Twin Peaks (Cecret Lake Extension)

The Twin Peaks referred to in this post are the American Fork Twin Peaks near the Snowbird Ski Resort in Little Cottonwood Canyon.  Though not nearly as impressive to look at as the Broads Fork Twins are from the Salt Lake Valley, the American Fork Twins are the highest points in Salt Lake County.  Nearby to the northeast lies Hidden Peak which forms the upper terminus of the Snowbird Ski Tram.  Considering all the traffic this area receives, Hidden Peak is probably the most summited mountain in the Wasatch Range.  Of course, the easiest approach for climbing Twin Peaks with the least amount of elevation gain is from Hidden Peak.  The description here, however, is the route we took from Cecret Lake.

From the east side of Cecret Lake, follow the ridgeline on the right (north) of the lake to begin the route to Twin Peaks.  While climbing the higher ridge northwest of the lake, look for the chairlift and head towards it.  There is an obvious service road below that leads to it, passing very close to Cecret Lake.  Upon reaching the chairlift, follow the route up to the saddle between Mount Baldy and Sugarloaf Peak.  From this saddle two 11,000-foot peaks (Mount Baldy and Sugarloaf Peak) are only short scrambles away – ranging from one-third to one-half mile one-way.  Continuing on to Twin Peaks, we descended a couple of hundred feet into Mineral Flat on the American Fork side.  Here you have a great view of Mount Timpanogos to the south and our final destination off to the southwest.  We then made our way across Mineral Flat towards the southwest and came across a service road which switchbacks up the back side of Hidden Peak.  If you plan the route carefully, you can follow one of the switchbacks for approximately 0.2 miles along the mountainside.  Beyond the service road, we made our way laterally across a steepening slope to the low point of the saddle before East Twin Peak.  Once at the saddle it's a steep scramble with some exposure to the 11,433-foot east summit.  The west summit lies some 0.3 miles further west at 11,489 feet elevation.  Hiking between the two summits is easy with minimal elevation change.  Keep an eye open for explosive casings used for avalanche control, and stay away from them as they may still contain explosive material.  Distance from Cecret Lake to the west summit of Twin Peaks is about 2.8 miles (3.6 miles from the trailhead) one-way with an elevation gain of approximately 2,050 feet (2,510 feet from the trailhead) – taking into account a 420-foot loss.

American Fork Twin Peaks from the saddle
between Mount Baldy and Sugarloaf Peak

On the return route, we hiked to Hidden Peak where we were able to catch a free ride down on the Snowbird Tram.  Fortunately we came across a kind couple who gave us a ride from the base of Snowbird back to the trailhead where our vehicle was parked.

The back side of Hidden Peak
with the top of the Snowbird Tram

The Broads Fork Twin Peaks from
the American Fork Twin Peaks