Williams Lake Handicapped
- 0.5 mi
- round trip
- 4 ft
- climb
- 5,269 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
- Apr–Jun, Aug–Oct
- best months
Is Williams Lake Handicapped 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.
Williams Lake Handicapped is a short, accessible hike in Idaho's Salmon-Challis National Forest, within the Salmon-Cobalt Ranger District. The trail is about half a mile long, with a total elevation gain of just 4 feet, and it is rated easy. The Forest Service manages the land, and the route is marked as accessible. The trail is an out-and-back, starting and ending at about 5,257 feet, with the high point at 5,269 feet. It is a natural-surface path, and it is not open to bikes or horses. Summer and early fall are the most comfortable times to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station at Salmon-Ksra show July highs around 86°F and September highs around 74°F, with winter highs in the 20s. That station sits roughly 1,300 feet lower than the trail, so temperatures on the hike run cooler. The trail is open from June 15 to November 15. Williams Lake Campground is about 0.4 miles away, and Thunder Mountain Historic, Rattlesnake and Henry Creek are all within about 3 miles.
- Williams Lake CampgroundCamping0.4 mi
- Thunder Mountain HistoricHiking2.1 mi
- RattlesnakeHiking3 mi
- Henry CreekHiking3.1 mi
- Lake MountainHiking5 mi
- North Fork Iron CreekHiking5.5 mi
- Cougar PointMountain biking5.7 mi
- Shoup Bridge CampgroundCamping7.1 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
Lime CreekHiking · ~12 min drivePhoto: waterarchives, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)
Goldbug Hot Springs TrailHiking · ~14 min drivePhoto: Ben B Miller, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)
Interpretive TrailHiking · ~20 min drivePhoto: WaterArchives.org from Sacramento, California, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)- Thunder Mountain HistoricHiking · ~21 min drive
- Thunder Mountain HistoricHiking · ~4 min drive
- Powderhouse Gulch TrailHiking · ~12 min drive
- Nature TrailHiking · ~20 min drivePhoto: WaterArchives.org from Sacramento, California, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
- RattlesnakeHiking · ~5 min drive
- Meadow TrailHiking · ~13 min drive
- Lemhi RIver TrailHiking · ~20 min drivePhoto: WaterArchives.org from Sacramento, California, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
Best time to visit Williams Lake Handicapped
Best months: April–June and August–October. 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° / 11°
6 wet · 4 snow
Feb
36° / 16°
5 wet · 3 snow
Mar
50° / 26°
6 wet · 1 snow
Apr
59° / 32°
7 wet
May
68° / 40°
9 wet
Jun
76° / 46°
9 wet
Jul
86° / 52°
6 wet
Aug
85° / 49°
5 wet
Sep
74° / 41°
5 wet
Oct
58° / 31°
6 wet
Nov
41° / 22°
6 wet · 2 snow
Dec
29° / 13°
7 wet · 4 snow
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Salmon-Ksra, ID, 11.8 mi away at 3,953 ft. The station sits about 1,300 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
