We’re exploring Idaho this week! We started in Boise and made it to Stanley yesterday. Our first hike in Idaho’s Sawtooth Range mountains was the Bench Lakes trail (which we would highly recommend). It’s a set of 5 progressive lakes you can hike to, 3 of which utilize unofficial paths to get there.
We had read about being able to hike to the first two lakes easily, with additional bushwhacking and unmarked trails to get to the 3rd, 4th, and 5th lakes. We found this trail via AllTrails, but someone we met in Boise also highly recommended we try this trail. Due to the snowy conditions, we did not make it past the 2nd lake unfortunately.
The Sawtooth Mountains are a breathtaking mountain range nestled in the heart of Idaho. Rugged peaks stretch into the sky where their jagged edges resemble the teeth of a saw, hence the name. You can also find a number of alpine lakes and hiking trails, while still remaining relatively uncrowded compared to many other hiking destinations in the US.
Fueling up for breakfast at Stanley Baking Company & Cafe
We started our day at Stanley Baking Company & Cafe. This breakfast spot was highly recommended by our Airbnb host, the person we met in Boise, as well as by articles on things to do in Stanley. You order at the counter, find a seat, and the staff will deliver the food to you. We arrived around 8:30 am on a Thursday and most of the tables were full, but there was no line when we ordered. We are still not quite in peak season yet since it’s still chilly here, but I have read that it gets BUSY and there is always a line.
What I loved about this menu is they offer lighter, more refreshing fare in addition to heavier fare like biscuits and gravy, french toast, breakfast burritos, etc., including vegan and vegetarian options. I opted for the “We Got the Beet” which is a homemade patty made of organic beets, turnips, carrots, zucchini, sweet potato, rice, and toasted hazelnuts, served over arugula, with a poached egg (tofu is also an option), avocado, and almond cream, and a side of sourdough toast. They have half and full portions, and the half portion was perfect. It was refreshing enough where I was ready to take on a long hike.
Mr. Nacho ordered”Jack’s Badge”, which is the choice of two sourdough or oatmeal pancakes, two eggs any style, and a choice of meat. The sourdough pancakes were BOMB. The person we met in Boise highly recommended the sourdough pancakes, and they did not disappoint. I definitely stole a few bites.
I would love to come back here again to try their other dishes, as well as their pastries which are supposed to also be incredible.
Getting to the Bench Lakes Trail
There are two ways to get onto the Bench Lake Trail. You can park at the Redfish Trailhead (close to Redfish Lodge and Redfish Lake) and hike 3-4 miles to get to the trail (which would be an out and back trail), or you can take the hikers shuttle from Redfish Lodge Marina to cross Redfish Lake.
We opted to do the hikers shuttle one way and hike the way back to the trailhead and Redfish Lodge parking. The shuttle shaved off a bit of time and hiking to get to the Bench Lakes. We also wanted to see what this hikers shuttle was like!
We parked at the Redfish Lodge and walked out onto the dock without reservations. Someone met us there to take our payment for the shuttle (cash or credit cards accepted). While they do have scheduled departure times (e.g., 9am, 12pm, 3pm, etc.), they will depart as soon as 4 people are ready to go. And if for some reason it has been 20 minutes and there are not 4 people, they will still take you across.
If you want to take the shuttle back, it will cost a little extra but they will ask what time you wish to be picked up and just make sure you are there for the pickup time. Check out the Redfish Lodge Marina website for more details on pick-up times and pricing.
Making our way to the Bench Lakes
I would highly recommend getting AllTrails+ and downloading an offline map of this trail. There were a few times we were unsure of where to go. We would have figured it out, but definitely saved us time to see where we were headed in the right direction or not. This also will help you find your way back in case you get lost – you can retrace your steps.
Once we got off the boat, we meandered a bit around different paths but the right way would have been to head up straight and we’d see a large sign and trail map/notices pointing in the direction of Bench Lakes.
Around this area there is also an informational sign and instructions for filling out a self-issued hiking permit (no cost to do this). We filled it out because our plan was to hike past the second Bench Lake and it would be a safety precaution in case anything were to happen to us. Self-issued hiking permits are typically used to track hikers and visitors in protected or sensitive natural areas, and can help authorities respond more effectively in case of an emergency or if we got lost. It was simple enough asking for your name, the date, where you start and where you plan to exit from.
From there, it was a gradual incline with pretty views up to the First Bench Lake. The Second Bench Lake was not far after that (maybe 5 minutes or so). There was still a decent amount of snow up high by these lakes.
The views were beautiful. The Bench Lakes were pristine and clear, surrounded by trees, with the peaks of the Sawtooth mountain range in the distance.
We didn’t make it beyond the second Bench Lake
We were so bummed to not have made it beyond the second Bench Lake. We were ready to bushwhack and follow the dotted lines shown on the All Trails map. We knew we could also follow and find previous hiker paths up to the 3rd, 4th, and 5th lakes.
Unfortunately, given that there was still a ton of snow up on the mountain, we were sinking feet deep into snow as we continued along the paths of the second Bench Lake. Even hiker footprints seemed to disappear 20-30 feet from where we were. It was not going to be easy to maneuver mounds of snow in addition to fighting our way through downed trees and brush to make it to the next lakes – not to mention our hiking shoes would fill with snow. We decided to turn around and leave this for if there is another time we end up coming back to hike this trail.
Despite not making it past the 2nd lake, we had a good hike with beautiful, sunny, cool weather, and an uncrowded trail. We ran into 3 or 4 other couples the way there and back. We hiked around 7.9 miles (from the Hiker shuttle dropoff, back to the Redfish trailhead and then to our car parked at the Redfish Lodge). It took us just under 4 hours (of hiking time only – not including breaks). For the best chances of being able to hike lakes 3-5, I’m guessing the snow will melt by late June. This is also when the most crowds will be around.
Other notes
- Lodging: We stayed in an Airbnb in Stanley which overlooks the Salmon river and has a slight view of the Sawtooth mountains. There are not a lot of Airbnbs in this area, so other lodging that we have seen is the Redfish Lake Lodge (lots to do on Redfish Lake!) and the Sawtooth Hotel. Stanley is a good jumping off point to explore the Sawtooth Mountains because it’s close to so many hiking trails
- Bugs: bugs in late May / early June – I expect they would get bad as the weather warms up. It’s still quite chilly here
- Sun protection: Wear a hat and sunscreen! Especially on your neck. The trail is exposed a lot of the way. Bring lots of water as well
- Dinner: For dinner after our hike we ate at the Sawtooth Hotel, which we would also definitely recommend. Dinner opens at 5
- Restaurant hours: Check restaurant hours of operation as many close for the winter season, are open only on certain days, or only at certain hours
- Groceries: Groceries are much more expensive in Stanley since inventory has to travel far and there is just one grocery store in the town. Best bet is to purchase groceries in Boise and take them with you if you can
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