The Twin Lakes Reservoir is located up Big Cottonwood Canyon near Salt Lake City. It is really only one lake. But, since it is very narrow in the middle and wider at both ends, a view from above makes it look like two contiguous lakes. Once you have arrived at the Brighton Loop at the end of the Big Cottonwood Canyon Road, you have several choices of starting points to hike to Twin Lakes Reservoir. The most direct route is to start from the Silver Lake Interpretive Center located on the Brighton Loop at the end of the Big Cottonwood Road. This report describes that route from the Interpretive Center to the Lakes. We also mention a couple of other options for those who may be more adventurous. A second route is to take the hike from the Information Center to Lake Solitude first and then take the Sol Bright trail to climb up and over the ridge to Twin Lakes Reservoir. On our trip in July 2015, we noticed that the Sol Bright trail is closed for the remainder of the summer because of construction work being performed above Lake Solitude. A third option would be to start from the Brighton Lodge Trailhead, hike to Lake Mary, and then take the Twin Lakes trail from just below the Lake Mary dam to the Twin Lakes dam. The alternate trails are not as well marked as the primary.
Twin Lakes Reservoir Hike Details
Distance – 2.6 miles roundtrip
Approximate hiking time – 1 to 2 hours
Elevation at Silver Lake Interpretive Center – 8740 feet
Elevation at the Twin Lakes – 9450 feet
Highest Elevation gain – 710 feet
Difficulty – Easy, with some stretches of incline
Trail – well marked trail of dirt and rocks.
Amount of water recommended – 2 liters
Bathrooms – At the Silver Lake Interpretive Center
Seasons to hike – Late Spring, Summer, and Fall
Permits needed – None
Pets allowed – No, this is a watershed area
How to get there:
If coming from Salt Lake City or points north, take I-15 south to I-215 east. Head east to 6200 South exit. If coming from the south, take I-15 north to I-215 east to 6200 South. At the off-ramp get in the second lane from the right heading to 6200 south. Turn right and go south for 1.7 miles (6200 South turns into Wasatch Boulevard). You will see large brown signs leading you to Big Cottonwood Canyon Road. Turn left onto Big Cottonwood Canyon Road and follow it for about 14 miles to the Brighton Loop. The loop is a large oval about 0.5 miles long. Traffic flows around the loop in a counter-clockwise direction. Turn right at the one-way sign and you will see the Silver Lake Information Center just ahead on your right.
(We created a Google Map for this hike at the bottom of this post)
Silver Lake Interpretive Trail
A nice boardwalk borders most of Silver Lake, making it suitable for wheelchairs and strollers
The trail to Twin Lakes Reservoir starts at the Silver Lake Information Center. If you have not yet taken advantage of the Silver Lake Interpretive Trail, you really should as part of this hike. The Interpretive Trail is a mile long and completely circles Silver Lake. About 3/4 of the trail is constructed as a board walk to give hikers better access to the lake and its surroundings than you could get on foot. There are numerous signs with pictures pointing out the flora and fauna along the way. It is wheel chair accessible with just a couple of small hills along the far side of the lake. On our last visit we took the north trail around Silver Lake, hiked to Twin Lakes Reservoir, and finished the south part of the Silver Lake trail on the way back. This is a very popular destination for families. Picnic areas are available just south of the Center and on the far side of the Lake.
This picture is taken early morning along the Silver Lake Interpretive Trail
Hitting the Trail!
Just as the sign says, this trail leads to Twin Lakes Reservoir
Start out on the Silver Lake Interpretive Trail and take the fork to the right (north) to circle the Lake counterclockwise. The first part of the hike is a comfortable walk across the marshes and along the north shore of Silver Lake. Be alert for wild life. On our last visit we came across a moose feeding along the lake shore. If you see one, give them plenty of space! After about 0.3 miles, you will see signs for Twin Lakes Reservoir and Lake Solitude. Take this hiking trail into the woods. After just a short distance the trail forks again with Twin Lakes Reservoir to the left and Lake Solitude to the right. The signs tell you that Twin Lakes Reservoir is about a mile from this point.
The trail starts to climb at this point and never stops. 700 feet of elevation gain in one mile. The first part is a dirt trail in the woods with pine and aspen trees. Then the trail comes to a clearing where it meets an old maintenance trail big enough for a jeep. Follow this trail to the left along a rock slide area. This will give you your first view of Silver Lake from above. On our last visit, we saw a large badger sunning himself on the large rocks below the trail.
The trail then reenters a wooded area where you will see several signs posted for the skiers. This area is close to the Sol Bright ski run that starts just below the reservoir dam. This might be a good place to take a short break and look around. You will see some trails leading off to the left. With a little patience, you can find a very nice vantage point to take pictures of Silver Lake. Be careful of the cliffs! At this point the jeep trail becomes more of a dry wash filled with rocks and difficult to traverse on foot. If you look carefully to your right, you will see a dirt trail that parallels the dry wash all the way up to the dam. We found the dirt trail easier to navigate than the sharp rocks in the wash. The choice is yours because they end in the same place near the foot of the dam.
For the second half of the hike, the trail parallels an old jeep trail/spring runoff.
As you near the dam, the trail levels a bit and you will see a lot more signs for skiers. You will see a small stream that drains the Reservoir as well. From here you can choose to go right (north) or left (south) to climb around the dam and see the Twin Lakes Reservoir. On the north side there is an emergency spillway built into the structure of the dam. On the north side of the Reservoir, the Sol Bright trail (which is closed in 2015) goes up and over the ridge. From here you can see Twin Lakes Reservoir 200 feet below to the south and Lake Solitude 600 feet below you to the north. From the south end of the dam a trail will take you south to Lake Mary. Some hikers choose to hike around the lake and have made trails most of the way around. It will probably take 30 minutes or so to circle the lake.
We were lucky enough to have Twin Lakes all to ourselves
Even though it is called Twin Lakes Reservoir, there is usually enough water that the are one single lake.
The trip down from the Twin Lakes Reservoir follows the same trail, but is much faster. When you get back to the Silver Lake trail, you can turn right to finish the Interpretive Trail around the Lake. Much of this part of the trail is in shade. We saw ducks, squirrels, and several kinds of birds as we finished our hike.
This hike, and the many variations on it, can be both awe inspiring and relaxing as you are able to view the world around you from different perspectives. Enjoy your day in the mountains!
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