Tips For Hiking Tony Grove Lake In Utah

Tony Grove Lake is a stunning alpine lake in Utah that is popular for camping and hiking.

This lake is located along the Logan Canyon Scenic Byway and requires a short, but easy, detour to reach it.

Visitors can drive up all the way to Tony Grove Lake making it a great stop for road trips, especially in fall.

As an option, there is a short nature trail that loops around the lake – which we highly recommend if you have the time!

Quick Trail Highlights

For those who are interested in hiking the Tony Grove Nature Trail, here are a few quick trail highlights:

Length: 1.2 miles
Time Needed: 1-2 hours to finish the entire loop
Cost: $10 to park at the day-use parking lot
Elevation: Relatively flat
Difficulty: This trail is easy with some rocky surfaces
Dogs allowed?: Yes

Location & Parking

Tony Grove Lake can be reached via a 7-mile-long detour from Highway 89/Logan Canyon Scenic Byway.

Although the distance is very short and paved, it’s a slow drive and takes around 20 minutes going at a steady speed.

The road that goes to Tony Grove Lake is very narrow with many sharp turns and steep drop-offs. If you plan to venture off Logan Canyon Scenic Byway to visit Tony Grove Lake, note that this is not exactly a quick stop and set aside a couple of hours to enjoy the drive and hang out by the lake.

During the drive, I also encountered a herd of cows, which is pretty normal for this region. I had to stop for around 15 minutes while the entire herd walked around my car – an exciting event for my dog who’s not used to seeing large animals!

Once you reach the Tony Grove Lake there is a large dirt parking lot where you can leave your car.

It costs $10 to park at the lake which you can pay in cash at the self-paying station by the entrance.

Tony Grove Lake Address: White Pine Creek Trail, Richmond, UT 84333

About Tony Grove Lake

Tony Grove Lake is a popular spot for camping but you can also visit the lake as a day trip.

Tony Grove Lake is especially gorgeous in fall when this entire region is covered in pretty fall colors. I spent a couple of days driving the Logan Canyon route in Utah and this was one of my favorite stops along the way.

There is an easy nature trail that goes around the entire lake with jaw-dropping views all around it. The trail is only 1.2 miles long so it shouldn’t take longer than a couple of hours to complete the entire loop.

Map of Tony Grove Nature Trail:

This is a great family trail perfect for all ages and fitness levels. But do note that some sections are rocky and can be slippery so we recommend wearing sturdy hiking shoes to prevent hurting your ankles on rocks or uneven surfaces.

Pssst! My favorite pair of hiking shoes this season are the Merrell Mix Master 3. They are light and slip-resistant – perfect for quick day hikes!

Tony Grove Lake History

Tony Grove Lake has been an outdoor travel destination for hundreds of years.

Even as early as the 1800’s people were attempting to travel through Logan Canyon in search of outdoors adventures.

Tony Grove Lake earned its name after a family who made an annual camping trip out here in the 1800s. While back then road trips were much more difficult, it didn’t stop people from exploring this scenic region.

Logan Canyon along with Tony Grove Lake was designated as a National Forest in 1902 after it was surveyed for consideration.

Much of it was already in a fragile state after many of its trees were cut down to build nearby cities and farmlands. It took years to reverse the damage but now the land has been restored close to its original state for everyone to enjoy.

During your hike, you can observe grey dolomite rocks that were deposited over 400 million years ago and a variety of local plants. This area was once covered under the Pacific Ocean so you might even find fossil remains embedded in the rocks from ancient ocean species.

Tony Grove Lake is home to many wild animals like moose, deer, porcupine, birds, and chipmunks.

There are information plaques all around the lake highlighting native plants and interesting information about this area.

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What To Expect

Before you set out to visit Tony Grove Lake I recommend marking the lake’s location on your phone’s map.

There is very limited reception along the Logan Canyon Drive.

I marked the location of the lake itself along with the turning point off Highway 89 so I knew when it was coming up.

The drive to Tony Grove Lake was very slow but beautiful, especially in fall. There is one large viewing area a few minutes in where you can safely pull over and enjoy the scenery.

I visited this region in late September and the weather was just perfect.

The days were still warm and sunny yet the trees started changing colors to stunning hues of yellows and oranges.

After reaching Tony Grove Lake I parked my car in a dirt lot next to the trailhead.

The Tony Grove Nature Trail is easy to spot, straight forward, and loops around the lake. You can complete it going either direction – the views are incredible either way.

I started the trail counterclockwise which seemed to be the popular choice for other hikers as well.

The hike is flat with very little elevation gain, perfect for families. It starts through a forest with cute wooden boardwalks but soon after trails next to the lakefront.

On your hike, you’ll find plenty of informative signs around the lake. I took my time learning about this region, the history of Tony Grove Lake, geology, and the local plants. If you’re in a time crunch or you’re here for the exercise, you can skip this information and complete the hike much faster.

Surprisingly, there were very few people visiting Tony Grove Lake in late September. The lake’s location isn’t exactly well marked along Highway 89 so unless you know where the Tony Grove Lake is located, many people probably miss this stop while driving through the canyon.

Once I made it halfway around the lake and far away from other hikers I let my dog off-leash to run around the shore. Unlike other outdoor locations in Utah that are very strict about their lake usage, Tony Grove Lake does allow swimming and dogs.

In the summer, Tony Grove Lake is also very popular for camping. There are 37 campsites near the lake that cost $22 for a single site and $44 for a double site. For more on Tony Grove Lake campground availability and reservations check out the Recreation.gov website here.

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Interested in how I capture amazing photos on my trips? Here is the camera gear that I use to create my photos:

Main camera: Sony a7II Camera With 28-70 mm Standard Lens
Polarizer Filter for the standard lens (helps eliminate reflection and enhance color especially on super bright days): Amazon Basics 55 mm
Wide Lens (great for nature shots): Sony 16-35 mm F4
Polarizer Filter for the wide lens: Amazon Basics 72 mm
Small Tripod (to stabilize photos and eliminate blur): JOBY Gorrilapod
Memory Cards: SanDisk 32 GB
Batteries: Sony Camera Charger Set
Camera Bag: Lowepro weather-resistant bag

sony-alpha-a7-II-camera — **Sony Alpha a7II Mirrorless Camera**

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