Hiking to Lake Blanche is special. It is one of Utah’s top hikes for a very good reason. Lake Blanche with Sundial Peak reflecting off it in the summer is beyond amazing, but winter hikes can also be spectacular!
My hike to Lake Blanche started very early in the morning on MLK Day in 2026. I started just before 5:00 AM because I wanted to catch the early morning light at the top of the trail. What I saw was beyond my expectations!
My first two hours on the Lake Blanche trail was in almost total darkness. There was no moon in the sky, just an abundance of stars. When I got within ¾ of a mile of the top of the trail I had Dromedary Peak on my right side. Sundial Peak was beginning to appear in front of me. I caught some great photos of both with stars above. Click any image to enlarge it for a better look at the stars.
When I got to Lake Blanche I was surprised that I had made the 3.2 or so miles up the trail so quickly. It was a vertical gain of almost 2,800 feet and parts of the trail were pretty steep. There was snow the entire way and parts of the trail were extremely icy. I had spikes on my boots so traction wasn’t an issue.
It was still a little before sunrise and I got a great video when I reached Lake Blanche.
The sky was perfectly clear and the early morning light was absolutely amazing! I hiked on a couple of packed paths through the snow to a higher vantage point and got some amazing images and video. I also hiked through knee-deep snow to other vantage points for more amazing photos.
On the way up the trail I got pretty warm and I took several layers of clothes off. At the top they went right back on because according to my little travel thermometer the temperature was 10 degrees and there was a light breeze! After getting all my winter gear back on this Old Hiking Dude managed to capture some pretty fun selfies of at the top!
Walking out to the middle of frozen Lake Blanche was pretty cool and I got a pretty nice video from there.
One thing I love about my phone is having the ability to take panoramic images. Here are a couple that I captured before heading back down the Lake Blanche Trail.
After wandering around Lake Blanche for 30-40 minutes I decided it was time to head back down the trail. I got some images when I was leaving and a couple more on the way back down.
My hike up to Lake Blanche and back registered around 7.53 miles and a hair over 2,900 vertical feet on my Garmin. Lake Blanche is in Big Cottonwood Canyon in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah. Click HERE for a map showing the Lake Blanche trailhead.
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