The very large Ketchum forest fire was burning 40 miles away, but I had spectacular scenery and perfect weather for six days. Thankfully there were no bear encounters on this trip. Over the six days I traveled over 45 miles through the area near Sawtooth Lake. Thankfully not all those miles were with the heavy pack. I was able to plan day hikes to alpine lakes and even one summit ("Observation Point").
The Sawtooths remain my favorite place to backpack. The combination of alpine lakes and jagged peaks is spectacular. There are many well marked trails which allows multiple route planning. [I love using the same campsite more than one night]. And I never camped within site of another tent. In fact, I had the entire McGown lakes area and Sawtooth Lake all to myself when camping there. At one point, I did not see another human for 48 hours.
Click a picture to see a larger view
and explanation.
