Snowyside Peak via Lake Toxaway and Alice Lake Loop

Sawtooth National Forest, ID Sawtooth Mountains + Central Idaho

Trip stats

Distance
19.8 mi
Net Gain
4,300 ft
Time
10-14 hrs
YDS Rating
Class 3
Route
Loop
Peaks
1

Ratings out of 10

Effort
7.4/10
Personality
7/10
Beauty
9/10
Solitude
5.7/10
What do these mean? →

Peaks on this hike

Summits listed in route order

  1. Snowyside Peak
    10,651′ elevation · 1,546′ prominence

Route map + Trailhead

Trailhead Coordinates

43.984361, -114.871900

The directions link below drops a pin on the trailhead coordinates and lets Google Maps pick the route. If the drive has rough roads or access issues that GPS nav might get wrong, I cover that in my trip report.

Get directions (opens Google Maps in a new tab)

Trip report

Aug 21, 2017 — This is a long loop that tours the Sawtooth Mountains and visits Snowyside Peak. We wanted to be deep in the mountains to enjoy the 2017 solar eclipse from Toxaway Lake. From Pettit Lake, head up and over a ridge and pick up the trail to Toxaway Lake, and then continue to the pass that overlooks Twin Lakes. Head southwest along the ridge and scramble up Class 2 fun stuff until the ridgeline to Snowyside Peak, where Class 3 ensues against a ridiuclously pretty Sawtooth Mountain backdrop. Return to the saddle and continue down toward Alice Lake, passing Twin Lakes, and then back to Pettit Lake.

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Photos

61 photos

  1. Head up an annoying ridge to get from one valley to the other, starting from Pettit Lake heading toward Yellow Belly Lake.
  3. Looking back toward Pettit Lake.
  4. Going down the other side of the ridge.
  5. Heading up the valley that goes west of Yellow Bellow Lake.
  18. Snowyside Peak on the far left.
  20. Toxaway Lake's southwest side, Snowyside Peak far top left.
  21. 2017 eclipse! Not a bad viewing spot.
  23. Looking east over Toxaway Lake.
  24. Continuing along the trail toward Snowyside Peak.
  26. Heading up to the pass.
  29. At the top of the pass, an unofficial trail leads toward Snowyside Peak.
  30. Toxaway Lake was in the valley behind Shawn. The pass is on the far right.
  33. Class 2 scramble that you can make into Class 3 or 4 if you want. Fun stuff.
  34. Gaining the ridge, where there are about 4 mini false summits.
  37. Class 3 section.
  38. Approaching the true summit.
  39. Snowyside Peak summit view looking east. The valley on the left is where we came from, where Toxaway Lake is. The valley on the right is toward Alice Lake, where we are going. Twin Lakes are directly below on the right.
  40. View northwest.
  41. View along the ridgeline, Adina on her way.
  42. Back at the saddle, we continued on the official trail toward Alice Lake.
  47. Lake Alice.
  50. El Capitan behind Alice Lake.
  52. Continuing down the valley.
  60. West end of Pettit Lake.
  61. Pettit Lake on the right.

Photo 1 of 1

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Hire or refer me as a web developer, or send me a few bucks if you find my site useful. I'm not sponsored, so it's funded by yours truly. It also takes a ton of work to edit photos and write these reports. I really appreciate it!

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