If you are like most, you are avoiding planes this summer, yet looking for something to captivate and refresh your soul. As captivating as the National Parks can seem, they can be a hassle with both crowds and now the recent safety measures requiring you to line up early.
I propose a national park level wilderness without the crowds, traffic, or entrance fees. Think alpine lake-galore, unadulterated forest, and jaw-dropping white-frosted mountains. A land inhabited with more cows than people. The trails are beckoning, the hot springs are steaming, and the trout are biting.
Where is this fabled wilderness? In Idaho! Sure, the first thing that probably comes to mind are Idaho potatoes, but Idaho actually has the most wilderness of all the lower 48 states. This state is stunningly beautiful and the razorback ridges of the Sawtooth wilderness are no exception.
This is a land that captured Ernest Hemingway– who is buried here. In Hemingway’s words: “You’d have to come from a test tube and think like a machine to not engrave all of this in your head so that you never lose it” (Hemingway: High on the Wild).
Stanley: Gateway to the Sawtooth Wilderness
“Entering Stanley, Idaho, Population 63,” That’s what the sign says as you enter this endearing town of old log cabins and a few saloons. All around is lush green pasture, the meandering Salmon river, and five gloriously towering mountain ranges. You may feel like you are in the Alps, or perhaps a Bob Ross painting. Either way, Congratulations! You have made it to the middle of nowhere – the Sawtooth Valley.
This quaint, historic, and welcoming town doubles as an adventure hub for explorers coming and going into the wilderness. During the summer, the town comes alive with an endless stream of campervans, white-water rafts, and mountain bikes. In the morning people roll in from campsites to line up at the Stanley Baking company; while in the evening they come for Dogtown tacos served out of a trailer and ice cream piled on fresh cones. Thursday-Sunday the Stanley Kasino club lights up for non-stop country music and dancing that spills over into Wall Street.
How to Get There
The closest major airport is in Boise Idaho, from which it is a short 3-hour drive to the Sawtooth mountains. If you don’t want to fly, there are always ways you can break up the drive. We came from Phoenix, which would be a 15-hour drive. We broke it up by spending some time in Utah’s Wasatch mountains en route.
(If driving to Idaho sounds too far, how about Arizona? Here are two recent articles I wrote on Arizona Adventures: Horseshoe Bend: Better From Above or Below? ; Weekend on the Mogollon Rim )
Where to Stay
As you can imagine, with Stanley’s population of only 63, there are not a plethora of places to stay. Camping is the name of the game when in the Sawtooth mountains and there are many campgrounds, as well as endless forest land to pick from.
If you want to boost your stay, feel free to purchase a decked out Revel 4×4 Sprinter camper van–which seems to be the sleeping mode of choice. In one hour of Stanley “people watching”, you are likely to see more decked out Sprinter vans than you have ever seen in your life!
That said, you can find a handful of places to rent VRBO or AirB&B directly in Stanley. Otherwise, the main Lodges would be Mountain Village Resort, Stanley Town Square, and Redfish Lake Lodge. We found a place on AirB&B for the week (when not backpacking), mostly because we were still working and needed the internet. Surprisingly, Stanley has great Internet and blazing fast LTE cellular coverage–something you won’t find in the rest of the wilderness area.
For more options, you could also stay in Sun Valley / Ketchum, but then it will be over an hour’s drive to most of the astounding hikes you will want to do!
Five Recommended Sawtooth Wilderness Hikes
The Sawtooth Wilderness offers more than 700 miles of hiking trails. That is a lot! The trails are in stellar condition and best of all– access, parking, and even permits — are 100% FREE!
Note that the Forest Service requires all visitors to the Sawtooth Wilderness to have a permit–which is way easier than it sounds. Basically, a little way down an easy trail is a little box of carbon copy tag permits. You fill your name and planned date of exit (even if day hike), attach the tag on your pack, and leave the carbon copy in the box. It’s easy and free.
Here are five epic hikes that you definitely should consider! We did these five hikes as day hikes, but many do them as backpacking trips as well, which allows time to soak in all the beauty!
The Classic: Sawtooth Lake
This trail is likely a “must see” for Sawtooth Alpine beauty, but it is also one of the last spots to thaw out. We were there in late June, and it was still pretty snowy and icy.
This is a 10 mile out and back trail, but if you want to make it shorter, you can stop at Alpine Lake which is about 4miles up the trail.
Find out more about Sawtooth Lake Hike on All Trails.
Most Scenic: Goat Lake
Goat Lake has to be the most scenic, and hence my favorite. It is an 8-mile hike round trip, and the last section gets quite steep with a little bit of scrambling.
At this scenic lake we met Ed Cannady, pictured below. Ed has been one of the main ‘evangelists’ of the Idaho Wilderness and was the backcountry manager of the Sawtooth Wilderness area for 30 years. He is now retired, but we found him camping and catching epic photos.
If Ed retired and still can’t get enough of this Wilderness– then you are clearly at the right place!
Find out more about Goat Lake Hike on All Trails
For Fishing: Redfish Lake Trail
While way more “thawed out” than Goat Lake and Sawtooth Lake, it is hard to top the views at Redfish Lake. The water is clear, the forest is thick, and the wildflowers are fully in bloom!
It is a 10-mile easy round trip on a nice path to walk from one end of Redfish lake to the other. However, you can also catch a ferry across the lake instead, so as to catch some of the trails that start there– like the trail to Alpine Lake.
Find out more about Redfish Lake Trail on All Trails
Out to Picnic: Hellroaring Creek to Hellroaring Lake
This is yet another roughly 10 mile trail that passes a creek that starts quiet…and then begins to roar…until you reach the sunlit lake. Perfect for a picnic.
Find out more about Hellroaring Lake Hike on All Trails
Keep it Flat: Stanley Lake to Bridalveil Falls Trail
If you are looking for a hike that doesn’t climb too much then this is a great option for catching waterfall and alpine meadows. It is roughly a 7 mile out and back hike. Note however that there is a stream crossing.
Find out more about Stanley Lake to Bridalveil Falls on All Trails
Backpacking: Pettit and Toxaway Loop
To truly experience the remoteness and solitude that the Sawtooths have to offer, you really should plan at least a one night backpacking trip (if not more!).
One of the most classic loops is called the “Tin Cup Hiker’s Loop” that connects Alice and Toxaway Lakes by crossing over the Snowyside Pass. If you start at Pettit Lake and do the more classic loop it is about twenty miles, which makes it just about right for an overnight at Toxaway lake.
The views on this hike of Alice Lake, Twin Lakes, Toxaway lake, and all the surrounding mountains make it incredibly worthwhile.
If you do nothing else in the Sawtooth Wilderness, backpack this loop!
Find out more about the Pettit and Toxaway Lakes Loop on All Trails
Hot Springs
Idaho is the place to find innumerable natural hotsprings tucked away on mountain paths or literally steaming off the side of the highway. Keep your eyes open!
Boat Box Hot springs is just a five minute drive out of Stanley, right off Highway 75. The pullout can only fit two cars so it could be easy to miss, but just watch for steam rising from the river. This spring actually flows from the other side of the road through a pipe and into an old mining cauldron that can only fit a few people. You can adjust the temperature by adding more spring water, or more cold river water– your choice.
Like most of Idaho wilderness, there is no fee for this hot spring – just first come first serve.
Nearby
If you are looking to tackle more mountains on your road trip, try heading to the backside of the Tetons, rather than Teton National Park proper.
Table Mountain trail from Alta Wyoming gives you all the Views of the Tetons–for FREE, no national park permit required.
Table Mountain Trail is an 11 mile trail with a good 4,000 foot gain, so be prepared for a good climb.
If you continue into Wyoming, there are incredible mountains in the Wind River Range, as well as in the Medicine Bow National Forest.
In the words of Mark Twain:
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.”
So what are you waiting for? Go check out the Sawtooth Wilderness, then come back and tell me your favorite part!
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