Alpine Way Trail, Redfish to Huckleberry Creek

The Alpine Way trail from Redfish to Huckleberry Creek is better for the terrain it accesses than the scenery along the way. The route stays in the trees, offering only a few brief glimpses of the high peaks it traverses beneath. The infrequently used trail offers plenty of solitude and an option for early-season hiking. The long shuttle to either the Huckleberry or Hell Roaring trailhead deters most hikers from doing this as a day hike, but it can be walked in either direction.  

Note that the road into Hell Roaring Lake Trailhead requires a high-clearance four-wheel drive vehicle. The Huckleberry "trailhead" is nothing but the end of a dirt road, so be sure to follow the driving directions closely.

The southern Alpine Way Trail offers superb access to the impressive string of peaks between the Grand Mogul and Decker Peak via three east-running ridgelines. Scramblers can leave the main trail at Point 8554, Point 8420, or Point 8740 and follow the ridgelines to the west for excellent views and scrambles of varying difficulty into the higher peaks. The unnamed lake in the Decker Peak drainage is not far from the main trail and would be a nice stopping point on a longer backpacking loop or a jumping-off point for exploration of the upper Decker Creek drainage. The possibilities are limited only by your imagination and endurance of your legs.

Most of the trail lies within the Sawtooth Wilderness. Please observe the following  regulations:
• Mountain bikes are not allowed past the wilderness boundary.
• Self administered wilderness permits are required and available at the trailhead.
• Dogs must be on a leash between July 1 and Labor Day.
• Camp 100-feet from trails, lakes and streams.
• Pack out all garbage.
• Human waste should be buried in a cat hole 6-8 inches deep, buried and well disguised. Pack out all toilet paper.
• Campfires allowed ONLY in a backcountry pan or fire blanket.
• Campfires are NOT allowed at some lakes and in some drainages in the Sawtooths. Please review the campfire restrictions at individual trailheads.
• Permits required for all stock use in the wilderness. No grazing allowed in the Salmon River watershed (this includes the Alpine Lake drainage).
• No equine stock at Edith Lake.  ALL stock prohibited in the Goat Creek and Alpine Creek (Alturas Lake) drainages.