Trip report by: Denis Du Bois
"I would definitely recommend this trip to a friend."
This is a hike where the access road is almost as fun (and hard) as the trail. One of Ketchum's main streets turns into a dirt road outside of town. After about 20 miles on this road, we turned off on the jeep track that would lead us 4.2 miles into the valley of Kane Creek.
The jeep track is rough and slow, but suitable for any high-clearance vehicle, in dry weather. Don't take your new SUV up here, unless you don't mind beating it up. Walking the road 4.2 miles will be easy and scenic, or you can hike to the trailhead from Trail Creek Road near Park Creek CG. Either option is easier than puncturing a gas tank this far from civilization.
Photos: [Top] The fall colors were just beginning when we got to the Pioneer Mountains. [Bottom] The trail is wooded almost all the way, and only occasionally goes near Kane Creek.
The road ends in a large wash full of rocks, and is closed beyond this point. There's a sign for the trail that follows the right side of the creek a ways, instead of crossing it at the trailhead, as the guidebooks say. We actually came back by passing the bridge, following the closed jeep track, then wading across the stream to get back to the car. They're about the same, but the jeep track offers more opportunities to walk side-by-side and talk in the bottom half mile of the way.
We started late in the day, and didn't give ourselves time to negotiate the access road and hike all the way to the lake. At least, not at this altitude. Our flatlander's lungs had trouble finding oxygen above 8000', so we were constantly out of breath.
The trail is in open forest as far as we went, with frequent views of the two massive rock peaks on either side of the creek. As we got closer to the lake, the walls of the canyon got steeper. We stopped and had lunch at the halfway point, where there's a nice little waterfall and a small pool deep enough to dip in. We were in a deep canyon, situated directly between The Devils Bedstead and Phi Kappa mountains. It was fantastic. The lake is probably better.
Note: This is backcountry wilderness travel. Any trail can become very dangerous in winter conditions. You are responsible for informing yourself of the hazards and taking the necessary precautions. Please read Terms of Use.