Albion Basin Wildflowers and the Hike to Cecret Lake
July is a beautiful time to explore Albion Basin up Utah’s Little Cottonwood Canyon. The wildflowers are in full force, wildlife wander through the mountains, and a family hike to Cecret Lake (pronounced secret lake) is good for the soul. But the mosquitoes are out in full-force around sunset – so be prepared.
2023 UPDATE: Now is the time to venture up to Albion Basin to experience the wildflowers. They are absolutely amazing (Updated July 31, 2023). Be sure to stay in the roped areas so the wildflowers can be enjoyed by everyone and not trampled down.
If you’re looking for a wonderful time exploring Utah’s wilderness, plan a hike up to Cecret Lake. You can hike up to Cecret Lake any time (though it’s covered in snow and is part of Alta Ski Resort in the winter), July (or August for this year) is when the wildflowers paint the mountains.
Planning Your Visit to see the Albion Basin wildflowers
As with any hike, it’s a good idea to have the right gear with you. That includes good hiking shoes, hat, sunscreen and plenty of water. Mosquito spray is a must, especially if you think you’ll be up the mountain near sunset (speaking from personal experience).
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Albion Basin is about 45 minutes from downtown Salt Lake City, up Little Cottonwood Canyon. You’ll drive as far as you can on pavement, parking at the Alta Ski Resort lodge (Albion Grill). You can drive on a dirt road and get further up the canyon, but we enjoyed starting at the bottom of Albion Basin and hiking up to Cecret Lake.
There is a shuttle from the Alta Ski Resort to the Upper Meadows of Albion Basin. But I’ve had people complain that it isn’t always running. I’ve also read they recently started charging for the shuttle use.
If you’re trying to go in mid-July (when the wildflowers are in bloom), plan extra time to get to a parking spot. If traffic is too heavy, you may not be able to drive up the dirt road to park. That’s why Alta Ski Resort is a great place to hike from.
Photography Permit for Commercial Photo Shoots
Lots of photographers and families visit the Albion Basin wildflowers field for a photoshoot. Over the years, it’s become so popular that traffic made it difficult for those simply wanting to enjoy the outdoors. To help protect the area, the Salt Lake Ranger District has implemented a permit system for anyone being compensated for their work.
You’ll need to plan ahead, because the photography permits take a minimum of two weeks.
One of the most important aspects of gaining the permit is to ensure people park and walk/hike along designated trails. Venturing through the Albion Basin wildflowers – in short, trampling the wildflowers – to get to your perfect spot is not allowed. That ruins the flowers for everyone. Please be responsible.
The Hike up to Cecret Lake
From the trailhead near Albion Grill, follow the trails up the mountain. You’ll see signs that will help get you to Cecret Lake, but there are numerous paths that bring you there.
Enjoy the walk through the upper meadows of Albion Basin. It’s where you’ll find some of the most colorful wildflowers. You’ll also come across many families or brides & grooms getting their photos taken. No photo bombing, please.
You’ll find a building on your way up called Alf’s. That’s how you know you’re going the right way. You won’t necessarily want to arrive at the Albion Basin Campground, but at some point, you’ll reach a trail that heads west.
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As you follow that trail, you’ll reach a point where switchbacks will take you up a rock face. It may look tough, but you can do it. When you reach the top, you’ll find yourself standing on the edge of Cecret Lake.
From the Albion Basin Campground, the hike to Cecret Lake is 1.5 miles roundtrip. If you hike from the parking lot to Cecret Lake, you’ll have hiked roughly 5 miles roundtrip. The good news… it’s down hill the entire way back to where you parked. 😉
The Wasatch Wildflower Festival at Albion Basin
The Wasatch Wildflower Festival is mid-July, and includes spots up Little Cottonwood and Big Cottonwood Canyons (Alta/Snow Bird Resorts and Brighton/Solitude Resorts, respectively). You can find the schedule on their Website for various hikes and activities.
The organizers do have hikes for people of all ages, but if you plan to do a larger hike with young kids, here are some ways to make hiking more fun – and help you keep some sanity.
The Wildlife and Wildflowers Around Cecret Lake
I’ve been up hiking in Albion Basin and Cecret Lake three times. I’ve seen at least one moose on two of my three visits. They really like the area – but if you’ve got kids, just help them understand that moose are wild animals. Don’t let them get too close to the moose.
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My favorite wildflower is the columbine. I love the light purple and white colors of it, as well as the look. So when I went exploring in Albion Basin with my camera, I had to capture a photo of one. You don’t need a permit to bring a camera with you to photograph the landscapes, but remember: Don’t trample the flowers!
The Indian paintbrush and the other colorful flowers of the high Utah mountains are a wonderful way to relax. It’ll make you want to move to Utah if you don’t already live here. Haha!
The Details
Address: Alta Ski Resort, up Little Cottonwood Canyon in Utah
Cost: Parking and hiking from the Albion Grill at Alta Ski Resort are free. The shuttle bus up to the meadows may cost you $6.
Hours: The campground is open July – September. Hiking is possible year round, but you may encounter snow November through July this year (2023).
Website: https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/regions/intermountain/AlbionBasin/
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Beautiful photo of the lake. This is a great hike.
Thank you. It is a great hike in so many ways – wildlife, wildflowers and scenery. 👍
I tried to hike to this lake before but it was so “secret” that I couldn’t find it! Honestly…we never did find it and I felt like we hiked forever. It started to get dark so we headed back to the car but this is a hike I’d love to do again and try to find the lake. Your pictures are soo good!
I hate when that happens. It’s totally worth taking another trip up there to try and find the lake.
This sounds like it could be in order today! Gonna load up the fam and head up the canyon!
Excellent. Have a great hike!
Can anyone tell me if the flowers are I. Full bloom yet. I was thinking of going today
I just heard from a few people who have been up there within the last week and they said there is still some snow but the trails are open. There are lots of buds but the flowers aren’t showing just yet. So maybe in the next week or so. Happy hiking.
How is the hike this year after the wet winter? Is the trail still snow packed? Are the flowers out yet, or behind in the bloom?
The flowers are a little behind on the bloom. Someone mentioned on a Facebook group that there are lots of buds, but the flowers aren’t there just yet. Maybe give it another week or so. 👍
I’ve scheduled pictures up there on August 11th. Do you think there will still be flowers?
I think there would still be flowers at that time, based on what I’m seeing in photos of the area. But I don’t think they’ll be as prevalent as they are right now. But that’s just my opinion. Good luck.