Where'd it go? Utah hikers trek to lake... but it's gone

Hikers trekking up to a beautiful lake near Brighton in Big Cottonwood Canyon this summer have made the journey only to find... it's gone.

Brian Essling and Rachel Schwalbach were two such hikers surprised to reach the end of the Twin Lakes Trail and find only one lake.

“It's disappointing," said Schwalbach. "I guess I also have questions. Then what? How do they fill it back up and what happens after?”

They weren’t the only hikers caught off-guard.

“We didn't anticipate it, but I understand why it has to happen," said hiker Jeff Robertson.

Salt Lake City Public Utilities is completely draining the lower lake this week so they can spend the summer repairing its dam.

“We need to replace some of the valve stems and we're going to assess the actual gates themselves in the valves," explained Jesse Stewart, Deputy Director of the agency. "To do so we have to have an empty reservoir to get down and safely do that.”

Jenna Bree

By replacing the gates now, the agency won’t have to worry about an emergency in the future.

“That dam has been there since 1914. The lakes, used to be two lakes, the day when we put the dam in, they kind of merged into one,” explained Stewart.

Robertson is looking forward to seeing both lakes in all their glory, but next year.

“I'm glad they're taking care of it," he said. "I mean, what was it 50 years ago when Grand Teton Dam broke? So we don't want it breaking down, so that's a good thing. And it's a beautiful hike up here whether there's a lake or not, so I've got no complaints.”

Recent Local Utah Stories

• Utah State officially fires Aggies head coach Blake Anderson

  Jeff Tavss

  9:29 PM, Jul 18, 2024

• 3 years later, how are we dealing with long COVID?

  Mythili Gubbi

  7:34 PM, Jul 18, 2024

• Where'd it go? Utah hikers trek to lake... but it's gone

  Jenna Bree

  7:04 PM, Jul 18, 2024

• Lowball job offer? Expert offers negotiation tips to get what you're worth

  Robyn Oguinye

  6:30 PM, Jul 18, 2024