By Mariah Cannon

If you haven’t been to Idaho, or have a list of places you’d like to visit – There’s a really good chance The Sawtooths or Stanley, ID is on your list. And with good reason! This area is absolutely stunning and very popular.

Today we’re talking about this incredible hike that you can do in a day or pack your gear and hang out over night!

Getting to Hell Roaring Lake

From Boise, it’s about three and a half hours away. Head to ID-55 for about 30 miles passing Horseshoe Bend, then turn onto County Highway 17/Banks Lowman Rd and follow it for 33 miles before turning onto ID-21 N. You’ll stay on ID-21 for 58 miles until you get to the little town of Stanley and then you’ll turn right onto ID-75 S for 15 miles and then you’ll take another right onto 4th of July Creek Rd and after you cross over the creek, you turn left onto forest rd 315 and follow that up for about 4 miles. Plan for about an hour to drive up that road if you’re planning to go all the way up. Several people use pullouts on the side throughout the drive if they can’t make it all the way up.

Luckily there are a couple of different entrances into the lake. We’ll be talking mainly about the upper and a little about the lower trailhead. Let me tell you about the differences and let you pick your battles from there…

Hell Roaring Lake via Upper Hell Roaring Trail is the one we’ll be talking about today. The road up to the upper trailhead parking lot is rough. It’s about a 4 mile stretch of non paved road from the highway. I highly recommend a high clearance 4×4 vehicle. The road has large rocks and ruts and will take a good amount of time to get through. There was a Prius that made it about a 1/4 of the way up and that alone was impressive, as the road is terrible.

Hell Roaring Lake Via Hell Roaring Creek Trail is another option and is a longer trail and you don’t have to deal with the incredibly rough road. It’s 11 miles with only 780 feet of gain, so elevation wise – it’s on the easier scale, but 11 miles can feel like you’re hiking forever!

Hiking to Hell Roaring Lake

Distance: 5.6 miles round-trip

Elevation: 328 feet of elevation gain

Hike Type: Out & Back

Difficulty: Easy

Permit: Yes, free self issued permits are required and provided at the trailhead.

The trail only has one slight intersection at about 1.5 miles in and you’ll want to continue to the left to get to Hell Roaring Lake.

This is a great hike for families, younger kids, first time backpackers, anyone really. The trail goes through mainly forested areas and follow the creek through up to the lake. The trail is super well maintained and pretty wide throughout with tree roots and some rocks to step over. This is Bear Country, so follow all leave no trace principles and be bear aware!

The lake is beautiful, surrounded by the jagged Sawtooth mountains peering over the lake. In the Spring and Summer, flowers line the trail and tadpoles and lake trout fill the water. When you arrive at the lake, there is a trail that goes most the way around each side, but does not actually connect. Along it, you’ll find many places to set up camp or chill and grab a snack for a while. I recommend going early in the morning or for sunset during a weekday to avoid larger crowds.

Other Things to Explore Nearby

1. Grab a bite to eat at Mountain Village Resort Restaurant. This place is so cozy and the chips and queso is so good.
2. Soak in a hot springs! The Valley Creek Hot Springs is right outside of Stanley and is by reservation only, but it is such a nice and relaxing soak! Cost is $50 for 2 people and additional guests are $5.
3. If you’re looking for a free hot springs, check out Cove Creek Hot Springs or Sunbeam Hot Springs (this one has metal tubs and is super fun).
4. Depending on the time of year you visit, make sure to stop at Redfish Lake. I’ve been in both the Summer and Winter and it is amazing any season. In the Winter, you do have to snowshoe or ski in from the road, which is about 2 miles each way, to a fully frozen over Redfish Lake.
5. Take a walk and take in the mountain sights at the Sawtooth Valley Pioneer Park – this is such a fun area for tourists and locals alike. You can walk, run, or bike the trails around and take in the Sawtooths. There’s even a swing, picnic tables, and even an ice skating rink in the Winter.

Enjoy this guide to Hell Roaring Lake? Be sure to save it for future adventures!

Let’s Get Adventuring!

Mariah 🙂