Idaho · Hiking · Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness

Norton Lake

Norton LakePhoto: Northwest Rafting Company, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)
38.8 mi
round trip
4,685 ft
climb
8,564 ft
high point
Out and back
route

Is Norton Lake open right now?

Alert in the area

The Forest Service lists an alert for Salmon-Challis National Forest.

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

Norton Lake is a hard hike in Idaho's Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness, within the Middle Fork Ranger District of the Salmon-Challis National Forest. The route is an out-and-back of about 38.8 miles, with a total elevation gain of 4,685 feet, taking you from a low point of about 4,400 feet to a high of about 8,560 feet. The State Department of Land manages the land. The trail is natural-surfaced and allows horses, and bikes are not permitted. It is open year-round, so plan for conditions that can change with the season. The Middle Fork Trail starts about 0.4 miles away, and the Middle Fork East and West Fork Thomas Creek Trail are within a mile. For paddling, Little Loon Creek is about 5.7 miles off.

Local outfitters

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