I had no idea what I was getting into when I hiked up to Silver Lake. A friend of mine had hiked it a few years ago and loved the hike, so we decided to try to find our way up to the lake based purely on what he remembered. Looking back, this probably wasn’t the best way to start a hike…
Getting to the trailhead is fairly simple; get off I-15 at exit 287 and head south until you reach American Fork Canyon. There is a fee to enter the canyon so make sure you bring a couple bucks with you. Follow the canyon road for about 5 miles until the road splits and head left up towards Tibble Fork Reservoir. When you reach Tibble Fork, drive through the parking lot on the north side, take a sharp, hairpin style left and continue up the mountain until you reach Granite Flat Campground. Don’t enter the campground; take the right just before the entrance onto the dirt road. From here you just have to follow the road until you reach Silver Lake Flat Reservoir.
The trailhead starts on the north side of Silver Lake Flat right next to the parking lot and is marked by a sign so its super easy to find. The entire trail is beautiful! The first half of the hike follows Silver Creek and there are at least 2 places where you actually cross the river itself. Follow the trail through the aspen forest up until you hit the big river crossing.
This is the part of the hike where we started wishing we new a little more about the trail. When we found the river crossing it seemed to split off into multiple directions, so we ended up trying all three. The first trail doesn’t cross the river and quickly ends up in the bushes. Crossing the river it splits into 2 more possible directions, one follows the river the other does not. Take my advice; do not follow the river trail. We made that mistake and ended up cutting through bushes until we came out onto a super steep hill face where every step you take the rocks and sand slide out from under you. The other trail is a short switchback that heads away from the lake and then shortly cuts back up towards the lake. Again, take that trail.
The rest of the way opens up and offers an amazing view of the canyon. Make sure you take a moment to lookout over American Fork Canyon and really appreciate what we have in our backyard. After a few more switchbacks you’ll make it to the lake.
Make sure you plan some time to spend at the lake because there is a lot to do. We had a great time exploring the lake side, climbing up the snow banks that were still on the west side of the lake, and doing a little fishing. Even though there was still some snow around the lake, people were jumping in and swimming around. It was a blast!
Overall, this hike is one of my favorites in American Fork canyon. It is a little more strenuous than some of the other hikes I’ve been on lately so I probably wouldn’t recommend taking babies up with you but younger kids will be just fine. Not even considering the beautiful trail, the lake itself is very much worth the 4 miles to get there so grab the family, the snacks and the fishing polls and head up for a great time!
• Get off I-15 at exit 287 and head south until you reach American Fork Canyon
• Follow the road for about 5 miles until the road splits and take a left towards Tibble Fork Res.
• Drive through Tibble Fork Res. Parking lot and take a sharp left up the canyon.
• Just before the Granite Flat Campground entrance take a right up the dirt road. (Smaller cars can make it up this road but I would suggest a truck).
• Follow the dirt road until you reach the parking lot right next to Silver Lake Flat Res.
• The Trailhead starts on the north side of the reservoir behind the restroom.
• Follow the trail until you reach the river, cross it and then follow the trail to the right
• Continue up the trail until you reach the lake
Trail Length: 4 miles
Time: 2 hours up and back