The people of Idaho know what a gem they have in the Sawtooth Range, but few people elsewhere in the world have a clue it exists. Recently my travels took me to Stanley, Idaho which lays claim to being the gateway to the Sawtooths, and from here it’s an easy drive to numerous trailheads in the Sawtooth Range. I have photographed this mountain range many times around its periphery, but this time I wanted to backpack through the heart of these mountains. With the help of a shuttle, who would shuttle my car while I was backpacking, I could make a linear trip from one end of the Sawtooth Range to the other.

Stanley is a small town, but it does have a grocery store and a shop where gear can be purchased. It also has the Stanley Bakery which serves the best breakfast around for hundreds of miles. With the owner’s recent purchase of the Sawtooth Inn and Restaurant just a few blocks from the bakery, the local dinners are not to be missed either.

The Sawtooth Mountains & Sawtooth Wilderness

This 217,000-acre Wilderness was signed into law and protected by congress in 1972. The land is filled with granite spires (with 50 over 10,000 feet) and over 400 alpine lakes. There are hundreds of miles of trail and more off-trail routes to secluded valleys and isolated lakes. During the month of September the Sawtooths are usually dry, with temperatures in the 70s for highs and 30s for lows. Of course snow can fall at any time in this range, and I’ve been in the foothills of these mountains when the mornings were in the low teens.

It’s pretty easy to get to the high country in the Sawtooths, the town of Stanley already sits at 6,260 feet and so by walking 5 miles from the Iron Creek trailhead you’re already at a high alpine lake. My walk began at Iron Creek – an early evening start that allowed me to reach a classic Sawtooth lake for my first camp. For the majority of my hike the trail I walked for 55 miles would undulate between timberline and alpine with an occasional dip into a deep valley.

After leaving the lake behind, my high valley trail passed numerous tarns, rubble, and a couple small alpine lakes. Walking around the backside of Mount Regan, I soon left the high country and descended into a lowland sage-covered prairie to ford the raging North Fork Baron Creek. In early season this crossing is potentially hazardous, but in late season it’s only a shin-deep wade. A few switchbacks later I’d descend to the lowest point on the hike when I crossed Baron Creek. From here, I began another climb towards a large hanging valley of the Baron Lakes area, which is bordered by the jagged Monte Verita and Warbonnet Peak.

I climbed to 9,160-foot Baron Divide for views of my upcoming travels (in the Sawtooths passes are called divides), and then took a 1,700-foot descent down into the forested Redfish Valley where I began my 2,000-foot ascent to the Cramer Lakes under Sevy Peak and the Arrowhead and 9,480-foot Cramer Divide on the shoulder of the Temple. At the lakes I found a scene artist Albert Bierstadt would have loved, with a picturesque waterfall and a backdrop of serrated peaks. Above the lakes to the divide is a walk though glacial moraine amongst fallen boulders and glaciated stone. All the hiking is under the watchful eye of The Temple, a magnificent spire of a mountain.

Once I topped Cramer Divide, I recognized that the Sawtooth Range abruptly changes from jagged peaks to more rounded mountains. The land looks softer and more approachable. A quick drop to a beautiful lake brought me to meadows filled with huckleberries. I wish I had camped here, since this was the most beautiful lake I had seen on my hike. My route took me to Edna Lake with its views of majestic Glens Peak. After two more climbs and two more 9,000-foot-plus passes, my path descended into the Yosemite-like Toxaway Valley. A walk west brings you to spectacular Toxaway Lake, but east lowers you into a wide, low, forested plain. After a climb over the shoulder of Parks Peak I descended for the last time to the shoreline’s calm waters of Pettit Lake. My shuttle had moved my vehicle during the hike (as planned) and I was pleased to find my automobile right where expected.

Final Thoughts on Hiking the Sawtooths

A walk through the spires of the Sawtooths is strenuous and impressive. In late summer be prepared for all sorts of weather. Even though most months bring ample sunshine, I was pummeled by rain for one night on my route. This land has abundant amounts of wildlife and large mammals abound: sheep, goat, bear, cougar, deer, elk, and even a few moose make their way through this wilderness so keep an eye out for them. Bark beetle and fire has devastated the lower lands, but near timberline the trees look healthy and are devoid of much disease. Outside of Idaho the Sawtooths are a lesser known wilderness area, but the land is enchanting and some of the most beautiful I’ve visited. If you start planning a trip here, I have a few more suggestions for you listed below.

Need to Know

Information

Free permits are available at the trailhead and there’s a lot of information online. Camping is allowed most places within the Sawtooth Mountains.

Best Time to Go

Early summer can have heavy runoff and the stream crossings can be treacherous, and mid-summer can get crowded in the backcountry. I prefer the warm days and cool bug-less nights of early September, but you’ll need to check for possible trail closures due to fire.

Getting There

Stanley, Idaho is the gateway to the Sawtooth Range, and the Iron Creek road to the trailhead is about 3 miles west of Stanley off of highway 21. My end point at Pettit Lake on Pettit Lake Road is about 20 miles south of Stanley.

Maps and Books

I used the Sawtooth & White Cloud Mountains Trail Map. Also available is the National Geographic Trails Illustrated 870 map. In regards to books, Trails of the Sawtooth and White Cloud Mountains by Margaret Fuller, published by Trail Guide Books offers hiking suggestions, maps, and trail descriptions. See the Hiking Idaho Falcon Guide for more hiking ideas in the state.

All images in this article © David M. Cobb Photography.

Editor's Note: This article by contributor David Cobb originally appeared in Issue 11 of TrailGroove Magazine. You can read the original article here for additional photos and content. See more of David’s photography at dmcobbphoto.com.