Jake's Gulch
- 5.3 mi
- round trip
- 1,770 ft
- climb
- 8,087 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
- Jun–Aug
- best months
Is Jake's Gulch open right now?
Alert in the area
The Forest Service lists 4 alerts for Sawtooth National Forest.
Paradise Prescribed Burn Restricted Access
Agency alert covering Sawtooth National Forest · USFS · Sawtooth National Forest
Grandjean Area, Road, and Trail Closure
Agency alert covering Sawtooth National Forest · Order 0414-04-165 · USFS · Sawtooth National Forest
Over-Snow Vehicle and Bicycle Prohibitions
Agency alert covering Sawtooth National Forest · Order 0414-00-028 · USFS · Sawtooth National Forest
Occupancy and Use - Food Storage
Agency alert covering Sawtooth National Forest · Order 0414-04-143 · USFS · Sawtooth National Forest
As of · Source: USFS · Sawtooth National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
Jake's Gulch is a hard hike in Idaho's Sawtooth National Recreation Area, part of the Sawtooth National Forest managed by the Forest Service. The route is an out-and-back of about 5.3 miles, with a total elevation gain of 1,770 feet, and it reaches a high point of 8,087 feet. The trail is natural-surfaced and allows bikes. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Stanley show July and August highs around 80°F with lows near 39°F and only five or six wet days a month. That station sits about 1,600 feet lower than the trail's high point, so temperatures on the route run cooler. The hike takes about 2.5 hours. Johnson Creek is about 1.9 miles away, and the North Fork Ross Fork Trail is about 2.3 miles away. Alturas Lake Inlet campground is about 4.3 miles away, and Perkins Lake is about 7.1 miles away.
Local outfitters
- Camp Perkins7 mi away
- The Sawmill Station36 mi away
Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.
- JOHNSON CREEKHiking1.9 mi
- North Fork Ross Fork TrailHiking2.3 mi
- Alturas Lake-MattinglyHiking2.9 mi
Alturas Lake InletCampingPhoto: Recreation.gov (RIDB) / public domain4.3 mi- Alturas Inlet CgCamping4.8 mi
- North Shore CgCamping5.9 mi
- Perkins LakeLake fishing7.1 mi
- Middle Fork Boise RiverCanoeing8.9 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
Alpine Creek TrailHiking · ~8 min drivePhoto: Stupid Dingo, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)
Yellowbelly TrailHiking · ~14 min drivePhoto: Fredlyfish4, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
Pettit Lake CutoffHiking · ~17 min drivePhoto: Eddie Yip, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)- JOHNSON CREEKHiking · ~3 min drive
- Alice Lake - Redfish Lake TrailHiking · ~15 min drivePhoto: Fredlyfish4, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
- Jake's GulchHiking · ~1 min drive
- Vienna Creek TrailHiking · ~5 min drive
- North Fork Ross Fork TrailHiking · ~4 min drive
- Emma Creek TrailHiking · ~13 min drive
- Eureka Gulch TrailHiking · ~6 min drive
Best time to visit Jake's Gulch
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.
Jan
29° / 4°
12 wet
Feb
35° / 7°
12 wet
Mar
42° / 14°
14 wet
Apr
49° / 21°
12 wet
May
60° / 30°
12 wet
Jun
69° / 35°
10 wet
Jul
80° / 39°
6 wet
Aug
80° / 37°
5 wet
Sep
70° / 31°
7 wet
Oct
55° / 24°
9 wet
Nov
39° / 14°
12 wet
Dec
28° / 6°
14 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Stanley Rs, ID, 22.4 mi away at 6,495 ft. The station sits about 1,600 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.
