Idaho · Hiking

Alpine Way Trail

Alpine Way TrailPhoto: Fredlyfish4 at English Wikipedia, Public domain (via Wikimedia Commons)
35.5 mi
round trip
1,745 ft
climb
8,032 ft
high point
Out and back
route
Jun–Aug
best months

Is Alpine Way Trail open right now?

Alert in the area

The Forest Service lists 4 alerts for Sawtooth National Forest.

As of · Source: USFS · Sawtooth National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Alpine Way Trail is a long, hard hike of about 35.5 miles in Idaho's Sawtooth National Recreation Area, part of the Sawtooth National Forest. It's an out-and-back route with a high point of 8,032 feet and a low of about 6,400 feet, making it a significant climb of 1,745 feet one way. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. At Stanley, the nearest town, a nearby weather station records typical July and August highs around 80°F with lows near 40°F and the fewest wet days of the year. That station sits well below the trail, so expect temperatures up high to run cooler. Bikes are not allowed on this route, which is rated hard. The closest neighbors include the Iron Creek-Stanley Lake Trail and Elk Mountain, both about a mile away, along with Stanley Lake Campground at about 1.8 miles. For fishing, the Salmon River is roughly 8 miles off.

Local outfitters

Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.

  • Best time to go · Jun–Aug

    Best time to visit Alpine Way Trail

    Best months: June–August. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.

    1. Jan

      29° / 4°

      12 wet

    2. Feb

      35° / 7°

      12 wet

    3. Mar

      42° / 14°

      14 wet

    4. Apr

      49° / 21°

      12 wet

    5. May

      60° / 30°

      12 wet

    6. Jun

      69° / 35°

      10 wet

    7. Jul

      80° / 39°

      6 wet

    8. Aug

      80° / 37°

      5 wet

    9. Sep

      70° / 31°

      7 wet

    10. Oct

      55° / 24°

      9 wet

    11. Nov

      39° / 14°

      12 wet

    12. Dec

      28° / 6°

      14 wet

    Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Stanley Rs, ID, 9.1 mi away at 6,495 ft. The station sits about 1,500 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Keep exploring — more trails worth the drive

Iron Creek-Stanley Lake TrailPhoto: Fredlyfish4 at English Wikipedia, Public domain (via Wikimedia Commons)

Iron Creek-Stanley Lake Trail

~2 min drive

1.16-mile out-and-back trail with 162 ft gain and loss, reaching 6,593 ft.

ELK MOUNTAINPhoto: Fredlyfish4 at English Wikipedia, Public domain (via Wikimedia Commons)

ELK MOUNTAIN

~2 min drive

7.12-mile out-and-back trail in Idaho with 626 ft gain and 7,120 ft max elevation.

ELK MOUNTAIN CUTOFFPhoto: Argyleist from Sugarhood, Utah, USA, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

ELK MOUNTAIN CUTOFF

~4 min drive

11.14-mile out-and-back trail in Idaho with 1,386 ft elevation gain.

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Trail Creek Trail

~12 min drive

10.68-mile out-and-back trail in Idaho with 2,810 ft gain.

SEGO LOOP SKIPhoto: treegrow, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

SEGO LOOP SKI

~6 min drive

2.92-mile out-and-back ski trail in Idaho with 488 ft elevation gain

ELK MOUNTAIN LOOKOUTPhoto: Stephen Hanafin from Twin Falls, ID, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

ELK MOUNTAIN LOOKOUT

~2 min drive

6.14-mile out-and-back trail to Elk Mountain Lookout in Idaho with 1,923 ft gain

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Bench Creek-Stanley Creek Trail

~4 min drive

7.52-mile out-and-back trail in Idaho with 2,586 ft elevation gain/loss.

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Wapiti Creek Trail

~14 min drive

13.78-mile out-and-back trail in Idaho with 5,489 ft gain/loss.

LUPINE LOOP SKIPhoto: BY-YOUR-⌘ from Spain, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

LUPINE LOOP SKI

~7 min drive

0.51-mile loop in Idaho with 81 ft elevation gain and 82 ft loss.

HIKE

Observation Peak

~8 min drive

2.41-mile out-and-back trail to Observation Peak in Idaho with 1,013 ft gain.

Map and trail data © OpenStreetMap contributors