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Email: fcoise49@hotmail.com
We drove through the Bitterroot Valley on our
way to the Sawtooth Mountains for a few days of hiking and backpacking. It was hard not to
stop in the Bitterroots for at least a quick hike.
Trapper
Peak
The Iron Creek Campground is small and offered a nice refuge away from the madness of
Redfish Lake; crowds, motor boats, jet skis. The trailhead there leads to Sawtooth Lake
and beyond. We warmed up for our backpack trip with a 16 mile hike on July 1.
Sawtooth Lake is a five to 5 and a half mile
hike, with an elevation gain of 1,700 feet. The hike is one of the more scenic I have ever
taken. The trail starts in the forest for the first couple of miles or more, with opening
in the timber for partial views of the peaks. Alpine Lake is the first spectacular view.
The view in the other
direction is remarkable as well.
The real reward came when we first laid eyes
on Sawtooth Lake. The trail is said to be crowded, but we saw few people on the trail or
at the lake.
A trail along the east side of the
lake leads to a small unnamed lake. Wildflowers grow from the rocky slopes. They may not
last long in the summer heat but were looking good when we passed by.
Yellow, Purple, and Red
Wildflowers
An even smaller second lake nestles at the
base of the mountains a little further south.
As we left Sawtooth Lake, I took this photo of a pool hanging on to the final smowmelt of the season.
Email: fcoise49@hotmail.com