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SAWTOOTH LAKE
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| SAWTOOTH LAKE |
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| POND BELOW SAWTOOTH LAKE |
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| NEAR THE OUTLET TO SAWTOOTH LAKE |
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| SAWTOOTH LAKE |
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| ALPINE LAKE |
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| ALPINE LAKE |
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| PASS SOUTH OF SAWTOOTH LAKE |
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| SOUTH END OF SAWTOOTH LAKE |
Sawtooth Lake is a classic 9-mile round-trip hike to one of the most iconic lakes within the Sawtooth Mountains. This was my very first trip into the Sawtooth Mountains after moving to Boise the previous winter and it definitely inspired me to keep coming back. This is one of the most popular hikes in the Sawtooth, so if you hike it on a Sunday in July like I did, expect to see a lot of other people along the trail. There is a spur trail to Alpine Lake along the way which I regret not taking, so I may have to come back some time.
One thing that stuck out to me was the lack of mosquitos. I didn't see one on my hike. I always avoided hiking the Uinta Mountains in Utah during July due to the amount of mosquitos that are active during that time. But for whatever reason, the Sawtooth Mountains have a lot fewer, making it possible for you to start hiking them as soon as the snow melts.
In October of 2021 I returned to Sawtooth Lake for a two-night backpacking trip. We decided to set up camp at Alpine Lake, as it was less crowded than Sawtooth, and because it only required a four-mile hike and avoided the steepest part of the trail just below Sawtooth Lake. There was only one other group of people at Alpine Lake our first night, and on the second night we had the entire lake to ourselves. However, being October, it got very cold at night. There were a surprising number of day hikers going up and down the trail to Sawtooth Lake, but very few backpackers. On the second day we hiked up to Sawtooth Lake and climbed the ridge to the east to visit the McGown Lakes. This area wasn't the prettiest, as it was still fairly burned out from a forest fire, and the lakes were a bit low with it being October. We then dropped back down to Sawtooth Lake and followed the trail north of Sawtooth for a mile or so to visit the lakes in that area. As with the McGown Lakes, this area would be a prettier earlier in the year when more water is running and the lakes are fuller.
