Updated November 29, 2024 11:36AM
Hiking the White Cloud Loop Trail: A Stunning Adventure Through Idaho’s Sawtooth National Recreation Area
This overlooked locals-only jewel across the Salmon River Valley from the more-famous Sawtooth Mountains delivers solitude and adventure on a 32-mile partly off-trail loop.
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The White Cloud Loop Trail is a challenging route that meanders through and around the White Cloud mountains of Idaho’s Sawtooth National Recreation Area. Meanders being the keyword. You can tackle the trail in a few different ways, and you’ll need experience with route-finding and class 4 scrambling—especially between Born Lakes and Windy Devil Pass. If you’re up to the task, you’ll experience mountains that evoke Yellowstone’s Gallatin Range or Absarokas, with scenic vistas, elk, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, black bears, and even gray wolves—almost to yourself.
Trail Facts
- Distance: 32.5-mile loop
- Elevation Gain: 6,955 feet
- Difficulty: Very Challenging
The Route: White Cloud Loop Trail
Our choice route for this hike was a four-day, 32.5-mile, partly off-trail loop.
Day One
Start at the Fourth of July Creek trailhead on the west side of the White Cloud range. Follow trails 109 and 219 for 2.1 miles to the saddle between Blackman and Patterson Peaks. Once there, head off-trail over 10,872-foot Patterson Peak—with an amazing 360 of the White Clouds. Descend into Four Lakes Basin and camp at the northern tip of Quiet Lake or the outlet of Noisy Lake.
Day Two
Ascend off-trail past Shallow Lake, cross Windy Devil Ridge, and drop into the valley of the trout-rich Boulder Chain Lakes, ringed by craggy, white peaks. Find good camping at Hatchet or Baker Lake.
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Day Three
Hoof southwest via trails 47 and 110 to Chamberlain Basin, a lake-dotted cirque below the 2,500-foot-tall south face of Castle Peak—the range’s highpoint at 11,815 feet. Pack a bear canister as bruins here raid hangs. En route to Chamberlain Basin, make the 1.5-mile round-trip, off-trail side trip to visit secluded Castle Lake. It sits at 9,419 feet in a small cirque bounded by the sheer cliffs of Merriam and Castle peaks.
Day Four
From Chamberlain Basin, hike just under 10 miles back to the Fourth of July Creek trailhead to complete the loop.
The Map: White Cloud Loop Trail
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Additional Photos
