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Lightning Lake

Begin your hike at the trailhead. At 0.1 mile, the trail crosses the Phyllis Lake jeep trail. Continue to hike up the jeep trail until you reach a split in the track.

Keep to the right fork of the split and walk through the gate located 0.2 mile away. Continue on the footpath past the roofless log cabin and turn right down into a meadow. At 0.4 mile, you see a creek in the meadow. Turn left at this creek and climb a small stream to a bog. Circle the bog on the right to the outlet of Thunder Lake. Hike up the outlet on the left and continue through the grass and rocks until you reach an amber-colored pond. From here, hike west around the pond and continue up the right side of the amber pond’s inlet. At 1.2 miles, you reach Lightning Lake.

Directions:
From Ketchum, drive north on Highway 75 for 44.6 miles. Turn right on Fourth of July Creek Road and drive an additional 10.2 miles to the trailhead.

Location:  Boulder-White Clouds
Maps:  Sawtooth National Forest, SNRA, Ketchum & Fairfield District

Location

Boulder-White Clouds

Distance

5.8 miles round trip; section one-way is 1.2 miles

Elevation

1,100 ft.

Difficulty

Moderate

Maps

USGS Washington Peak

Status

Proposed Wilderness

More Info

Trails of the Sawtooth and White Cloud Mountains