Red Pine Lake (Little Cottonwood)

I noticed there are no threads in this section so I'll get it started. I've hiked this trail a few times in the last couple weeks now and it is quickly becoming my close to home favorite.

Description: This hike starts at the White Pine trail head about a mile below Snowbird Resort. The first mile of trail is the White Pine Lake trail. At 1.0 miles the Red Pine trail forks to the right, traverses one canyon west, and turns up Red Pine canyon to the lower lake for a total of about 3.5 miles from the trailhead.

About 1.5 miles in there are great views looking down Little Cottonwood canyon:



Lower Red Pine Lake is full of Bonneville Cutts. I easily caught several last time I fished it with most being in the 10-14 inch range. The water is pretty low right now:


The upper lake is a tough scramble up a rock garden about 400 additional vertical feet above the lower lake. It was chilly and shrouded in clouds yesterday, with small patches of snow in the shadows from the previous night. It sits at about 10,000 feet:


The Bonneville Cutts in the upper lake are less plentifull, but generally larger and fatter than the fish in the lower lake. Here is a specimin from the upper lake:


If you are interested in this hike, keep in mind it has major snowpack from November to late June. It is located in the SL county watershed area as well as the Lone Peak Wilderness area. No dogs, no fires, no machines, just hiking in beautiful country. The Red Pine trail is very steep, loose, and rocky for most of its length. For a less steep alternative, the White Pine trail is about a 4 mile hike in to a lake of the same name that also offers good fishing for Bonnies. I've done both hikes and prefer Red hands down even though the trail is steeper.

Red Pine trail is also the preferred route to take to summit the Pfeifferhorn (Little Matterhorn) on the ridge east of Lone Peak. I had planned on making the summit yesterday, but due to the weather moving in I decided to stick to fishing at upper Red. What fun is a peak when it is socked in with cloud cover? The Pheifferhorn takes an additional hour or so of scrambling to the ridge above upper Red and traversing to the west to the top of the peak.

That's a pretty cutt right there. Looks like a nice hike too.

That is my favorite hike in all the cottonwoods, love the scenery. I know it may be hard to believe but I caught a rainbow out of that lower lake 2 years ago. I have never seen that water so low before, but I have never been there this time of year. Hiking up there when there is still 15-20 feet of snow makes that place look surreal, a whole different landscape actually. Thanks for the post!

Nice pics scotty....I think I have been in that area..about 5 years ago my buddy drew a lone peak rocky mtn goat tag and that are looks familiar....That was a physically demanding hunt but the area was beautiful...

I have always wanted to go up to those lakes. My dad went up there with the scouts about 40 years ago and he still has great memories of the place.

I've hiked up to both Red Pine Lakes and White Pine Lake several times over the years. It's definitely one of the nicer hikes in the Wasatch Mountains. One winter, I managed to get up to Lower Red Pine in the winter, but it was a beast. I've been tempted to hike on over from the Red Pine Trail into Maybird Gulch, but haven't ever done it. Maybe next year.

Pete wrote:

I've hiked up to both Red Pine Lakes and White Pine Lake several times over the years. It's definitely one of the nicer hikes in the Wasatch Mountains. One winter, I managed to get up to Lower Red Pine in the winter, but it was a beast. I've been tempted to hike on over from the Red Pine Trail into Maybird Gulch, but haven't ever done it. Maybe next year.

I have camped over night in Maybird gulch, very cool place. I find it so amazing how close these little canyons are yet they are so different.