Red Pine Lake

Lower & Upper Red Pine Lakes in the Wasatch Front of Salt Lake City are classic high alpine hikes. The trailhead is the 5.5-mile Little Cottonwood Canyon White Pine Trailhead.

The hikes are steep but quite beautiful. Take your time, bring plenty of water and snacks, and more than a Netflix binge, you'll enjoy this encounter shout.

Bring your snowshoes or touring skis during the winter months and check the avalanche forecast before you leave.

The trail climbs up to a bridge crossing White Pine Creek after splitting off from the White Pine Trail. The trail ascends slightly after the creek crossing and then contours around the ridge separating the canyons of White Pine and Red Pine through brush and forest. This Red Pine Canyon climb may be steep in parts but is often manageable as the trail is mostly a smooth single track with some rocky portions. 

The trail eventually meets the junction with the Maybird Lakes Trail, then goes south up Red Pine Canyon instead of crossing the creek. A fork of Red Pine Creek crosses the trail soon after the trail split.

The trail steepens and becomes even rockier after the creek crosses the path, which can be a downhill challenge but is still pretty fun. Eventually, the steepest part of the path falls, and the slope becomes more gentle as the trail winds right before reaching the lake through some meadows. The actual Red Pine Lake Trail ends at the lake's northern end, although there is a trail going all the way around the lake and another trail going up to the upper Red Pine Lake.