PITTSBURG LAKE

Fun day hiking with Jesus. Pittsburg Lake is hard to get to, but its a beautiful with a miners cabin. You can see the backside of Sugarloaf peak and the Devil's Castle.

PITTSBURG LAKE

TRAIL #35

DESCRIPTION ~ This is a steep, Mount Olympus type climb up a rocky mining road to a beautiful alpine lake.

PLACE OF SOLITUDE

DIRECTIONS ~ Enter American Fork Canyon and drive past Timpanogos Caves. Turn left at the fork in the road on SR 144, and drive by Tibblefork Reservoir. Head straight on the dirt road (do not go up the hill). This dirt road requires high clearance vehicles, such as trucks or SUVS. Keep driving straight on the road for 5.2 miles. (Do not take the road to Forest Lake.) You'll come to a fork in the road with a sign to Pittsburg Lake trailhead. Turn left and follow the road straight up the hill. Do not take forest road 422 or 596. Eventually, you will cross a stream and enter the trailhead parking lot with a large boulder in the middle.

RESTROOMS available at Tibble Fork Reservoir. Sorry no restrooms at the trailhead. 

HISTORIC LAKE CABIN

RETURN DRIVING OPTION ~ Take forest road 085 over the top of the mountain to Wasatch Mountain State Park in Midway. You can drive to US 40 and take I-80 back to Salt Lake City.

DRIVE TIME ~ It took 1 hour & 10 minutes to drive from the bottom of American Fork Canyon to the trailhead. It was slow driving over the rough, rocky road; shared with ATVs and dirt bikes.

MILEAGE ~ 1.5 miles to the lake, 1400' elevation gain.

HIKE TIME ~ 1 hour up and 45 minutes down.

RATINGS ~ Intermediate 

GEAR ~ American Fork Canyon is hot during the day & cold at night. Make sure you bring plenty of water and a jacket. It is highly recommended to bring hiking poles, because of all the loose rock. Bring a map, flashlight, food, sunscreen, hat, sunglasses, and first aid.

FEE ~ American Fork Canyon  fee