A Hike to Cecret Lake // Great Outdoors

I have no idea who named Cecret Lake, or why they spelled it that way.But it makes me smile every time I see it

 One of my favorite things to do with my family is to experience nature. My kids seem happiest when we are outside, especially walking/hiking/meandering through trees and rivers and mountains and forests and the like. We have done quite a bit of hiking this summer, but none in our own backyard. Earlier this week, Utah had a state wide holiday, which commemorates the arrival of the Mormon pioneers in the Salt Lake Valley in 1847, so we took advantage of everyone's day off and headed up the canyon.We hiked the Albion Basin trail to Cecret Lake, which is in Little Cottonwood Canyon. The hikes are at Alta. the same place we skiied last winter--it is kind of mind blowing to think there are so many rocks along the ski runs!

The wildflowers were just starting to pop up in the meadows, and we were surprised at the beauty, the variety, and the sheer number of flowers! We were hoping to see some moose, but alas, it didn't happen.If you are local, or ever visit the Salt Lake area, I highly recommend it!

Wildflowers Albion Basin

Albion Basin Hike 3

hiking down Albion Basin towards the Alta lodgeNotes: Cecret Lake trail it is a great hike for all (most) abilities. My 6 and 9 year olds were fine, and so were the babies in the hiking backpacks. Although I lucked out and didn't have to take a turn! The roundtrip hike from the trailhead to the lake is about 1.5 miles--we went an additional 1.5 or so. We knew holidays = crowded trails in the nearby canyons, so we left early. Not quite early enough, it turns out, as all of the parking near the trail head was full (well before we got there, at 8:30am). Luckily, there was a shuttle that runs every 20 minutes that took us from the parking lot to the trailhead; alternately, you can hike up to the lake from the Alta parking lots/lodge, which is about 5 miles roundtrip. From there, we hiked up to Cecret Lake (which was smaller than I expected), and then hiked down from the lake, through the meadows, back to the car. It is definitely worth hiking back down, if you park by the lodge. Happy hiking!