Terry Luke

Alternative to Millcreek Dog Lake Trail

Round trip 7.9 miles to 9.4 miles depending on options chosen, Elevation Gain 1,555 ft. over 4.7 miles

Dog Lake is the overall favorite of my dogs. They love to swim and fetch sticks thrown out into the lake. With access to the lake effectively terminated due to Millcreek Canyon road construction, Sherbet and Nea need a new lake in which to frolic. And the trail needs to be off-leash. Besides just plain fun, swimming in the lake cools their body temperatures so that the summer heat on the trek back down barely affects them. I didn’t realize how much it helped them until this year when we could no longer visit the lake. Those refreshed dogs now come alive again with our hikes to Alpine Lake. It’s certainly worth the extra drive up to the Park City Canyons Village.

Below is the trail to Alpine Lake which I have personally traveled several times.

**** As of 8/15/25 there is construction at the beginning of the trail so an alternate route is included from the parking lot to the Holly’s Trailhead which takes you through the promenade or walkway between the gondola loading area and the hotel and restaurants. It’s marked in red on this map and on a blow up of the beginning section below this map.

On PC, click map to enlarge and zoom. Back Arrow to return: On mobile just pinch to zoom in landscape mode.

Click Here to download the above map as a route to use in your All-Trails app
(it incorporates the construction detour)

Below is a blow-up of the bottom right corner of the map above showing the construction detour from the parking lot to Holly’s Trailhead due to the current construction above the amphitheater. It’s on-leash for dogs until you get to the dirt road (the sharp left at the top).

Directions to Trailhead in upper Canyons Village

Click Here to see the parking lot entrance in Google Maps

(then use Google’s “Directions” button to get driving directions from your location)

Notes:

• Service Road: This route uses the service road the top half of the return trip to decrease the total round trip mileage. If you’re inclined to increase your mileage you can, of course, follow Holly’s Trail back the same way you came up. The road is somewhat steeper than the trail, not dangerously steep, just stamina challenging steep. Since it’s downhill on the way back, stamina is less of an issue as is heat. The road is also less covered, i.e. more sunny. Since the dogs are super cool after swimming in the lake, heat is less of a problem on the return.
• Bikes: Holly’s Trail is two-way bike traffic eligible. However you’ll notice on the map that a second trail, Richochet , mirrors Holly’s Trail. As it’s name suggests, it allows only downhill (opposite direction) bike traffic as it follows along somewhat parallel to Holly’s Trail. Bikers normally climb on Holly’s Trail and ricochet back down on Richochet Trail, minimizing downhill traffic on Holly’s Trail. Issues with dogs (and you on foot) are thereby minimized.
• Water: there is limited water for the dogs on the trail so take some for them. There is a very small spring oozing just enough water (as of end of mid August) for a dog to lap some up. It’s just before Holly’s Trail crosses the service road the first time. After passing the Sun Lodge (see top map) where the trail meets Richochet there is a small stream where the dogs can get water and cool their paws. Of course, there’s the lake but dogs will need water a few times before arriving there. There’s also a another spring that creates a fairly small puddle on the service road that you’ll see on the way down, between the two places where Holly’s Trail crosses the road. In Millcreek Canyon, we’re used to several bridges crossing the stream multiple times on the way to Dog Lake. Dogs not only quench their thirst, but running through the stream cools them off through their paws.
• Switchback Bypass Option: You’ll notice on the map, at the beginning of Holly’s Trail are four switchbacks. When you actually see the area, the brush for the whole set of switchbacks is only shin high. (the faint narrow switchback – not the gray above them – that’s the golf cart roads for the golf course). Standing at the bottom you can see all the Holly switchbacks and it’s a little silly to watch people switch back and forth, being able to see them from top to bottom. There’s also a dirt road that cuts through the switchbacks, a shortcut. It’s a little steep but the distance is so short it doesn’t take much stamina to bypass the switchbacks and join the trail as it enters into the woods as the switchbacks finish. Of course, if you find the shortcut too challenging, you can join the switchbacks at any crossing (see image below).

*** The top dirt road leading to Holly’s Trailhead is coming from the Hotel promenade as shown in the Construction Detour map above ***

COMING SOON: for years we’ve only looked down on the Red Pine Lake from the Mountain Crest Trail as we hiked up from the Millcreek side. We’ve discovered an approximately 4 mile route from the Park City/Canyons side (8 miles roundtrip) and will be posting that route in the near future as well. Update 8/6/25: I made my first hike to Red Pine Lake and was somewhat disappointed. I expected the lake to be more like Dog Lake than Alpine Lake is. However, it was surrounded by soft muddy shores making it not too cool for my dogs. The trail there had construction on the trail at the beginning, plus the trail was pretty steep almost all the way. Although I hiked to the lake and back, a sign on the way down stated hiking and bikes were not allowed on the lower portion of the trail. I won’t be posting this route.