Location: Big Cottonwood Canyon
Willow Heights is gorgeous. Big Cottonwood Canyon becomes more and more beautiful as we get to explore more and more. This hike really takes the cake though. Willow Heights doesn't have an obvious marker from the street. You go up 12.1 miles from the mouth of the canyon, and there's a 35 mph sign on the left side, with a small area to park on the right side (just enough for a small line of cars). There's a rock that shows the trailhead just slightly past the 35 mph sign, with a sign to describe the hike thirty feet up the trail. It's about a 600 ft elevation gain, over 3/4 mile (one way). As beautiful as the area around the lake is, the scenery around the hike is more beautiful. The pictures tell the story of our hike.
The rock marking the trailhead to Willow Heights.
Tanner fell asleep early on the hike on the way up.
The trees are just gorgeous. I love the occasional pine tree that accents the beauty of this hike. You see more pines as you make it up the trail.
The lake and surrounding area is gorgeous. I wish the pictures weren't washed out. We definitely want to do this hike again. It was a little steep at times on the way up, so Sydney held my hand for five or ten minutes on the way down to keep from slipping.
There was a slight breeze, but I always love the reflection of mountains and trees on the water.
Lisa, as always, packed a yummy lunch for us. This time she packed a garbage bag for us to sit on, so when the kids rearranged and dropped their food, it wasn't rolling around in the dirt.
Tanner finally woke up halfway through lunch when I took the backpack off to get some rest.
Lunchables were lots of fun for the kids, keeping things clean and easy to eat.
Tanner and I went for a little walk before we headed back down.
As always, Sydney didn't want her picture taken on the way up, but was modeling once we got there.
Sydney's just a treat to photograph.
Nanny isn't a huge fan of leaving hats on, but she left it on during lunch for a little bit.
He was awake during lunch. Well...mostly.
Sydney loves using her hands to more fully explain her point.
What a cutie!
Sydney loves hiking. If we bring treats, she says she "out of energy" before we start walking to see if Lisa will budge on treats before lunch. She's always satisfied with granola bars on the way up and happy to have treats after lunch.
These are my favorite flowers. They're all over Big Cottonwood Canyon.
Nanny decided she was getting ready for a little nap. Her superpower of not taking naps wasn't going to hold up long. She fell asleep after a few minutes on the way down.
Well...if Nanny won't wear it...
A beautiful hike all the way. The canopy is so beautiful.
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