Imogene Lake to Alice Toxaway Lake Loop
Imogene Lake to Alice Toxaway Lake Loop
Day 1 – 10.8 miles
We began our hike at the Pettit Lake trailhead. Parking at the main lot can be competitive so arrive early. There is overflow parking, but it adds a half mile to the beginning and end of the hike. At the beginning of the hike, you start to climb. At about 2.3 miles into the hike, you reach the Wilderness boundary and must fill out a permit. Permits are provided at the permit box and there is no charge.
You spend the first 5 miles or so climbing out of the forest. Once you hit Farley Lake the views really start, and they continue for the rest of the day. At approximately 6.7 miles into the trail, you will come to the turnoff for Edith Lake. Take that trail up to the Lake. We stopped at Edith Lake and had lunch. We spent about an hour there relaxing before we started climbing our first pass of the trip. After lunch we headed up the pass that takes you to Imogene Lake. The view from the top of the pass is stunning. 360-degree views of the Sawtooth Wilderness. We hiked down to the lake and set up camp with a magnificent view of the water. It was the perfect start to the trip.
Day 2 – 11.3 miles
We started day 2 watching an amazing sunrise with the mountains reflecting in Lake Imogene. After enjoying some coffee, we packed up camp and hit the trail. We had to climb back over the pass we took the day before to get to Imogene Lake. We didn’t mind climbing it a 2nd time. It gave us a chance to see those views again.
After the pass, we headed towards another that takes you to Toxaway Lake or Edna Lake. On the way you get a great view of Rendezvous Lake and Edna Lake off in the distance. When Toxaway lake came into view our pace slowed due to all the pictures we were taking. We decided to stop at Toxaway lake for lunch. We soaked our feet in the cold lake water and relaxed on some big boulders on the lake shore.
Once we left Toxaway lake we began to climb again. We were working our way to the final pass of the day that would take us past Twin Lakes and on to Alice Lake where we would camp for the night. Along the way you pass several small lakes that were unnamed on our map but were stunning shades of green and blue. Once you make it up to the pass you are rewarded with the most spectacular view of the trip. You overlook Twin Lakes, and it really is extraordinary.
The rest of the day ‘s hike was downhill. We made it to Alice Lake and found another camp spot near the water. This one was a good spot but didn’t top our spot on day 1. We made dinner and relaxed by the water. Day 2 somehow managed to top day 1 but we had to work for it.
Day 3 – 6.53 Miles
Day 3 started with another spectacular sunrise. After enjoying our coffee, we hit the trail. Today would be an easy day as we hiked back to the car. On the way out you return where you started hiking past the vibrant clear blue waters of Petit Lake. Living near Glacier National Park there is no shortage of spectacular lakes, but Petit Lake has some of the bluest water I have ever seen. Looking back on this trip I think mile for mile this route gives you some of the best scenery for your effort. This is still one of our favorite trips.
July 17, 2024
