Sawtooth National Forest

Idaho

On our trip to the US in 2013 we had the chance to visit the Sawtooth National Forest.  Even if it is not an internationally known climbing area, it has a lot to offer. The landscape is particularly attractive. With a good mix of accessibility and yet not overwhelmed, it was just the thing for us.

A short boat trip on Redfish Lake brought us to the starting point for the trail to the Elephant's Perch. With all the camping equipment, it was a good hike up. The trail was good and the river crossings no problem. Finally we had the Elephans’s Perch in view!

It is a beautiful setting, including the Saddleback Lakes. What a nice pice of rock!

We settled for a perfect camping spot. Nobody around, just the two of us and lots of animals.

The next day we climbed the Elephant’s Perch by the Astro Elephant line (5.10, 10 pitch). Not so hard but very good rock and the line is easy enough to finde. Overall a very cool experience.

After a cool evening at the Saddleback lake we decided to relax our feed and explore the lake side.

It is a very nice hike around the lake.

Later we decided to leave, since the barometric pressure was falling and we didn’t want to be caught up in the valley in bad weather. It turned out to be a vice decision, since the next day, all the peeks where covered in snow.