[Hiking Tuque]

My wife and I (and our two dogs) had the opportunity to spend two nights in the Sawtooths. This was my first time actually overnighting up there. I have done some climbing and day hikes in the Sawtooths so was looking forward to exploring a bit more and it did not disappoint. We did a loop from Petit Lake. Day 1 - Hiked to Toxaway lake from the Petit Lake Campground - I think this was about 8 miles. The hike was uneventful (dry forests with not a lot to see) until we hit Bowknot Lake (right before Toxaway). The inlet to Bowknot was pretty neat - it cascaded through a series of little pools (2-10 feet in diameter) which had been carved into polished granite. Toxaway is a gorgeous (and big lake). Unfortunately, I left my rod at home and was regretting it at about 7:30 when the lake started boiling with rising trout. If you had a raft and a fly rod, you'd be a happy fisherman. We camped right by the lake and there was an awesome rock jetty close to our campsite which made for some nice swimming and relaxing. Day 2- We took a day hike to Ardeth lake, passing a few named (Edna) and unnamed lakes on the way. This was about 13 miles roundtrip with two passes each way. Great views and great swimming. Ardeth seems to be the place to camp for doing day hikes into some of the more remote lakes (and one look at the map will tell you that there are plenty), however, it's quite a ways from any trailhead so it would require an early start with a full pack. We we're alone at the lake that night so I skinny dipped for a while - the whole time thinking that somebody is probably watching me and laughing at the fact that I thought I was alone. Well, a few minutes after I'm back at camp, a ranger who had just come down from a trail where she had a clear view of me (the trail that goes to Ardeth) pops through the brush - you can see the interaction on this thread. Day 3 - Hiked over Snowyside Pass to Twin Lakes and then Alice Lakes and then completed the loop by hiking back to Petit. This was roughly 8-10 miles and the most beautiful scenery of the trip. Snowyside pass has some great views. I guess the only negative was the mosquito population at Toxaway - pretty bad. Other than that it was a great trip. Even though it was the 4th of July weekend and Toxaway is one of the more crowded lakes in the Sawtooths, there were only 2 parties camped there and that was only for one night. On the Tuesday after the 4th (Day 2) we only saw two parties - the ranger and then a couple on our day hike. Hope to be back soon! Pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/hikingtuque/

[Chief Paulina]

Thanks for the story. It will go onto my 'to do' list.

[steppinrazor]

I was alittle confused at first, but then realized you were talking about the sawtooths in Idaho! We have Sawtooths in WA to, just west of Lake Chelan. Common problem on this board, not identifying where you were. Just read a message from a guy who was talking about something near "Hidden Lake", with very little detail. There are 10 Hidden Lakes in WA alone! Guess I'm not clairvoyant enough or something.

[ActionBetty]

Nice report...