Sawtooth National Forest, Idaho

The Sawtooth National Forest is Located in Stanley, Idaho, and is just under 3 hours from Boise. I visited with a friend for a camping/hiking trip and I was very happily surprised with Idaho. It was not somewhere that was on my list of places to go, but I would happily go back after this trip.

Went in mid-late August which ended up being perfect for some cool mornings with it still warming up significantly during the days. On the days we were not camping we stayed at the Mountain Village Resort in Stanley. They have dog friendly rooms for an extra $30 per pet per night. And if you are a guest you can book time to spend in their hot springs for free ($25/ per person if you are not staying at the resort). The water was about 100 degrees and was great for soaking our sore muscles after some long days of hiking.

The town of Stanley was very small but had everything you needed! Right across the street from the Mountain Village Resort is the Mountain Village Mercantile which was the town’s grocery store/gift shop to get anything you might have forgotten. The food here was amazing as well- for such a small town there were ample options and we didn’t have anything we didn’t enjoy.

Eats:
Stanley Baking Company & Cafe: the perfect comfy breakfast spot, get some pasties and coffee to go or sit-down for the full breakfast experience.
Papa Brunee’s Pizza & Subs: THE SPOT to stop at after a long day of hiking. We made our own pizza, split a salad and some beers- it was exactly what we wanted after hiking.
Sawtooth Luce’s Restaurant: We stopped here a couple times for some air conditioning and beers- their menu is typical American fare (think salads and burgers).
Stanley Supper Club: The most popular dinner spot in town- get a reservation if you can, otherwise show up right at 5 when they open. We walked in right with they opened without a reservation and had no problems. They have a daily pasta and vegetable in addition to their standard menu and a cake of the day for dessert. I would have eaten here every day if we could- everything was amazing.
Redfish Lake Lodge Lakeside Grill: The perfect type of food you would want out by the lake- fish tacos, shoestring fries, ice cream (and beers). Easy ordering and pick-up. A bonus for us was that we went over on a Friday night when we knew they had some live music and it was a vibe!

Okay on to some hiking… The main trail we took was the Alice-Toxaway Loop Trail which is just under 19 miles total. Our first day we hiked 13 miles to Twin Lakes to camp (we chose a site at the left of the two lakes). Then we finished up the hike after a slow morning at our campsite and a quick (and VERY cold) dip in the lake. This was a long hike with a gradual incline until you pass Toxaway Lake, then it’s very abruptly up hill for a pretty rough section before giving you a steep downhill for a couple of miles. We started at the Tin Cup Hiker Trailhead and took the trail counter-clockwise (because we read it was a more gradual uphill, which I would definitely agree with). And it looked like some people were doing a day hike out to Alice Lake and back (which would mean you would go clockwise from the Tin Cup Hiker Trailhead).

The other hike we did was a day hike to Goat Lake- it came out to about 9 miles round trip. The majority of the hike was gradual but the last mile or so was straight up in loose dirt/scree. The trail was not marked and it was very easy to go off trail (which we did multiple times- thank you AllTrails for keeping us on track!). It was very hard to get any footing and in turn you were kicking dirt and loose rocks down to the people below you. Once you get past that section there are a bunch of large rocks to scramble over to tried to get over a small stream and find the trail again. The lake was beautiful, but for me it’s not a trail I would not do again or even suggest for people to do. would skip this hike and find another one out to an alpine lake (there are so many of them in this area). This trail is listed as dog friendly, but I would not recommend it for dogs. It was difficult enough for me, and I think the dogs would just be breathing in all the dust being kicked up in the scree section and have the potential to fall while jumping across all the large boulders. Like I said, there are so many other options for hikes in the area!

Activities:
Water Rentals: Pedal Boat, SUP, Kayak at Redfish Lodge
Hiking: Any of the many trail in the Sawtooth National Forest that will take you up to some of the many alpine lakes.
Camping: Redfish Lake is a popular camping area but there are plenty of campground around including the National Forest Campsites. Just make sure you book ahead of time during peak season.
Hot Springs: Mountain Village Resort’s Hot Spring is the most popular and readily available in Stanley, but on the way to/from Boise there are multiple natural springs to stop at- we stopped at the Pine Flats Hot Springs, Bonneville Hot Springs, and Kirkham Hot Springs. They vary in temperature so (very gently) test them out first before fully getting in them- The Bonneville Springs were almost too hot to get in!
White water rafting: There’s multiple options around, but we went with Bear Valley Rafting which split up our drive back to Biose. We did the Class III/IV Rapids and we had a great time! The North Fork of the Payette River is actually a world class kayaking area and hosts the North Fork Championship every year for extreme whitewater kayakers!

We flew to Boise, so Axel didn't get to come on this trip. :( But of course, I did take note of all the dog friendly things to do while we were traveling!

Dog Friendly Options:
Redfish Lake Dog Beach: Designated off-leash dog beach just past the Lakeside Grill area
Redfish Lake Lodge Friday Night Live Music with its Lakeside Grill: All ordering and pick-up is outside which makes it an easy stop with your dog!
Alice-Toxaway Loop: This trail is dog friendly but is about 19 miles total. It looked like a lot of people were going just to Alice Lake and back as a day trip! I wouldn’t recommend the whole trail unless your dog is used to backpacking with you.
Mountain Village Resort Dog Friendly Rooms: extra $30/dog per night
Pappa Brunee’s Pizza & Subs: The outdoor patio is dog friendly- but you have to go inside to order
Stanley Baking Company & Cafe: The outdoor patio is dog friendly- Pastries and Coffee/Drinks can be ordered at the outdoor window, but the full breakfast or lunch menu is only available if you go inside to order.
Sawtooth Luce’s Restaurant: The outdoor patio is dog friendly- The host table in right inside the door and the will happily let you step inside with your dog to get a table set up with some menus.