We sat on a picnic rock at the trailhead along the Mirror Lake Highway. School teacher daughter Meghan looked up at the clouds filling the sky and commented, “Cumulonimbus.” Well, you know what that means! It was a storybook June afternoon for a hike in the Uintas. The sun danced in and o ut of a broken sky filled with towering white clouds and a few ominous black ones, all set against a backdrop of brilliant royal blue. There is no more perfect hike to introduce guests to the magic of the Uintas than Ruth Lake. Along the 1.6-mile round trip, you’ll walk through a pine forest, cross rushing creeks, climb up stepping-stone rocks, and stroll lazily through more varieties of wildflowers than you can count. Wandering through the first section of the trail, we were in awe of the forest’s majesty. But we also felt a sense of mystery as we walked past massive Engelmann spruce and lodgepole pine lying on the forest floor. On one still-standing spruce, rows of holes told the story of Mother Nature at work, as woodpeckers stripped away bark and dug into the wood in search of the beetles killing the tree. While the tree itself had died, the life around it was flourishing. Shelves of mushrooms sprouted from the fallen trunk while beetles, ants, and countless unseen organisms quietly went about their work. What had once towered over the forest was slowly returning to the earth, becoming food for wildflowers, nourishment for young seedlings, and rich soil for the next generation of trees. Soon, the forest thinned and the trail wound its way up a stairway of rocks, crossing a flat sandstone slab laid as a bridge over a rushing stream. We were guided along our single-track trail by brilliant yellow avalanche lilies, often called glacier lilies, their six petals forming a delicate star as they reached toward the sky. Walking out of the forest and onto a rocky plateau, the sun pierced through the clouds. All the while, a gentle wave of graupel, tiny white pellets of ice, littered the trail and splashed onto the glassy water of a nearby pond. Our eyes danced from one point of interest to another. Light reflected magically off the upper reaches of the Lofty Peak ridgeline, shining a spotlight on the wildflowers at our feet. Canadian anemone flashed brilliant white around bright yellow centers. Nearby, Howell’s marsh marigolds painted the meadow with splashes of gold, while delicate field pennycress resembled hand-crafted lace scattered across the landscape. In a tiny bay on the windward end of Ruth Lake, old trunks of lodgepole pine floated like a bridge across the water as sunshine broke out over the Uintas. In the heavens above, the ominous clouds had passed on as we began our journey back to the car. As we turned to the east, our stage show changed dramatically. The cumulonimbus performance shifted to the rocky ridgeline of Hayden Peak. We stopped beside a small pond where the clouds, trees and mountains reflected perfectly in the still water, creating a mirror image so vivid it was hard to tell where the landscape ended and the sky began. A year ago in mid-June, ice covered the lakes while snow blanketed the forest. But springtime came to the Uintas early this year, affording us to show our daughter the wonder of our mountains and the show Mother Nature puts on for us. A year ago in mid-June, ice still covered the lakes while snow blanketed much of the forest. This year, spring arrived early, allowing us to share one of our favorite places with our daughter. As we walked back down the trail, it felt as though Mother Nature had staged a private performance just for us — a little sunshine, a little graupel, wildflowers at our feet, reflections in still water, and a forest constantly renewing itself.  It was a reminder that the Uintas don’t simply offer scenery. They put on a show. DETAILS Ruth Lake truly is one of the best introductory trails in the Uintas. Located at mile marker 35 on the Mirror Lake Highway, just over a one-hour drive from Park City. From the trailhead to Ruth Lake and back is 1.6 miles with less than 200 feet of total vertical gain. Add a bit more distance if you walk around the lake. There are restrooms at the trailhead. Other Attractions A must stop on any drive up the Mirror Lake Highway is Provo Falls. Other “around the lake” hikes that are easily accessible include Teapot Lake and Butterfly Lake, where we watched a bald eagle fishing. On the way home, The Notch is a great stop for dinner. The post Sunday Drive: A stage show from Mother Nature at Ruth Lake appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less