Idaho is such a great state to live in for so many reasons, mostly for the outdoor enthusiast. As a life-long resident of this beautiful state, I am continually humbled by the immeasurable beauty of the landscape. On a recent camping trip I had the opportunity to lead a small group on a couple of very short but beautiful hikes in the Sawtooth Wilderness, which is part of the Sawtooth National Recreation Area in south-central Idaho.
The Sawtooth Mountains (referred to as ‘The Sawtooths’) are a collection of mountains which are home to at least 39 high mountain lakes. The most well known of these are Stanley, Sawtooth and Redfish Lakes.
The 12.5 mile hike began only 8 short miles from our group campsite, at Pettit Lake. At 7000 feet with crystal clear water and stunning views of beautiful McDonald Peak we headed West along Pettit Lake quickly making it to our first of several creek crossings. I found it was much easier (and safer, wearing trail runners) to simply wade across these streams rather than hop on slippery rocks. The trees eventually give way to a dense rock field about 1.7 miles into this hike. Full exposure to the sun and incredible vistas dominated the hike to Alice. The trail conditions were fantastic considering the number of people making this hike even on the day that we visited.
Around the 4 mile mark, we got to a final switchback with a great view of the White Cloud Mountains to the North-East, and proud, El Capitan (9,901 ft) to the South. Once to this point, it was a very short hike to Alice Lake, which sits at approximately 8590 feet above sea level. When we “turned the corner” and got our first glimpse of Alice Lake, I was struck by it’s crystal clear, bluish green color and the majestic backdrop of jagged, glacier carved mountains surrounding the lake.
Alice Lake marked the turn around spot for this moderate day hike. We made our way back along the same path we had taken to Alice, and was a much faster trip due to it’s gentle 9% grade from the 8600 foot high-point. Before escaping to the vehicle for the short drive back to camp, I took time to take in the beauty of Pettit Lake one last time. This hike was just the beginning of several more years journeys back to this beauty of a mountain range.
TJD













