Trail Facts
The trail to Sunset Peak begins near the end of the Albion Basin road, roughly 2/10 of a mile before the turn-off to the Albion Basin campground at the top of Little Cottonwood Canyon. A small parking lot is located to on the west side of the road near the top of an Alta ski lift where signs mark the trailhead.The trail begins a moderate climb in a southeast/east direction the first 3/4 mile as it climbs nearly 600 feet over a series of long switchbacks mingled with a few level areas. This leads you to a small basin located below Catherine Pass. The wildflowers along this stretch are usually spectacular later in the summer season.
Once the small basin is reached, the trail continues in a straight and level path toward the east for about the next .25 mile. The trail then enters another set of switchbacks that climb another 200 feet in .25 mile. After this first 1.25 the trail reaches Catherine Pass. At this point you are looking into Big Cottonwood Canyon at Brighton and Lake Catherine just below with Sunset Peak rising above and to the right. A trail descends to Lake Catherine and joins the Lake Mary trail.
Follow the trail that turns right (south) and travels just below the west side of the ridge for about .3 mile. After passing a minor summit, the trail curves to the east again, staying on the ridge above Lake Catherine. This takes you next to a few cliffs and continues for another .3 mile directly to the summit of Sunset Peak which lies 400 feet above Catherine Pass and has an elevation of 10,648'.
The view from Sunset Peak is amazing. To the north and northwest, Brighton and much of Big Cottonwood Canyon is in view with Mary, Martha, and Catherine Lakes directly below. To the east, you can see the entire Heber Valley and the Uinta Mountains rising in the distance. To the south, lies views of upper American Fork Canyon and Mt. Timpanogos in the Background. When at the summit, you also find yourself at the border of Salt Lake, Utah, and Wasatch Counties.
