Silver Lake

Years ago, I hiked up to Silver Lake with some family members to see what it looked like in comparison to the lower reservoir, Silver Lake Flat. I have been dying to go up there and hike it again for a few years. I finally found some friends and we decided to do an overnight backpacking trip up there. I will be focusing on the hike itself, but I’ll also leave a few backpacking details in this post as well.

Location: American Fork Canyon

Directions: Drive up American Fork Canyon. Once the road splits, take the left fork. You will pass Tibble Fork and continue up the road for a couple of miles. You will come to a pay booth and a sign that says “Granite Flat Campground.” Turn right just before the campground where a sign says “Silver Lake.” The dirt road here is pretty rough but will take you up to Silver Lake Flat. Drive up the road until you see a stream of water. You shouldn’t have to cross that stream, just park in the parking lot there.

Length (round trip): 3.7 miles

Difficulty: Moderate. The hike gets steep and rocky the farther you go along the trail. But isn't too bad all things considered.

Steepness: This hike has a lot of flat, low-grade incline along the trail, but there are also a few places where there are lots of boulders to hike over. It gets a bit steep, but the switchbacks are pretty kind as you head up the mountain.

Low Points: There weren’t a lot of places to hang hammocks. We decided to spend a night up at the lake. We saw lots of places to put small backpacking tents, but there aren’t a lot of big trees by the lake, so it was hard to find a place for 4 hammocks.

Because the water level was so high this year, it was hard to cross the stream. There is one place on the trail where you cross the stream to continue on the trail. The water was really high this year, so it was difficult to cross without getting wet. It is possible though. Even with big backpacks.

Highlights: There were so many wildflowers along the trail! I especially loved the blue ones, but the white ones had a lovely, strong fragrance.

The lake is full of runoff from the melting snow above it. The water is very clear, clean, and beautiful!

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To anyone who is thinking about hiking this trail, I highly recommend it. It’s pretty short in length, and is a great hike if you are trying to build your hiking endurance. It’s also a great backpacking trail because it’s not too long, but it has a beautiful lake at the end!