Level: moderate
Distance: 12.5 miles out and back
Time: 7:15 hours
Elevation gain: 2,083 feet
You work and you work and it is finally time to take a vacation. Except we are in the middle of a pandemic and you cannot fly to Europe or East Asia for a well deserved vacation. I mean, you could, but it is not recommended. Where would you go if you had a week off? I chose Idaho!
I am spontaneous and adventurous (but really, I just procrastinate). Two days before I started driving, I had to at least plan where I was going to stay. Could I be more spontaneous and wing it when I get there? Yes, I could. Did I want to risk it considering I was going alone and driving from Phoenix, AZ and arriving late at night? Nope. I had an idea of where and what I wanted to visit so I reserved three Airbnb in South Idaho.
I drove 14 hours to Kimberly, ID and stayed there Monday night. Tuesday itinerary consisted of Shoshone Falls, Shoshone Ice Cave, and Crater of the Moon Monument and stayed at Ketchum, ID for the night. While those places were all awesome and maybe I will make a post about them later, but my favorite part of the trip was the hike to Sawtooth Lake on Wednesday.
Wednesday morning I drove a little over an hour to Stanley, ID. Continued on and followed a three mile dirt road to Iron Creek Trailhead. There were maybe three other cars when I arrived, and a convenient vault bathroom. I applied sunscreen, layered up (it was around 30F in the morning and it got to 80 in the afternoon), packed my water, got my backpack with snacks ready, put on my hiking boots and started the hike at 7:30am. One thing to keep in mind is to get a wilderness permit, even for day hiker! Simply fill out the permit and place the top copy into the box, and tie the carbon copy on your pack.
In the beginning, I had mixed feeling about being alone. I read this trail could get very busy and crowded, so I did not bring any protection such as bear spray. I did not encounter a single human soul until I got to Sawtooth Lake and I think she was backpacking out. In the end, I was grateful I was alone in the wilderness for more than three hours because I really enjoyed the solitude. It was peaceful, calming, and the world and all issues were forgotten. I was completely surrounded by nature's beauty.
Technically, when I went it was not Fall yet, but it certainly did not look that way. Fall is my favorite season and the mountains had all the Fall colors. Since I started the hike early, I also witnessed the sun slowly rising up the mountain peaks.
I do not have the best balance so I dislike hikes where I have to cross creeks multiple times. Luckily, I only had to cross the creek once on this hike. So yes, there is a creek so if you wish to backpack or not pack water for your day hike, you could bring a filter and drink water from the creek.
Alpine Lake was only maybe a 0.2 mile detour so of course I had to do go see it. In all honesty, I liked Alpine Lake more than Sawtooth Lake. Alpine was smaller but had more surrounding trees and I liked the closeness. It is hard to explain, almost like how a smaller home is sometimes more cozy than a bigger home. It felt like that. You do not wish to take the detour to see the beautiful lake, you will still be able to see it as you hike up to Sawtooth Lake.
My original plan was to follow AllTrails and hike up to Alpine Peak. However, it is off trail to get to the peak and it is straight up the mountain. I could do it if I took my time hiking up, but I was concerned about hiking down with my poor balance. Instead, I went to the far end of the Sawtooth Lake and hung out there for maybe 30 minutes. I took off my boots and soaked my feet in the cold lake water while I snacked on some trail mix. The water was pretty cold so I do not recommend taking a dip, unless that is your thing. I wanted to take a nap, because I had plenty of time to hike back but I almost got attacked by a chipmunk! The chipmunks there are definitely used to human being around because this one chipmunk was eyeing my trail mix. It came next to my backpack and when I tried to shoo it away, it would run away a couple feet and sat down waiting for my next move. We had a long stare contest and eventually I gave up and left.
The overall hike to Sawtooth Lake was moderate in terms of difficulty level to me. Even though it was 2,000 feet elevation gain, it was gradual so very doable. I do recommend starting the hike early because it got a little warm in the afternoon. Now, I am from Phoenix, AZ so of course nothing beats the summer heat here, but starting early also guarantee a parking spot and quietness. I went on a Wednesday morning so it was not crowded at all and I saw the most people as I was hiking down. I am sure the weekends are packed as it is a popular hike. AllTrails states this trail is only open from June to September probably because of snow. The trail provides a lot of shade, but I still recommend sunscreen and a hat. You really just need a pair of good hiking boots, water, and snacks to replenish your energy. If you have bad knees or ankles, then trekking poles would be useful. I clocked in 12.5 miles in 7:15 hours. Keep in mind I also went to Alpine Lake and far end of the Sawtooth Lake. I stopped a lot to take photos and sat at each lake to enjoy the view.
Speaking of the view, I loved the view and all the photos I took. As I went in September 2020, when the West Coast had many wildfires, the smoke definitely created a haze. I had to drive to Donnelly, ID after the hike and had to wait for a pilot car to lead us through a wildfire. It was quite depressing to see our forests burning up. While some are due natural causes like lightning, some are from human mistakes. Please do your part and put out campfires completely and no more stupid gender reveal parties with fireworks!
If I were to hike this again (which is very likely), then I think I'll try backpacking and staying there overnight. I will be sharing more of my hiking adventures. Some may be ones I had done in the past, but just as exciting and gorgeous.
-Petite Hiker
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