Maybird Lakes

Maybird Lakes are two tiny lakes nestled in an enormous boulder field just below the impressive Pfeifferhorn peak.  The trail begins 5.5 miles up Little Cottonwood Canyon at the White Pine Trailhead.  (If you reach Snowbird Ski Resort, you have gone too far.)   There is ample parking at the trailhead, but on weekends I have seen cars parked along the road for almost a mile due to the popularity of these hikes.  There are three hiking trails to choose from, White Pine Lake is 8 miles roundtrip, Red Pine Lake is 6 miles roundtrip and Maybird Lakes is about 7.6 miles roundtrip.  All trails follow an old jeep road for about a mile until you reach the first junction.  The trails for Red Pine and Maybird crosses the stream on a footbridge to the west.  After about another 2 1/2 miles from the beginning of the trail you will come to another junction, turn right and cross the stream again on the footbridge and you are on your way into Maybird Gulch and on to Maybird lakes.


The trail is very lush in some spots. It almost felt like you were in the tropics especially near the stream crossings.  We came across a mini fern grotto.  Have a look . . .

The Maybird Lakes were a little disappointing to me.  It was a very long hike and the end results were not as spectacular as I was expecting and led to believe.  The lakes are tiny!  More like ponds rather than lakes.

Pfeifferhorn Peak (11,326) in background

To get to the second lake I had to scramble across a boulder field. I do like climbing over boulders so that was fun!  The second lake had a big island of pines right in the middle.  I also found several wild raspberry bushes growing right out of the giant boulders.  Amazing!

Upper Maybird Lake

Wild raspberries . . Yummm!

There are also some really impressive views of the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon down into south Salt Lake Valley from the trail.

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"For myself I hold no preferences

among flowers so long as they are

wild, free, spontaneous!" Ed Abbey 

 Wildflower of the Week

This pretty yellow wildflower is called a Monkeyflower.  You will find it growing along almost every stream you cross in the mountains.  I have even seen it growing right out of a rock in the middle of a stream.  Monkeyflowers are members of the Snapdragon family and are in bloom June through August.

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Peaks Bagged

1.  Grandeur Peak ♦♦ 8299 

2.  Reynolds Peak ♦♦ 9422

3.  South Guardsman Pass Peak ♦♦ 10,420

4.  Mount Baldy ♦♦ 11,068

******Miles hiked tally     

beginning March 22, 2013

99.1