Hiking 70 miles Alone in Idaho
Kraig AdamsJul 17–19, 2020 · Solo
- Days
- 3 days
- Direction
- Loop from Grandjean Trailhead, 5,190 ft
- Cost
- The loop itself costs nothing
- Lodging
- Tent
North America · United States
Sawtooth Wilderness
Sawtooth Wilderness, Idaho
- Distance
- 71.3 mi114.7 km
- Days
- 3 days
- Elevation gain
- 11,345 ft3,458 m
- High point
- 9,495 ft2,894 m
- Season
- I hiked July 17 to 19, 2020, with clear…
- Lodging
- Tent
Hikes / North America / Sawtooth Wilderness
In July 2020 I hiked a 70-mile loop through the Sawtooth Wilderness in Idaho, alone, in three days. I started and finished at the Grandjean Trailhead on the west side of the range, went up Trail Creek to Sawtooth Lake, over to the Baron Lakes, the Cramer Lakes and the Ten Lake Basin, and walked back down the South Fork of the Payette River. I'd never been to Idaho before. I found the loop on AllTrails, and I liked that it was a loop, so I could park my car and come back to it.
Kraig Adams
Effort at this pace: Very hard · about 24 mi (38 km) and 3,782 ft (1,153 m) of climbing a day over 3 days, up to 9,495 ft (2,894 m). Our grade for the days given, worked out from distance, climbing and altitude a day; it isn't the trail's usual difficulty rating (under Basics) and doesn't rate exposure, terrain or weather.
Where these numbers come from
From Kraig Adams's GPS recording and guide.
From Kraig Adams's GPS
The route, day by day
Elevation5,184–9,478 ft71.3 mi
From Kraig Adams's GPS. Terrain: Mapzen Terrain Tiles (USGS 3DEP, SRTM) on AWS · Glaciers, rivers & lakes © OpenStreetMap contributors
Tap a day for his map of it
The film
Watch it first
Hiking 70 miles Alone in Idaho
Before you go
The basics
- Start
- Grandjean Trailhead, 5,190 ft (1,580 m)
- Finish
- Grandjean Trailhead, 5,190 ft (1,580 m)
- Direction
- Loop from Grandjean Trailhead, 5,190 ft (1,580 m)
- Usual difficulty
- It wasn't bad at all. It's a long loop, so you have to be a bit more experienced, but the elevation gains are not that extreme. There's no technical climbing or scrambling at any point. You go over three or four passes (four, by my GPS), and none of it is technical. You don't summit any peaks, though you can if you want.
- Best time
- I hiked July 17 to 19, 2020, with clear skies, amazing wildflowers and a few snow patches near the Cramer Divide, but it was in the high 80s from noon to 5 p.m. and the mosquitoes were the worst part. Snow lingers on the high passes into early summer, and wildfire smoke is possible in late summer.
- Permits
- Free, self-issued at the trailhead
- Getting there
- What I did. I flew into Boise, rented a car at the airport, and drove about two and a half hours into the mountains to the Grandjean Campground. There are a lot of places to get into the Sawtooth Wilderness, but I recommended Grandjean: it's a great little campground, and there's a backpackers' parking lot where you don't have to pay anything to park. I bought my food at Walmart before I drove into the mountains. After the hike I camped for free on public land close to Grandjean.
Nearest airport: Boise (BOI) - Lodging
- Tent
From Kraig Adams's guide
Costs and gear
What Kraig carried
Hyperlite backpack · Nemo tent · a sleeping bag and pad · Brooks Cascadia 13 · a sun hoodie · Jetboil stove · backpacker meals, rice sides, Idaho potatoes, nut butter and granola, MiO · bear spray and 16 more.
From Kraig Adams's guide
Safety
Rescue numbers
- Emergency: 911. By the USGS place records, most of this loop is in Boise County, whose Sheriff's office handles search and rescue there (208-392-4411); Sawtooth Lake and the Stanley-side ways in from Iron Creek and Redfish Lake are in Custer County (Custer County Sheriff, 208-879-2232). Don't count on phone signal: carry a satellite messenger or personal locator beacon.
Phone signal
- My record doesn't say.
- Plan as if there's none, and carry a satellite messenger if you can.
Insurance
- Medical treatment in the US is expensive, so make sure your travel insurance covers local treatment and medical evacuation.
Bail-out points
- Day 1, Grandjean to Baron Lake. Back the way you came, or from Sawtooth Lake north on the Iron Creek-Stanley Lake Trail, about 5 miles to the Iron Creek Trailhead near Stanley (on the other side of the range from a car at Grandjean). From the Baron Creek junction, Baron Creek runs down to Grandjean in about 10 miles (the Forest Service figure; it's inside the 2026 closure).
- Day 2, Baron Lake to the Ten Lake Basin. From the Redfish Lake Creek junction (mile 6.0), the Baron Creek Trail goes down the valley 3.75 miles to the Redfish Lake inlet, where the lodge's boat crosses the lake to Redfish Lake Lodge (in season, at set times). That's the best way out on this day. Once you're over the Cramer Divide, going on is the way out: the South Fork Payette runs all the way down to Grandjean.
- Day 3, Ten Lake Basin to Grandjean. This whole day is the way out. At Spangle Lake the Middle Fork Boise River Trail heads south, away from any car at Grandjean; don't take it by mistake.
From Kraig Adams's guide. For planning, not navigation: check before you go.
Their films and versions
Creators who've done it
1 creator so far: Kraig, 3 days, tent.
Hiking 70 miles Alone in Idaho
Walked Sawtooth Wilderness? Be the first to share your track: log it with your GPX.
Your time
Sign in and log a few hikes to see how long this one would take you.
Typical: 3 days (the hike's facts).
Ask this hike
Planning questions about Sawtooth Wilderness, answered only from this page's facts, the creators' versions and hikers' public tracks, with where each answer comes from. When the data doesn't say, the answer says "not given".
From hikers
Comments
Sign in to comment. Free; your hikes stay private unless you share them.
Answered from the data
Questions people ask
How many days do you need for Sawtooth Wilderness?
I did it in 3 days, 71.3 miles by my GPS, so over 20 miles a day, and I pushed through way faster than I probably should have. I recommend 4 or 5 days.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
How much does Sawtooth Wilderness cost?
Technically this hike didn't cost me anything other than the food I bought before I drove into the mountains. The permit is free and so was the backpacker parking. See what I paid.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
When is the best time to hike Sawtooth Wilderness?
I hiked July 17 to 19, 2020, with clear skies, amazing wildflowers and a few snow patches near the Cramer Divide, but it was in the high 80s from noon to 5 p.m. and the mosquitoes were the worst part. Snow lingers on the high passes into early summer, and wildfire smoke is possible in late summer.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
Do you need a permit for Sawtooth Wilderness?
Only the free wilderness permit, which you fill out yourself at the trailhead and carry with you. In 2026 it's required for every visitor, day or overnight, with no quota and no reservation.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
Can you hike the Sawtooth loop from Grandjean in 2026?
Not while it's closed. Forest Service order 0414-04-165 closes the Grandjean area, its trailheads and the first miles of the trails through December 31, 2026, and the Trail Creek Trail was washed out in July 2026. Until it reopens, you can reach Sawtooth Lake, the Baron Lakes and the Cramer Lakes from the Iron Creek Trailhead or Redfish Lake near Stanley.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
Where do you camp on the Sawtooth loop?
In your tent; there are no huts or designated campgrounds inside the wilderness. Almost every lake had one or a couple of campsites. Camp at least 100 feet from trails, lakes and streams. I slept at Baron Lake and above Ardeth Lake.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.