Big Cottonwood Loop | Fall Backpacking in the Wasatch
There’s something about fall in the Wasatch that makes a familiar trail feel completely different.
I’d hiked from Mill D up to Lake Desolation before, but for a while I’d been wanting to turn it into something bigger—a full loop connecting Lake Desolation, the Wasatch Crest, Millcreek Canyon, Dog Lake, and Reynolds Peak before eventually making my way back to where I started.
Late September seemed like the perfect time to finally do it.
The temperatures were dropping, the leaves were changing, and the mountains were covered in those yellows, oranges, and reds that never seem to stick around quite long enough.
So on Friday, September 25, I loaded up the pack and headed for Mill D.
Quick Tips
Trailhead: Mill D North Fork Trailhead, Big Cottonwood Canyon
Route: Mill D → Lake Desolation → Wasatch Crest → Millcreek Canyon → Little Water → Dog Lake → Mill D
Length: About 15.2 miles, including my side trip up to Reynolds Peak
Total Elevation: 3,681 ft gain | 3,664 ft loss
Trip length: 3 days / 2 nights
Best season: Summer through fall; late September and Early October can be incredible for fall colors
Parking: Fee area at Mill D; America the Beautiful Pass accepted. Multi-day pass @ Recreation.gov
Water: Available at several points along the route, but always check current conditions and carry enough between reliable sources
Heads up: The Wasatch Crest is a popular mountain-bike route. Expect bikes and stay aware, especially on blind corners and narrow sections.
Want a shorter option? Lake Desolation makes a great overnight on its own. Check out my Lake Desolation overnight for a shorter trip without committing to the full loop.
Day 1 — Mill D to Lake Desolation
I started from the Mill D trailhead and began the familiar climb toward Lake Desolation.
I’d done this stretch before, but this time the trail looked completely different.
Fall had taken over Big Cottonwood Canyon.
Aspens were glowing yellow along the trail, with pockets of orange and red mixed into the mountainsides. It seemed like every turn gave me another excuse to stop, pull out the camera, and take a picture.
Which, admittedly, made the climb take a little longer.
But if there’s ever a time to slow down on this trail, this was it.
Eventually I reached Lake Desolation and found a place to settle in for the night.
The lake was surrounded by fall color, but you could definitely feel the season changing. Once the sun started dropping, so did the temperature.
It was cold and chilly, but peaceful.
And after spending the afternoon surrounded by those colors, I didn’t mind throwing on a few extra layers and settling in for the night.
Day 2 — Up to the Wasatch Crest
The next morning I packed up and continued climbing from Lake Desolation toward the Wasatch Crest.
Once you gain the ridge, the entire character of the hike changes.
Instead of being tucked into the trees, you’re suddenly up high with huge views stretching across the Wasatch. This ended up being one of my favorite sections of the entire loop.
One thing worth knowing, though: the Wasatch Crest is very popular with mountain bikers.
There were quite a few bikes coming through, so I tried to stay aware and give them room whenever I could.
But between the riders, I found plenty of opportunities to stop and take in the views.
And once again, the fall colors were putting on a show.
From the crest I continued north before eventually making my way down toward Millcreek Canyon.
Down Into Millcreek…and Back Up Again
After spending the morning up high on the crest, I descended into Millcreek Canyon and eventually reached the Little Water Trailhead.
And then it was time to climb again.
From Little Water, I made my way toward Dog Lake.
By this point I’d already covered a good chunk of ground, so reaching the lake felt pretty good. I found a campsite surrounded by bright yellow aspens and dropped the pack.
But apparently I hadn’t gotten quite enough hiking for the day.
An Evening on Reynolds Peak
After getting camp set up at Dog Lake, I decided to head up Reynolds Peak for the evening.
Without the full backpack, the climb felt a little easier, and getting up higher gave me another completely different perspective of the area I’d spent the last couple of days hiking through.
This is one of the things I love about backpacking.
Sometimes the best parts of a trip aren’t necessarily part of the original route. You get camp set up, realize you still have a little daylight and a little energy left, and decide to go see what’s over the next ridge.
Day 3 — Closing the Loop
The next morning I packed up camp at Dog Lake and started making my way back toward Mill D.
After two days of climbing ridges, dropping into another canyon, climbing back out, and adding Reynolds Peak for good measure, the final stretch felt like a victory lap.
The aspens were still glowing.
The air was cool.
And eventually I arrived back at the same trailhead where I’d started two days earlier.
Loop complete.
Final Thoughts
I’d wanted to connect these trails into one backpacking loop for a while, and I’m glad I finally did it.
Lake Desolation is worth visiting on its own. So is Dog Lake. And the Wasatch Crest is one of the best places around to get those big Wasatch views.
But connecting all of them together made the area feel completely different.
Instead of hiking somewhere, camping, and retracing my steps the next morning, I got to keep moving forward. Over the ridge. Into another canyon. Back up through the aspens. Onto another peak. And eventually all the way back to where I started.
And doing it while the Wasatch was covered in fall color made it even better.
It was cold. There were plenty of climbs. I shared the crest with more mountain bikes than I probably would have preferred. And apparently I shared Dog Lake with a couple of moose.
But that’s part of it.
Fall doesn’t last very long in these mountains.
I’m glad I caught this one when I did.
Keep trekkin’.
