Sawtooth Wilderness | Blissfulbritt

Riddle me this: can one really go to the Sawtooth Mountains and NOT hike to Sawtooth Lake? It feels somewhat unacceptable, doesn’t it? The final adventure from my latest vacation was a trek to Sawtooth Lake – a 10 mile out and back trail, with the option for a detour to Alpine Lake. This detour only adds another mile or so onto the hike, and is a worthy stop.

As per usual, this hike warranted an early start to beat the heat. Or so we thought. Turned out this day was cooler than our previous outdoor endeavors, and when we arrived at the trail head around 0530 the temperature was still in the 30’s (F). What do you do when it’s a cold start?

You move quicker.

The only problem with moving quicker at the tail end of an active vacation is that it might not actually be possible. I had been either running or hiking every day, and Duncan was having knee pain, making for a slow moving morning. This entire hike ended up being quite challenging despite the fact that it was statistically “easier” than Alice Lake.

This goes to show our bodies sometimes call the shots despite what our minds try to tell us.

Fatigue aside, the trail was beautiful. The scenery along the way was similar to the above photo, but the real beauty started at the junction between Alpine Lake and Sawtooth Lake. I couldn’t pass the opportunity to hike down to Alpine Lake, so we took the detour and enjoyed a snack break as the morning started to heat up.

We made it to Alpine Lake at 0730, sat for a few minutes, and pressed on towards Sawtooth Lake. From this junction the trail started to climb a bit more. The path turned to switchbacks, and as we continued to climb we continued to get a better and better aerial view of Alpine Lake.

I loved seeing Alpine Lake up close and personal, but the real beauty was seeing it from above.

We hit some snow patches as the trail leveled out, but nothing worthy of micro spikes or extra traction. Once we reached the peak of our elevation, we stumbled upon a few camping groups waking up for the day. I daydreamed of waking up with these views, enjoying a steaming hot cup of coffee…

If hiking in the Sawtooth’s did anything for my wanderlusting soul, it made me crave a solid camping trip.

About an hour after we left Alpine Lake we arrived at Sawtooth Lake. This lake is stunning, but the weather was still far too cold to warrant a swim. Instead we quietly savored the views, while making friends with the locals. An adorable and bold little critter would not stop heckling me for some of my snacks.

While having a stare off with my new friend Fred, snow began to crumble off of the peaks in front of us. The echo from within the surrounding mountains was incredible.

I could have sat here all day, but after about two hours we decided to head back. The trek back was arduous, as I was already tired when we started, but the end views were well worth the struggle to the top. This vacation was somewhat of a “learn as we go” type of trip, and while not everything went exactly as planned, I now have all the more reason to return to both Glacier and to the Sawtooth Mountains.

My biggest lesson on this vacation (because I am constantly learning about myself) was how to travel better with people who have different goals and priorities. Overall Duncan and I were on the same page, but there were a few times when we weren’t. The reality is that this is not only normal, but expected in most situations.

Sometimes we need to venture off alone, and sometimes we will want to do things our travel partners don’t want to do. Having a healthy balance and minimal expectations can help make or break a vacation. I tend to have a “I want to see and do all the things” type of personality, so pairing me with someone a bit more “cool and collected” seems to serve me well. That’s not to say I wouldn’t enjoy traveling with a fellow energizer bunny, but this would certainly require planning things out in advance to ensure both of us were happy.

At the end of the day having a healthy amount of compromise, and being willing to do certain things alone are what work best for me while traveling with others.

Thankfully this round I chose someone cool and collected to balance me out. Someone I convinced to wake up at 0300 multiple times to go hiking. Someone who didn’t care when I pulled the car over at 0500 to snap this photo in Stanley on the way to Sawtooth Lake. Can you blame me though? What a sunrise.

Q: How do you ensure traveling with others goes smoothly?

After leaving the humid and mild climate of Montana, driving into the mountains of southern Idaho was like driving through the gates of hell. The heat is so intense it smacks you in the face, but the landscape is stunning. Southern Idaho is unlike any place I’ve been to. The temperature and the air are remnant of Arizona, but the wilderness is similar to the North Cascades.

Driving through these winding mountain roads was something words cannot do justice to. The two lane roads go on for miles, hugging the river – a place of reprieve from the intense heat. The pavement is stained black in areas, suggesting extra wear and tear on slightly melted tires. The skies are clear and the air is sharp with such little moisture I needed extra water just stepping outside.

With all of these desert like features comes a unique beauty I don’t see much in the Pacific Northwest. Even the rest stops had amazing views.

Idaho was never a state high on my list of places to visit until a few years ago. I stumbled onto some photos of the Sawtooth Wilderness, and I immediately knew this was a place I would have to see in my lifetime. When planning a vacation to Glacier, I realized a small detour into Idaho before heading back home would not only be plausible, but also necessary.

Ironically Duncan and I ended up spending more time in Idaho than in Montana, despite the fact that our original goal was solely to travel to Glacier. Idaho turned out to be a gem among gems with its ever-changing landscape, and beautiful alpine lakes. I had one goal while on this vacation – hike as many times as possible.

I managed to officially hike five of these vacation days, and these hikes will forever be etched into my memories.

Just a hop, skip, and a jump away from the brown, dry, and desert like landscape of Idaho is the Sawtooth Wilderness. An equally hot climate, but with green trees and countless lakes. The first of two hikes we did in Idaho was Alice Lake – a 12 mile out and back trail ending at a glass like pocket of water just begging to be swam in by those brave souls who submerge themselves in frigid waters.

Definitely not me though…I couldn’t…

We stayed at a quaint little Airbnb about an hour and 20 minutes from the Sawtooth Mountains, meaning we had to wake up before the birds again to beat the heat. We arrived at the trail head around 0530, and while the temperatures were calm this time of day – the mosquitoes were not.

Pro tip: bring extra bug spray to the Sawtooth Mountains.

The first mile of this hike hugs next to the above lake before officially entering into the wilderness. While I have always been a fan of hiking early, this vacation was the first time I consistently woke up before the sun this many times in a row, and there is something magical about coming to life at the same time as the earth. The sun slowly rises, the shadows slowly fade, and the heat slowly engulfs you reminding you why you chose to start early.

The hike up to Alice Lake was moderate, but not overly difficult. The early start was incredibly helpful, and we took our time to soak in the surrounding views.

We arrived at the lake around 0830, and we passed by a handful of campers waking up. This area is a prime camping location, and the campsites are all spread out nicely so that you are not on top of each other. I will absolutely be coming back here to camp. We chose to hike to Alice Lake and then turn around, but this trail continues on for a 21 mile loop passing two other lakes. I will also be walking the entire loop next time!

When we arrived at the lake we first passed by a small lake that was cute, but was definitely no Alice.

We managed to find a camp spot that was vacant, and our original plan was to sit and savor the view for 30 minutes or so, eat a snack, and head back down before the peak heat of the day. Disclaimer: this is not what happened. We did in fact sit and savor the view, we ate a snack, and we made friends with a local ground squirrel, but we did not leave before peak heat of the day.

We instead found a rock to sprawl our bodies out onto, deciding to stay at the lake for a couple hours before heading back down. Duncan even suggested possibly putting parts of our bodies into the frigid waters, but we didn’t plan to swim.

No way.

What happened next cannot be explained by anything other than pure seduction by Alice. The day slowly turned into late morning, and the temperature slowly started to rise. By 1030, I was up to my knees in the water. The initial shock of the cold water hit like a knife, but after a minute or two my body adjusted and it was no longer frigid. When in Rome you eat pasta, when in Idaho you swim in the lake.

With the flip of a switch I decided I was going in.

What was meant to be a quick dip turned into over 30 minutes of swimming, only exiting the water to shoo off our squirrel friend who had gotten into my food garbage. I eventually got cold enough to get out and lay on the warm rocks, and I officially understand seals on a personal level now. The hike to the lake was fantastic, but the swimming was what really sealed the deal.

This was easily my favorite hike of the entire trip. The entire day was unbeatable.

Without pain we cannot truly feel joy, and the joy I felt from this morning of swimming was followed by pain on the hike back. The heat was so intense I could feel my organs cooking like squash in an oven. The last mile was so stagnant and long I had to switch into autopilot to get back to the car. Just moments from the trail head we were passed by a man running with his dog. What’s with these people running in the peak heat?

The pain was worth the joy, and I would have done this entire day over 10 times. To add more surprise to the Idaho weather, at the tail end of our drive home we were hit with some of the most intense rain and hail I have seen in a very long time. It was moving quickly in the sky, but lingered just long enough to soak me when I had to run into the grocery store. The drowned rat look has a whole new meaning now.

I couldn’t have asked for a better introduction to the Sawtooth Wilderness, this place is a unique beauty that can only truly be experienced in real time. 10/10 would recommend.

I am officially a believer of swimming in alpine lakes after a hot hike, and I hope to find many pristine lakes to wash my hiking filth off in this summer. Any and all recommendations are welcomed, no matter the state, and no matter the country.

Q: Would you swim?