On July 18, 2021, we drove up Little Cottonwood Canyon to attend the Wasatch Wildflower Festival at the Alta Ski Resort. The last time we were up here there was a lot of snow, no flowers and it was cold. This time it looked completely different! We signed in for a guided walk, picking the “moderate walk”, led by David T., a volunteer with the Cottonwood Canyons Foundation. This moderate walk went from the Albion Base Area to the Albion Basin Campground, 2.8 miles, round trip, from the base and 1,100 feet higher. We went further (4.2 miles, round trip, and 1,213 feet in elevation gain), turning around at Cecret Lake.
Although we didn’t take appropriate notes for each of the plants we took photos of, we have been able to identify many of them on the internet. If anyone spots an error, please let us know.
The Hike to Cecret Lake and Back
The trail is rocky, but the scenery is great
Looking back down to where we started
Our group listens to our guide, David T.
You can just see the Sugarloaf Lift base
This facility is at the bottom of the Sugarloaf and Supreme Lifts
The Supreme Lift starts here
The Supreme Lift goes to the top of the mountain is the distance
Cecret Lake
We made it to Cecret Lake
The road we’re heading back down after visiting Cecret Lake
The road is steep and you can see the facility at the bottom of Sugarloaf and Supreme lifts
Looking west down Little Cottonwood Canyon from Alta
The Flowers
Single-head Sunflower
Mountain Larkspur (Delphinium glaucum)
Single-Head Sunflower Field
Horse Mint (Nettleleaf Giant Hyssop)
This field is filled with Horse Mint and Sunflowers
