Fall Creek to Moose Lake

Salmon-Challis National Forest, Lost River Ranger District (Pioneer Mountains, Wildhorse Creek area)

Moose Lake sits in a granite cirque on the north side of Idaho’s Pioneer Mountains, a high, craggy range east of Sun Valley. The trail starts easy along Fall Creek through sagebrush and aspen, then switchbacks steeply up a side canyon into a basin ringed by peaks. Outdoor Project says the upper Fall Creek drainage, reachable only by trail, feels much more remote than neighboring Wildhorse Canyon.

A 2012 newspaper article described most of the hikers and horse riders in Fall Creek as heading for Moose Lake.

The hike

The Fall Creek Trailhead sits at the end of a short road off Wildhorse Creek Road. The Forest Service says the trailhead serves three trails: an accessible waterfall trail, the Fall Creek Trail (#4045), and the Moose Lake Trail (#4068). One guide says the road is passable to passenger cars and describes a short, wheelchair-accessible waterfall trail at the trailhead. Another writer puts that waterfall walk at 0.7 miles one way.

The Fall Creek Trail follows the creek up a wide valley. A 2012 Magic Valley article calls the first three miles moderately easy and describes golden aspens, high granite peaks, hanging valleys, and numerous waterfalls. Visit Idaho’s writer describes the path to Moose Lake starting along Fall Creek and crossing a wide valley filled with sagebrush before cutting steeply up into an alpine basin.

The key moment is the crossing of Fall Creek at the Moose Lake junction. The Forest Service says there’s no bridge, only occasional fallen logs, and that the creek can be quite deep and rushing in spring. onX warns that high water in spring and early summer can make this crossing quite dangerous. Sources disagree on where the junction is. The Forest Service says about a mile up the Fall Creek Trail, and Outdoor Project puts it at 2.8 miles.

From the crossing, the trail climbs up the Right Fork of Fall Creek. onX describes several steep switchbacks, an avalanche path and springs, and a zone of granite boulders. The trail crosses the creek around 8,800 feet and passes the outlet of Lake 8,980 before a final climb on granite slabs to a flat, green meadow just below the lake. onX says the trail crosses the Wildhorse Detachment Fault, leaving dark shale slopes behind for a cirque of vertical granite walls. The Forest Service describes the lake as surrounded by scattered lodgepole, spruce-fir, aspen, and limber pine, and says quiet visitors may spot mountain goats, deer, and marten. One trip report says the final two miles to the lake felt steep with full packs.

Once there, Visit Idaho’s writer describes a formidable sawtooth ridge rising from the lake’s eastern shore. onX says the meadows above the lake host mid-summer wildflowers. Experienced off-trail hikers can loop past Lake 8,980 on a steep talus descent, or scramble toward Angel Lake, which Outdoor Project calls an enticing punchbowl suspended in a tiny basin.

The Fall Creek drainage holds other trips too. Outdoor Project describes the Left Fork of Fall Creek and Surprise Valley, a steep side canyon that connects over a divide to Betty Lake and Broad Canyon. One site counts ten lakes in the hanging valleys around Fall Creek. It says there are good trails to Moose Lake and lower Surprise Valley Lake, but beyond that you’re on your own.

Tips

Time the creek crossing. The crossing of Fall Creek has no bridge. The Forest Service says it can be deep and rushing in spring, and onX calls it potentially dangerous in early summer.
Expect sudden weather. One party was chased out of the Moose Lake basin by a wild thunderstorm in September and woke to snow.
Carry water from the trailhead. The Forest Service says there’s no potable water at the Fall Creek Trailhead, which does have a toilet.
Plan the drive. From Sun Valley, the Forest Service route follows Trail Creek Road over the summit (closed in winter) to the Copper Basin and Wildhorse Creek roads.
Season. The Forest Service lists early July as the start of the season for the Moose Lake Trail.

Camping

Camping is dispersed around the lake. We found no Forest Service information on permits, campfire rules, or food storage for Moose Lake. Camp away from the water and store food securely, and confirm current rules and fire restrictions with the Lost River Ranger District in Mackay. At the trailhead, the Forest Service lists one accessible campsite with an accessible toilet, in open sagebrush.

Inside Intel: The south side of the lake is where one backpacker found a great campsite, complete with an excellent lounging rock. An AllTrails reviewer suggests making the short climb to the small lake above Moose Lake, about 0.2 miles, and calls it worth the effort. If Moose Lake is busy or the weather turns, one party camped lower down along Fall Creek instead.

Trail facts

Distance: About 9.5 to 10 miles round trip (sources conflict; see note)
Route type: Out and back
Difficulty: Moderate to strenuous. Easy first miles, then steep switchbacks.
Elevation: About 2,400 to 2,550 feet of gain. High point about 9,367 feet (onX).
Campsites: Dispersed around Moose Lake
Water: Fall Creek, the Right Fork, and the lake. Treat all water. No potable water at the trailhead.
Permits: None found. Confirm with the Lost River Ranger District.
Bear and food storage: No specific rule found. Store food securely.
Trail use: One source says foot and horse travel only.
Trailhead: Fall Creek Trailhead, off Wildhorse Creek Road (#136) via the Copper Basin Road. No fee (Forest Service).
Season: Early July onward
Last verified: September 28, 2026

The Lowdown

Switchbacks up the Right Fork to Moose Lake:

Past an unbridged crossing of Fall Creek that can run deep in spring, the trail climbs steep switchbacks up the Right Fork, and one party found the last two miles steep with full packs. Poles help on both.

Read the pole tips →

Where this comes from

This page draws on the sources below, along with other guides and trip reports. Links go to the original pages.

Before you go: This page is based on published trail guides, trip reports, and reviews, along with official park and agency information where we could find it. It’s meant to help backpackers discover new trails, not to replace current, official information. Conditions, closures, permits, campsites, and water sources change, and some details here may be out of date or wrong. Confirm everything with the managing agency and check current conditions before you head out, and don’t rely on this page alone for safety or navigation. Backcountry travel involves risk.