When our kids were young, we hiked to Lake Mary & Martha, but we didn’t continue on to Lake Catherine because of the distance. We finally finished this hike, all the way to Lake Catherine via the Brighton Lakes Trail, and it was beautiful. The hardest part is the climb to Lake Mary, so once you are there, you should definitely continue on to Lake Catherine. Big Cottonwood Canyon is one of our favorite places to hike, and this trail was another great one. You’ll pass four mountain lakes in one hike!
Where is Lake Catherine
Lake Catherine is found at the top of Big Cottonwood Canyon near Brighton. The hike to Lake Catherine is 4.8 miles roundtrip. The first 3/4 mile is very steep. Park at the far south part of the parking area near the Brighton Trails sign and the ski lifts. The trail walks right up the mountain side and passes underneath the ski lifts. Even in early September when I hiked, there were beautiful wildflowers along the trail. We stopped many times on this first section of the trail to take breaks and rest of our legs. It was a big climb! We have written more about Lake Mary & Martha here.
Dog Lake
After this steep climb, you will come to a trail marker. If you take the short trail to the left, you can walk over and see Dog Lake. It is very small and only 0.1 mile over to the lake. The trail doesn’t get too close to the lake, but since it is so easy, we think it’s a nice detour. We like to take this side trip, and you can do it on the way up or the way back down from Lake Catherine. This is not the more popular Dog Lake trail you’ll see discussed elsewhere.
After your see this sign, the trail still climbs, but it isn’t as steep, so the last little part to Lake Mary isn’t quite as much work. When we visited, there was water across the trail close to the dam, so be careful and wear good hiking shoes. My favorite hiking shoes are from adidas because they are waterproof and super comfortable. And even better, they are shoes under 100 (which adidas has a ton of).
Lake Mary
Lake Mary is actually a reservoir. So you will see a large cement wall as you approach the lake. This is the biggest lake along the Brighton Lakes Trail. The scenery is beautiful, with big granite mountains and rocks around the lake. It is a great spot to stop and rest your legs after that steep climb.
Lake Martha
About 1/4 mile past Lake Mary, the trail passes Lake Martha. Lake Martha is a lot smaller than Lake Mary and is an actual lake, not reservoir. The trail does not walk right next to the lake, so if you’d like to get closer, you will need to leave the main trail and walk down to the lake. We chose to continue hiking to Lake Catherine and enjoy Lake Martha from above.
Lake Catherine
The trail from Lake Mary to Lake Catherine is another mile. The trail has a steady climb, but it doesn’t climb at such a steep rate as the trail up to Lake Mary. The views along the trail are beautiful and most of the time the trail is in the trees.
Right before Lake Catherine, there is a branch in the trail. If you head to the right, the trail loops around through Catherine Pass and then back to the lake. This adds another mile to the hike. I took the left trail and walked over to Lake Catherine. This mountain lake is between Lake Mary and Lake Martha in size. You are at almost 10,000 feet when you make it to the lake! The air just smells and feels better high up in the mountains. There were a few people fishing in Lake Catherine, and plenty of people enjoying the views.
After spending some time enjoying Lake Catherine, we turned around and walked back to our car. Heading down the hill was much faster than hiking up. This is definitely a great trail in Big Cottonwood. For other amazing hikes in this canyon (and easier ones for the kids), check out our Family Friendly Hikes in Big Cottonwood.
Please Remember
Big Cottonwood Canyon is in the SLC watershed, so no dogs allowed, and no swimming or getting in the lakes. Please keep this area clean as this water runs off to the water supply for Salt Lake City.
