Lake Lillian Trail

Lake Lillian and Lake Florence in the Twin Peaks Wilderness are two bodies of water that sit to the southwest of the uber-popular Lake Blanche that many people don't even know exist. Exploring this area gives you a chance to escape the crowds you surely saw at the trailhead and along most of the hike. Once you make it to Lake Blanche after the beautiful and steep trail, continue to the right of the shore toward Dromedary Peak. You'll first reach Lake Florence, which gives you a stunning view into Broad's Fork and its multiple peaks overhead. This area receives lighter traffic than neighboring trails, even on the weekends; it's nice to just sit and enjoy the lake with a few friends and some solitude, which can be hard to find in this area nowadays.

This beautiful journey into the Twin Peaks Wilderness often gives you a chance to spot the common animals that frequent the area. The moose, deer, marmot, hummingbird and hawks give the place a wild touch, even though the trialhead is only 10 minutes from the suburbs of east Salt Lake City. The wildflowers here in summer are spectacular, but the bugs can sometimes be heavy. Most of the mosquitos are gone by late summer, however, and there should still be decent flowers around then.