Backpack Trail Guide

Trails / Idaho / Sawtooth Mountains

Redfish Lake to Alpine and Baron Lakes

Sawtooth Wilderness, Sawtooth National Recreation Area (Redfish Lake, south of Stanley)

Baron Lakes from Baron Pass
“Baron Lakes from Baron Pass” by Seek writ awe there , CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source · Resized for the web

Outdoor Project calls Alpine Lake an extremely popular destination for both day hikers and backpackers, and the Baron Lakes lie just over the divide beyond it. The trip starts with a boat ride across Redfish Lake, follows Redfish Lake Creek up a glacier-carved canyon, and then climbs a long series of switchbacks to Alpine Lake. Beyond that, the trail tops out at Baron Divide, with a view down to the Baron Lakes below Monte Verita Ridge.

Alpine Lake is the closer goal, at about 5.5 miles. The Baron Lakes, over the divide, make a longer trip of about 16.6 miles round trip.

The hike

Most people start with the hiker boat shuttle across Redfish Lake to the Inlet trailhead. Outbound says the lake is 4.5 miles long. Without the boat, Discover Sawtooth says it’s an extra 5 miles and 1,000 feet of gain from the Redfish trailhead. One guide says the shuttle doesn’t need a reservation as long as two or more people are going, and that return pickups run at set times from Memorial Day weekend to mid-October. Once across, Outbound says, you pass through the Inlet campground and fill out a free wilderness permit.

Bearfoot Theory puts the Inlet trailhead around 6,600 feet and describes a gradual climb up Redfish Canyon to Flatrock Junction. Outbound describes the first three miles as passing meadows and rock gardens alongside Redfish Lake Creek, with short paths down to the water and small, clear waterfalls. Bearfoot Theory notes that the trail only reaches the creek a couple of times, so fill your bottles before you leave. Outdoor Project says there are several campsites near a natural waterslide just upstream of Flatrock Junction.

At Flatrock Junction, the Alpine Lake trail turns right and starts to climb. Outdoor Project calls it an impressive feat of switchback engineering, with a few sections that could make people uneasy about heights, and outstanding views of the U-shaped canyon below. Visit Idaho calls it moderate to strenuous. Outdoor Project puts Alpine Lake at 5.4 miles and 1,902 feet of gain from the Inlet trailhead.

Outdoor Project says the campsites at Alpine Lake are heavily impacted, a fire ban is in place, and the Forest Service is researching how to rehabilitate some of the worst sites. It asks visitors to do their best to limit their impact.

The trail continues past Alpine Lake and some smaller lakes above it, then climbs to Baron Divide. Outdoor Project puts the divide at 7 miles and 2,689 feet from the Inlet trailhead. Visit Idaho’s writer describes the divide as the high point of the trip, with the first views of Monte Verita Ridge and the Baron Lakes below. Outdoor Project says the lakes are reached by descending many switchbacks on the west side of the pass. Discover Sawtooth gives the full round trip to Baron Lakes as 16.6 miles with about 2,700 feet of gain.

Outdoor Project suggests other options from the same canyon. Backpackers basing at Alpine Lake can make an easy day hike over the divide to Baron Lakes, and Cramer Lakes are an excellent destination for those who want to stay in the Redfish drainage. The trail beyond Baron Lakes continues to Grandjean, but the Forest Service closed the Grandjean Campground and Trailhead on July 23, 2026, after debris flows, so a through-hike ending there isn’t currently possible.

For more Sawtooth trips on this site, see Sawtooth Lake via Iron Creek and the Alice–Toxaway Loop.

Tips

Camping

Camping is dispersed in the Sawtooth Wilderness, and your self-issued permit covers it. Discover Sawtooth says to camp at least 100 feet from water and trails, use existing impacted sites at busy lakes, and avoid meadows. The Forest Service order limits groups to 12 people from May 1 through Nov. 30 and requires dogs on trails to be on a leash of 15 feet or less from July 1 through Labor Day. Discover Sawtooth says to store food in a bear hang or bear-proof container; the Sawtooth National Recreation Area’s food storage order does not apply inside the wilderness.

Outside the wilderness, a Forest Service order in effect since June 19, 2026 (0414-04-162) prohibits camping anywhere other than a developed campground in the Redfish Lake Complex (the area is shown on the order’s map). If you want to camp near the lake before or after the trip, use a developed campground.

Inside Intel: At Alpine Lake, the east shore gets the most use. Backpacker suggests looping around the south shore to more remote campsites if the east side is full. It points out a campsite on a narrow peninsula and a solitary site on a smooth granite slab about a hundred feet above the lake. At Baron Lakes, Visit Idaho’s writer found a beautiful camp spot on the lakeshore and spent the afternoon swimming.

Trail facts

The Lowdown

Fire-free at Alpine Lake:

Campfires are banned at Alpine Lake, so dinner depends on your stove. See which stoves testers recommend.

Read the full guide →

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.