What to See in Sawtooth Wilderness - Top Sights and Attractions

Lake in Idaho. Hell Roaring Lake is an alpine lake in Custer County, Idaho, United States, located in the Sawtooth Mountains in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area. The lake is approximately 13.3 miles southwest of Stanley. The lake can be accessed from State Highway 75 in the Sawtooth Valley. There is a trailhead about two miles from the lake on Sawtooth National Forest road 097, which is a high clearance road. There is another trailhead about two miles further downstream along forest road 210 for those who cannot drive road 097 as well as horses.

Hell Roaring Lake is in the Sawtooth Wilderness and wilderness permit can be obtained at trailheads. The lake is surrounded by the Finger of Fate at 9,775 feet (2,979 m) and other peaks. Upstream of Hell Roaring Lake is Imogene Lake, Profile Lake, Mushroom Lake, and Lucille Lake.^[1]

Lake in Idaho. Alpine Lake is an alpine lake in Custer County, Idaho, United States, located high in the Sawtooth Mountains in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area. The lake is approximately 6.3 mi southwest of Stanley. A trail from the Iron Creek trailhead and campground leads approximately 5 miles to Sawtooth Lake. The Iron Creek trailhead can be accessed from State Highway 21 via Sawtooth National Forest road 619. There is another lake with the name Alpine Lake in the central part of the Sawtooth Wilderness.

With a surface elevation of 7,828 feet (2,386 m) above sea level, Alpine Lake can remain frozen into early summer. At the south end of Alpine Lake is Alpine Peak at 9,861 feet (3,006 m) above sea level. Less than a half mile southwest of Alpine Lake is Sawtooth Lake, one of the most popular destinations in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area. Alpine Lake is in the Sawtooth Wilderness and wilderness permit can be obtained at trailheads.^[2]

Lake in Idaho. Alice Lake is an alpine lake in Blaine County, Idaho, United States, located high in the Sawtooth Mountains in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area. The lake is one of the largest in the Sawtooth Wilderness and is most easily accessed via the trailhead at Pettit Lake, accessed from State Highway 75 via Sawtooth National Forest road 208.

The direct route to the lake begins at the trailhead at the end of the Pettit Lake campground. The trail distance is about 5.5 mi (9 km) to the lake and gains about 1,600 feet (490 m) in elevation. The trail requires five stream crossings, only the last of which has a bridge.

With a surface elevation of 8,602 feet (2,622 m) above sea level, Alice Lake can remain frozen into early summer. The lake is framed by the rocky peaks of the Sawtooth Mountains, to the east is El Capitan at 9,901 feet (3,018 m). Alice Lake is within the Sawtooth Wilderness; wilderness permits are obtained at a registration box along the trail at the wilderness boundary, at the upstream end of Pettit Lake.^[4]

Lake in Idaho. Goat Lake is an alpine lake in Custer County, Idaho, United States, located high in the Sawtooth Mountains in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area. The lake is approximately 6 miles southwest of Stanley. The lake is most easily accessed from the Iron Creek trailhead, which can be accessed from State Highway 21 via Sawtooth National Forest road 619.

The route to lake follows a combination of the Iron Creek trail, Alpine Way trail, and an unmaintained hiking trail to Goat Lake. The trail is about 8.5 miles round trip and gains 1615 feet in elevation. Along the hiking trail are Goat Falls, which on are on Goat Creek, which flows into the lake and drains out of it.

With a surface elevation of 8,220 feet (2,510 m) above sea level, Goat Lake often remains frozen into early summer.

Goat Lake is in the Sawtooth Wilderness, and a wilderness permit can be obtained at trailheads. The hike to Goat Lake from the Iron Creek trailhead is a popular hike in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area. This trail gains 1,615 feet (492 m) and offers great views of the Sawtooth Valley. Visitors are permitted to camp anywhere in the National Forest, including around Goat Lake.^[5]

Lake in Idaho. Alpine Lake is an alpine lake in Custer County, Idaho, United States, located high in the Sawtooth Mountains in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area. The lake is approximately 11.4 miles southwest of Stanley.

A trail from the Redfish Lake Creek trailhead and campground at the southwestern end of Redfish Lake lead about 5 miles (8.0 km) along Redfish Creek to an intersection with a trail that leads up to Alpine Lake. The Redfish Lake trailhead can be accessed from State Highway 75 via Sawtooth National Forest road 214. The surface elevation of the lake is 6,513 feet (1,985 m) above sea level. To reach the Redfish Creek trailhead you can either hike around either side of Redfish Lake or take a boat across and save several miles of hiking.

With a surface elevation of 8,337 feet (2,541 m) above sea level, Alpine Lake can remain frozen into early summer. At the southwestern end of the lake is Packrat Peak at 10,240 feet (3,120 m) in elevation.

Alpine Lake is in the Sawtooth Wilderness and wilderness permit can be obtained at trailheads.^[9]

Lake in Idaho. Sawtooth Lake is an alpine lake in Custer County, Idaho, United States, located high in the Sawtooth Mountains in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area. The lake is approximately 6.8 miles southwest of Stanley. A trail from the Iron Creek trailhead and campground leads approximately 5 miles to Sawtooth Lake. The Iron Creek trailhead can be accessed from State Highway 21 via Sawtooth National Forest road 619.

With a surface elevation of 8,435 feet (2,571 m) above sea level, Sawtooth Lake often remains frozen into early summer. At the southern end of the lake is Mount Regan at 10,190 feet (3,110 m) in elevation.

Sawtooth Lake is in the Sawtooth Wilderness and wilderness permit can be obtained at trailheads. The hike to Sawtooth Lake from the Iron Creek trailhead is one of the most popular hikes in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area. This trail gains 1,710 feet (520 m), takes 5 to 6 hours round trip, and offers great views of Alpine Lake, Alpine Peak, and the Sawtooth Valley. Visitors are permitted to camp anywhere in the National Forest, and Sawtooth Lake often serves as a camp for further hikes throughout the northern Sawtooth Wilderness.^[11]

Peak in Idaho. Mount Heyburn, at 10,229 feet is one of the many 10,000-foot peaks in the Sawtooth Range of central Idaho. Mount Heyburn is located in Custer County and within the Sawtooth Wilderness portion of the Sawtooth National Recreation Area. The town of Stanley is located eight miles north-northeast of Mount Heyburn. Grand Mogul, 9,733 ft, and Mount Heyburn are the two signature peaks that frame the southwest end of Redfish Lake; all are in the Salmon River watershed.

Redfish Lake and Little Redfish Lake and the visitor services at these locations are only a few miles north of Mount Heyburn. While there are no trails to the top of Mount Heyburn, there are trails around both sides of Redfish Lake, and a boat service that ferries hikers the five miles (8 km) from Redfish Lake Lodge on the north end of the lake to the south end at regular intervals, for a round trip fee of $19. The drop-off point at the south end is a campground at the base of Mount Heyburn. The best time to climb Mount Heyburn is in the summer (July, August, or September); all routes to up Mount Heyburn are class 5.

Mount Heyburn was named for Weldon Heyburn, a U.S. Senator from Idaho from 1903 until his death in 1912.^[14]

Lake in Idaho. Virginia Lake is an alpine lake in Boise County, Idaho, United States, located high in the Sawtooth Mountains in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area. The lake is approximately 17 miles southwest of Stanley and 14.5 miles southeast of Grandjean. Located in the remote central Sawtooth Wilderness, Edna Lake can be reached by trails from many directions, including the Sawtooth Valley, Grandjean, Redfish Lake, and Atlanta.

Virginia Lake is in a basin with several other lakes, including Vernon Lake and Edna Lake along the spine of the Sawtooths just below the border of Boise, Custer, and Elmore counties.

Virginia Lake is in the Sawtooth Wilderness and wilderness permit can be obtained at trailheads.^[15]

Lake in Idaho. Farley Lake is a small alpine lake in Custer County, Idaho, United States, located high in the Sawtooth Mountains in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area. The lake is approximately 16.5 miles south of Stanley. There are two small islands in Farley Lake, the largest of which is only about 200 feet long. A trail from the Yellow Belly Lake and Pettit Lake trailheads leads towards Edith Lake via Farley Lake. These trailheads can be accessed from State Highway 75 via Sawtooth National Forest road 208.

Farley Lake is in the Sawtooth Wilderness and wilderness permit can be obtained at trailheads. The hike to Farley Lake is along the route to Toxaway Lake as well as Edith Lake, both of which are upstream of Farley Lake.^[17]

Peak in Idaho. Thompson Peak, at 10,751 feet above sea level is the highest peak in the Sawtooth Range of Idaho. The summit of Thompson Peak is located within Custer County, although some of the lower portion of the mountain is in Boise County. Thompson Peak is also located within the Sawtooth Wilderness portion of the Sawtooth National Recreation Area, a unit of Sawtooth National Forest. The town of Stanley, Idaho is about 6 miles northeast of Thompson Peak.

Redfish Lake, Little Redfish Lake, and the visitor services at these locations are only a few miles from Thompson Peak. Directly to the north is neighboring Williams Peak, while Mickey's Spire is 0.24 miles (0.39 km) to the south-southwest.

There are a total of four routes to the top of Thompson Peak: South Couloir - class 3, Southwest Couloir - 5.2, Northeast Face - 5.8, West Crack - 5.2. The easiest way to access Thompson Peak is from the Redfish Lake trailhead and to take the Fishhook Creek Trail to the Alpine Way Trail. From there, follow the Alpine Way Trail to the base of Williams Peak before going off trail up to an unnamed lake to the northeast of Thompson Peak. Then, head up to the saddle between Thompson and Williams Peaks before making the class 3 scramble on the west-southwest side of the peak that begins on the Thompson-Mickey's Spire saddle.^[20]