Backpack Trail Guide

Trails / Utah / Wasatch Range

White Pine Lake from Tony Grove

Logan Canyon, Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest (Logan Ranger District)

White Pine Lake sits in a basin between Mount Gog and Mount Magog above Logan Canyon, a short hike from Tony Grove Lake. The Outbound describes it as a 7.6-mile round trip with plenty of tent and hammock spots.

Its nearness also makes it busy on summer weekends.

The hike

The trail starts at the end of the Tony Grove road, about 7 miles off US-89 in Logan Canyon. Road Trip Ryan says to leave from the northwest corner of the parking lot and go right at the immediate split, signed “White Pine.” About a mile in, stay right again where the left branch heads toward Naomi Peak, which Wilderness.net lists as the high point of the Mount Naomi Wilderness at 9,980 feet.

The Outbound describes the first 2.5 miles as easy, with a slight incline through aspens and pines. Road Trip Ryan notes a short shaded stretch and a final climb to the ridge. From the ridgetop, The Outbound says you can see the basin between Mount Gog to the north and Mount Magog to the west, with the lake below. The trail then drops about a mile on a couple of switchbacks into the basin, a descent you’ll climb back out on the way home.

Past a bridge over the stream, Road Trip Ryan reaches a four-way junction. Going straight is slightly longer; the writer suggests taking it in and returning on the left-hand trail. Road Trip Ryan lists the elevation range as about 8,060 to 8,830 feet, with the lake near 8,400 feet.

Expect company. Road Trip Ryan says weekends are busy with families and groups and that cows and sheep also use the area. A 2016 BackcountryPost poster went in early June, when the lake was still mostly frozen, to beat the summer crowds and caught brook trout at the ice-free ends. Fall brings golden aspens, according to Road Trip Ryan, and The Outbound notes the dark skies are good for night photography.

For a higher, longer lakes trip in northern Utah, see Naturalist Basin in the High Uintas.

Tips

Camping

No permit requirement was found. Road Trip Ryan says campsites line both trails and the basin around the lake, and to camp at least 200 feet from lakes and streams. Near the trailhead, the Forest Service order for the Tony Grove Lake area (04-19-158) prohibits camping outside the developed campground and open fires outside it. Recreation.gov notes Tony Grove is bear country and asks campers to store food securely. Fire rules at White Pine Lake itself weren’t confirmed, so check with the Logan Ranger District.

Inside Intel: A reviewer on The Outbound counted more than 10 campsites around the lake, and another recommended the sites after multiple stays. Road Trip Ryan suggests getting water at the lake’s south side, where it flows out.

Trail facts

The Lowdown

Ten-plus sites around White Pine Lake:

Campsites ring the basin below Mount Gog and Mount Magog, and a light, easy-pitching tent makes this short overnight even simpler. See the tents testers pick.

Read the full guide →

Where this comes from

This page draws on the sources below, along with other guides and trip reports. Links go to the original pages.

Before you go: This page is based on published trail guides, trip reports, and reviews, along with official park and agency information where we could find it. It’s meant to help backpackers discover new trails, not to replace current, official information. Conditions, closures, permits, campsites, and water sources change, and some details here may be out of date or wrong. Confirm everything with the managing agency and check current conditions before you head out, and don’t rely on this page alone for safety or navigation. Backcountry travel involves risk.