Lake Solitude Trailhead

Stunning ascent to Lake Solitude through aspens, towering pointy conifers, and tons of wildflowers. The lake itself is gorgeous, as is the backdrop, but it truly should be considered a pond given its perhaps 1 – 2 acre size. Wildlife abounds on the trail and at the lake, mostly of the small and squirrely kind, but we did see a moose splashing around in the lake (pond) today which was awesome.
The hike difficulty is moderate. It is a fairly steady climb with some areas of steeper ascent and tricky rocks jutting out here and there.

This location is actually a trail-​head for two hikes that are accessed from the Silver Lake loop, if you look up Silver Lake that’s where you want to park once you get up the canyon.
To get to this trail head, go anticlockwise about ¼ way around Silver Lake and you’ll see a path right which takes you to the sign post for both Lake Solitude and Twin Lakes. This review is specifically for the Lake Solitude hike, which personally I’d say is the easier of the two.
I say hike, because unlike Silver Lake, which is nothing more than a nice easy going flat loop at the end of the day, reaching Lake Solitude is significantly more strenuous and has some odd bits of tricky terrain that should be reserved for those more seasoned to actual hiking trails. It’s not difficult by any means, though most on line sources rate it as a moderate hike. Personally the only part I would really rate as that is the short final stretch up to the lake which is pretty steep, and while we love to hike, I don’t consider us advanced in that area by any stretch of the imagination either so I don’t think most people would have any real problems. I’ve done other moderate rated hikes that have proven far more difficult.
We went today, and due to a small storm overnight, the terrain was pretty wet even in July. This is the earliest we’ve ever attempted these trails, for some they may be doable before that with the right equipment. If the ground is dry it’s not any problem. But just after rainfall you get that wonderful fresh air smell which is so worth it, but it was pretty slippery today. Just be sure to wear appropriate shoes and if it is wet underfoot, make sure you are with someone else on the top part approaching the lake just for safety, especially when coming down. I did slide and hit my ankle fairly hard at one point, thankfully the wife and a conveniently placed tree I could grab saved me from anything worse!
It’s a gorgeous trail. As you follow the approximately 1.5 miles to the lake, you can see all the various progressions of the forest land and the various phases each area goes through over time. From the trail head to the top is about 40 – 45 minutes, and of course roughly that back down also. It’s a decent work out, but not strenuous either and the views and scenery are sure worth it. You can actually walk right around the lake too. The path’s up there are not always super obvious — today’s route where we went up some of the higher terrain was definitely ad-​lib at some points. But that makes it fun right? :)
It’s beautiful though, like pretty much all trails in our Wasatch front canyons, and a nice bit of exercise to boot.