Trail Facts
The White Pine Lake trail starts at the White Pine Trailhead, which is about a half mile down the canyon from Snowbird. This trailhead provides the only access to much of the Lone Peak Wilderness in the lower half of Little Cottonwood Canyon.From the parking lot, the trail crosses Little Cottonwood Creek and begins a somewhat gradual climb of 400 feet along an old jeep road which heads into White Pine Fork. This first climb is about 1 mile long and ends when you get to the White Pine Fork stream. At this point the trail forks off. One trail continues along the White Pine Stream a short distance, crosses a bridge and heads west toward Red Pine Fork. Follow the old jeep road which switches back to the left from the White Pine stream.
For the next 4.2 miles the old jeep road meanders its way up the east side of the fork toward White Pine Lake, climbing about 2000' in elevation. The first 2 miles include a somewhat gradual climb as the road brings you through a series of switchbacks and level areas. In the final 2 files, however, the road becomes steeper containing fewer switchbacks.
White Pine Lake is nestled at the top of the fork just above the tree line and is beautifully colored with alpine-blue. Located just outside of the Lone Peak Wilderness Area, this trail is also great for mountain biking.
