The pinnacle of unextreme hiking takes place in the heart of Alta, and I quite enjoyed it.
You don’t have to sacrifice any of your grizzled nature to enjoy such an outing. It doesn’t put an asterisk on your trans-Wasatch, Tri Canyon ski-running feats to admit to a relaxed stroll in the woods. We have, in Utah, more than enough million-mile relays, desert biking super-hucking contests, ultra-mega runs, and killer crags to show the world you mean business. This, however, is the anti-gnar, but a fine time nonetheless.
Cecret Lake trail is a nice round distance of one mile out, and one mile back, no more no less. Park your ride at the Cecret Lake Trailhead, which is the last public parking lot if you drive up the summer road, which continues after Highway 210 ends. From the lot, follow the well-placed wooden sign to Cecret Lake Trail. That’s all there is.
The flower hunters, families, and many others do swarm this trail, and on holiday and weekends it’s a zoo, with the trailhead lot reaching max capacity early in the day. Unless you’re looking to rub shoulders on the hike like you’re on a hot LA sidewalk, I would opt for midweek and midday. I went during an early afternoon on an overcast Monday and found no one whatsoever. Though when I arrived back at the car, a shirtless cross-country team kept whizzing laps around the campground loop, which I thought odd, but not enough to quell my fine memories of the day.
The trail doddles along, passing under the Cecret lift in the general southeast direction and gains no vertical for almost the whole way. Quad crunching vertical ascent this is not, but Mount Superior or Hidden Peak is right down the road if you really need the fix.
Nice views of Devils Castle and the remnants of wildflower season please the eye while cruising on the wide, firm path. Right around the .75 mile mark you find the crux, if you will, with an ascent requiring some uphill gumption as you stammer up three, maybe four switchbacks.
But with minimal pain comes gain, and as the hill is crested a view of the lake soon follows. A reward for the toil. Being a watershed, it’s a big no-no to breathe on the water, nonetheless take a dip in it, but the cool waters look inviting.
Or, somewhat inviting, it actually looks pretty shallow and green, a bit slimy, and with a field of rocks lining the bed of the lake. But for visual fodder, it’s a gem. A picknickers delight. Indeed, I wish I had a cooler with some cold sandwiches, a thermos of tea, and some light cookies to finish it off. Next time I’ll think ahead.
The return lets you go into full auto pilot and take it all in. Sure, you could stub a toe, even take a tumble, but the dangers are at a minimum. The hills of Alta were verdant with the recent rainfall, and the air smelling cool and damp, resembling what I would dare call autumn conditions.
However, peeling away that final tenth of a mile, the sun broke through and singed a high altitude burn onto my face. Still August, still summer, but with some telling foreshadowing of a changing of the seasons.