Bench Lakes Hike, Sawtooth Wilderness, Stanley, Idaho
The highest Bench Lake below Mount Heyburn
After spending a week in McCall, we were ready to head to another part of Idaho. We would be passing through Stanley and wanted to stop there to do a hike in the Sawtooths. We did a backpacking trip in that Wilderness Area a few years ago and I have been wanting to go back. Unfortunately, this would just be a day trip and not a backpacking trip, but I was still excited nonetheless. I did not have much time to plan the hike the night before so I picked Bench Lakes based off of a few photos and recent conditions reports saying there was no more snow on the trail, which was still a consideration for many hikes in the Sawtooths in June.
We parked at the Redfish Trailhead and took Bear Trap Trail to Fishhook Trail to Redfish Creek Baron Creek Trail. We soon found ourselves above beautiful Redfish Lake, and we would be walking on a ridge above it for a few miles. We also soon found ourselves in a large burn area. The burn area was enormous, and we would remain in it for the remainder of our hike, even up to the highest Bench Lake. It was a good reminder of why I don’t start campfires when I’m backpacking (wildfire potential + Leave No Trace). The fire occurred in 2024 and not much had grown back yet.
I followed the well-defined trail to the second Bench Lake, after which the trail became much harder to follow and went through a burn area that had eliminated the old trail. I was able to follow some cairns and new social trails up to the highest Bench Lake, which was right under the beautiful Mount Heyburn. After stopping there for lunch, I headed back to the car using the same trail I walked in on. The hike out was fairly hot as there was no shade due to the wildfire that went through the area. I very much enjoyed this hike, but would recommend doing it on cooler days and starting early due to the lack of shade.
Total Stats: 11.1 miles, 2060 ft of elevation gain
