain destination when I’m with toddlers, grandparents, or wheelchairs. (This last time we went with my brother who’s in a wheelchair, and he could only go about halfway around before the hills got to be too steep to bother with.)
The scenery is beautiful, the temps are cooler than down in the valley, they allow fishing, and there are picnic tables. It’s a great place to come and just slow down a bit. Just a tip – keep an eye open for moose. I’ve seen two in the last two years. Pretty incredible. Oh, and think about hitting up the nearby Silver Fork Lodge for breakfast or lunch while you’re up there!