Dog Lake

The hike to Dog Lake is an easy one. You gain most of the elevation at the beginning of the hike as you are travelling through Brighton Ski Resort. The lake is small, but it's surrounded by tall beautiful trees. Park anywhere in the giant parking area at Brighton Ski Resort and hike up a hundred yards until you see the signs pointing you to Lake Catherine (which is the same trail to Dog Lake). The first part of this trail is pretty but once you get into the pine forest it gets immensely better! There are three other lakes beyond Dog Lake: Lake Mary, Lake Martha and Lake Catherine. If you have time, you should visit these lakes too. This popular trail travels on the Brighton Ski Resort for about 3/4 mile until it cuts west. There is a good trail to follow as you hike on the mountain meadows and in between patches of pine trees and aspen trees. This part is where you will gain almost all of the elevation until you come to Dog Lake. Once you hike the roughly 3/4 mile you will go inside a pine forest and will probably hear a waterfall in the distance. Hike another hundred yards or so and you will come to a junction sign that points you to Dog Lake or to Lake Catherine. Take the left trail to Dog Lake. It's only about a tenth of a mile more. You will climb up a very small hill until you come into the beautiful basin where Dog Lake is located. This is a very small lake but it's a fun one if you don't have much time.