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The trail to Red Pine Lake starts through a thick aspen forest with large spruces all around you. It climbs west then corners the ridge to the south were it starts to climb up into a gulch. There are some really rough spots, but nothing out of the ordinary. As usual the view across the canyon was great, red and granite rocks spire all the way to the summits.
As I climbed toward the lake the trail was surrounded by trees, as it climbs up a path with staircase like rocks, and the usual trail scrawl everywhere. This trail has quite a lot of water on it so be careful that you don’t get wet feet. Onward you climb until you reach a stream crossing were the trail splits. There is a trail sign that marks where you would turn to go to Maybird Gulch, however if you continue straight ahead it takes you to Lower Red Pine Lake which is just up another little ridge. It really is one of the most serene landscapes I have ever seen. A towering bowl of granite surrounding a placid blue lake with the notorious Red Pines all around.
It has a great view across the lake of the other side of the canyon, with a water drop background for some great pictures. The trail to upper Red Pine Lake starts up the north side of the lower reservoir and continues up a pretty steep incline to a boulder field, and across a grassy meadow to the upper lake. It is surreal the atmosphere here, White Baldy towering over you, and a great view NW of the valley. This hike was so peaceful because I did not see another hiker the whole time I was at the upper reservoir. The hike down was quite a bit faster than the hike up, and the view as dusk was setting in was amazing! These two lakes really are some of the greatest lakes I have ever been to and will return to visit again very soon.
Trail Information:
Little Cottonwood Canyon- Trail Head 5.5 miles up canyon.
Distance to Red Pine Lake- 3 miles
Elevation Gain- 1940 feet to 9640 feet
Hiking Time- 2hrs 15 min
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