Alpine Lake is an
alpine lake
Alpine lakes are classified as lakes at high altitudes in mountainous zones, usually near or above the tree line, with extended periods of ice cover. These lakes are commonly formed from glacial activity (either current or in the past) but can al ...
in
Custer County, Idaho
Custer County is a rural mountain county in the center of the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,275. The county seat is Challis. Established in 1881, the county was named for the General Custer Mine, where gold ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, located high in the
Sawtooth Mountains in the
Sawtooth National Recreation Area
The Sawtooth National Recreation Area (SNRA) is a national recreation area in central Idaho, United States that is managed as part of Sawtooth National Forest. The recreation area, established on August 22, 1972, is managed by the U.S. Forest Ser ...
. The lake is approximately southwest of
Stanley
Stanley may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Film and television
* ''Stanley'' (1972 film), an American horror film
* ''Stanley'' (1984 film), an Australian comedy
* ''Stanley'' (1999 film), an animated short
* ''Stanley'' (1956 TV series) ...
. A trail from the Iron Creek trailhead and campground leads approximately to
Sawtooth Lake
Sawtooth Lake is an alpine lake in Custer County, Idaho, United States, located high in the Sawtooth Mountains in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area. The lake is approximately southwest of Stanley. A trail from the Iron Creek trailhead an ...
. The Iron Creek trailhead can be accessed from
State Highway 21 via Sawtooth National Forest road 619. There is another lake with the name
Alpine Lake
Alpine lakes are classified as lakes at high altitudes in mountainous zones, usually near or above the tree line, with extended periods of ice cover. These lakes are commonly formed from glacial activity (either current or in the past) but can al ...
in the central part of the Sawtooth Wilderness.
With a surface elevation of 7,828 feet (2,386 m)
above sea level
Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''.
The comb ...
, Alpine Lake can remain frozen into early summer. At the south end of Alpine Lake is
Alpine Peak at 9,861 feet (3,006 m) above sea level. Less than a half mile southwest of Alpine Lake is
Sawtooth Lake
Sawtooth Lake is an alpine lake in Custer County, Idaho, United States, located high in the Sawtooth Mountains in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area. The lake is approximately southwest of Stanley. A trail from the Iron Creek trailhead an ...
, one of the most popular destinations in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area. Alpine Lake is in the
Sawtooth Wilderness
The Sawtooth Wilderness is a federally-protected wilderness area that covers of the state of Idaho. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, it was designated the Sawtooth Primitive Area in 1937 to preserve the ...
and wilderness permit can be obtained at trailheads.
[
File:Alpine Lake in Iron Creek watershed.JPG, Alpine Lake
]
References
See also
* List of lakes of the Sawtooth Mountains (Idaho)
There are hundreds of lakes in the Sawtooth Mountains, most of which have been created by alpine glaciers. The majority of the lakes are within the Sawtooth Wilderness, but several are not yet still within Sawtooth National Recreation Area The l ...
* Sawtooth National Forest
Sawtooth National Forest is a United States National Forest, National Forest that covers 2,110,408 acres (854,052 ha) in the U.S. states of Idaho (~96 percent) and Utah (~4 percent). Managed by the U.S. Forest Service in the United States Depart ...
* Sawtooth National Recreation Area
The Sawtooth National Recreation Area (SNRA) is a national recreation area in central Idaho, United States that is managed as part of Sawtooth National Forest. The recreation area, established on August 22, 1972, is managed by the U.S. Forest Ser ...
* Sawtooth Range (Idaho)
The Sawtooth Range is a mountain range of the Rocky Mountains in central Idaho, United States, reaching a maximum elevation of at the summit of Thompson Peak. It encompasses an area of spanning parts of Custer, Boise, Blaine, and Elmore count ...
Lakes of Idaho
Lakes of Custer County, Idaho
Glacial lakes of the United States
Glacial lakes of the Sawtooth Wilderness
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