Sawtooth lake is a large and deep lake (about 3/4 mile long) high in the Sawtooth Mountains. It is usually accessed via a 6 mile walk from the Iron Creek trail head just out side of Stanley. The size of the lake, scenic beauty and easy accessibility make it a popular destination by day hikers and backpackers.

Our approach to Sawtooth lake was from the back side. Jason, John, Rhett and I all met at the Iron Creek camp ground late Friday night. The next morning we all packed in my car, drove over to a trail head on the back side of the Sawtooths at Grand Jean. From Grand Jean our trail headed up the South Fork of the Payette River. We followed it all the way to Baron Creek, which we then headed up the North Fork of Baron Creek to the back side of Sawtooth Lake.

The trail up the North Fork of Baron Creek was awesome. After we gained some altitude and got out of the heat of the river valley we found ourselves in an old burn that is recovering beautifully. The whole valley was lush with plant life, the smells and the fresh water running down Baron Creek made for a great hike. The clear sky, the beautiful valley and being out in the mist of the grand mountains made for a great hike. After a full day of hiking we made it to a small lake just on the back side of Sawtooth Lake.

The last day of our trip we woke up and slowly made our way back down to Iron Creek Trail. We finally got to walk though the high mountain valley containing Sawtooth Lake. It is a beautiful lake and a great hike. We were all thankful we took the back way to get up into the valley as it was peaceful and extremely beautiful. After another weekend in the mountains we made our way back home.