Stats, trail tips and important information regarding this trail are located at the bottom of the blog post. Unless explicitly noted, all pictures in this blog are owned by me and should otherwise not be used without expressed written consent.

We’ve been eager to visit the state of Idaho for some time now. We’ve seen pictures and the unspoiled wilderness aspect of it greatly appealed to us. Stanley, close to the Sawtooth Wilderness, was a perfect base camp for doing some amazing hikes, hot springing and viewing some intriguing wildlife.

The Sawtooth Lake hike has been on my bucket list since it was created in 2018-2019. It’s always gratifying to find NEW hikes to add to my list. But hiking some of the “OG” hikes are quite special. I’m been oooing and ahhing them for so long.

We are not morning people necessarily, but a long, beautiful hike will always incentivize us to wake up early. For this hike and based on my research, getting a super early start was not essential given the time of year. Furthermore, there was plenty of morning fog that would have made visibility problematic on the hike. So we hit up Stanley Baking Company for a delicious cinnamon roll and cappuccino, purchased what was likely the last can of bear spray in Stanley and we were off to the hike. We arrived at the Iron Creek Trailhead around 9:46 AM on Labor Day weekend. The parking lot was mostly full but we found a parallel spot near the restroom.

With any trail in the Sawtooth Wilderness, they ask you to register (for free) at the trailhead. There was a guide at the trailhead under a canopy who explained the hike, conditions and fire hazards. The trailhead is super easy to find and pictured below. You can see the registration box to the right of the trail…

The first of the trail has some gradual but manageable elevation changes. Probably within miles 1-2 you really start to see some gorgeous views. The theme of this hike is gorgeous, unspoiled views. If you’ve followed my other blog posts, you’ll find that I’m fascinated with gnarled wood and stumps. This one happened to have an amazing Sawtooth Range view behind it…

The Sawtooth Mountains are prevalent almost throughout the hike. We took a picture early in the hike with the mountains in the background…

Soon enough we get to the first panoramic view of the mountain range and holy crap – it does not disappoint….

And the panoramic photo to match the deeply beautiful panoramic views…

As you can see, part of the view was in the shade but that only accentuates the beauty of the mountain range. Want a full view of this spot? We gotcha. Also, some cute chipmunks are thrown in for good measure… 😎

And here’s a picture of me admiring the Sawtooth Range with a nice backpack sweat mark. 😂 The jury is still out on my Yeti backpack…

We kept walking. Of course, if you’re doing a hike that’s what you tend to do. 🤷 You eventually arrive at your first glimpse of Alpine Lake. This appears to be a good stopping point for people. We spoke to a few hikers hanging out on the rocky overlook before proceeding up a series of switchbacks. Halfway up, the beautiful Alpine Lake came into clearer view…

What a marvelous site – a crystal-clear snow-fed lake; the jagged, juvenile mountain range; the boulder scree and majestic fir trees. Here’s another enveloping view…

We proceeded further up the switchbacks until we arrived at what I now know is Little Sawtooth Lake. This little lake is one of the most striking I have ever seen…

Not far from Little Sawtooth Lake is, as one may suspect, actual Sawtooth Lake. You have to walk through this scree field to get there. The good news is there’s mostly an easy pathway to walk through it, unlike most rock and boulder scree zones…

As soon as you walk beyond the boulder scree, magnificent Sawtooth Lake comes into view…

That’s not a lake, is it? Apparently Sawtooth Lake has a creek with driftwood connected to it. But as you walk closer, you get an actual glimpse…

And Jason took the next picture, accompanied by a striking flower that appears to be fireweed in the foreground…

As we continued down the trail, there’s a popular lookout right by the lake where several people were. We kept walking to the end of the trail…

Rock scree and chipmunks were everywhere and it was so peaceful. We sat down at the rocky perch for awhile and just enjoyed the serenity. I was able to take my hiking hours off and dip my toes in the cold water. It was damned peaceful…

I couldn’t leave without doing a panoramic picture of the entire lake. Here we go…

Magnifico…

As we began walking back, we couldn’t resist taking more pictures of Little Sawtooth Lake…

The creek flowing into the lake offered a perfect photo opportunity. Some wonderful yellow wildflowers to round out the picturesque beauty…

I always like to show you what the less picturesque parts of the trail look like. It’s good to understand the terrain you’ll be hiking through. Here’s an easy footpath heading away from Alpine Lake and back to the trailhead…

Shortly after that, we experienced something I have never experienced on a hike before – hail!!!

Originally from Louisiana and spending several years of my life in Mississippi, I’m very much used to hail (my home received softball-sized hail back in 2011). But on a hike? There’s a first time for everything. Close to the end of the hike, this portly, sociable grouse flew in to say ‘hi’. We learned it’s called a “mountain chicken”…

Mountain Chicken? You’re cool. You’re cool.

With my big hike in the area out of the way, we were able to head over to Limbert’s on Red Fish Lake and watch some University of Texas and LSU football the next day!

Total Distance/Time: 9.8 miles in 5 hr 18 min
Calories Burned: 3,172
Trail Type: out-and-back
Trail Features: alpine lakes, mountain views, wildflowers, boulder scree, switchbacks, grouse
Best Time to Hike: mid-morning
Difficulty Rating: 8/10
Trailhead Coordinates: 44.1986501, -115.0137800
Trail Tips:

• Bear Spray Optional: If you don’t have bear spray, I wouldn’t stress about it. A guide we spoke to said they’ve lived in nearby Stanley for 11 years. They’ve seen three bears, two of which were sick/injured.
• Parking: The parking lot is relatively small, but I would suspect it doesn’t fill up habitually. Still, arriving early will lower the risk of it being full.
• Registration: It may be wise to bring a pen in case it’s needed to complete the trailhead registration.
• Rock Scree: There is some modest rock scree right before you get to Sawtooth Lake. Just like any mountain hike, the right footwear is going to help (shoes with good support).
• Afternoon Rain: We were warned that hiking after 3:00 PM ran the risk of afternoon rain showers. As you can see, we experienced some light rain and hail around 2:00 PM. So I would bring a rain jacket if you plan to hike in the afternoon.