U P Lake
- 8.5 mi
- round trip
- 1,693 ft
- climb
- 8,076 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
- Jun–Sep
- best months
Is U P Lake open right now?
Alert in the area
The Forest Service lists an alert for Salmon-Challis National Forest.
Stoddard Bridge Construction Closure
Agency alert covering Salmon-Challis National Forest · Order 0413-07-17 · USFS · Salmon-Challis National Forest
As of · Source: USFS · Salmon-Challis National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
U P Lake is a hard hike of about 8.5 miles on a natural-surface trail in the Salmon-Cobalt Ranger District of Idaho's Salmon-Challis National Forest. It is managed by the Forest Service and rated a hard climb, with a total elevation gain of about 1,693 feet from the low point at 6,369 feet to the high at 8,076 feet on the out-and-back route. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical averages from the nearby Jackson, MT weather station show July highs around 77°F with lows near 42°F. That station sits about 1,600 feet below the trail's high point, so expect cooler temperatures up top. Bikes and horses are both allowed on the trail. Wallace Lake Campground lies about 3.8 miles away, and Morgan Bar Campground is about 4.9 miles off. Peña Boulder, a climbing area, is about 1.9 miles from the trail, and Chipps Creek is a hike about 2.7 miles away.
Best time to go · Jun–Sep
Best time to visit U P Lake
Best months: June–September. 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
28° / 8°
6 wet
Feb
31° / 8°
6 wet
Mar
39° / 16°
8 wet
Apr
46° / 23°
9 wet
May
57° / 31°
10 wet
Jun
66° / 37°
9 wet
Jul
77° / 42°
6 wet
Aug
76° / 39°
5 wet
Sep
66° / 32°
4 wet
Oct
51° / 25°
5 wet
Nov
36° / 14°
7 wet
Dec
27° / 7°
7 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Jackson, MT, 29.8 mi away at 6,480 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.
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