We didn't have a map, so distances are more in driving and walking time. The views are incredible! There is some mud/creeks going over the trail. This trail can be muddy in places as water flows over the trail in a few spots. there were some cairns marking the Follow … keep in mind it was a Saturday. The hike itself is short, but strangely challenging. The length and elevation gain wasn’t bad, but the trail itself seemed on the dangerous side. Because the nearest station and this geographic feature may have There were still lots of huckleberries, ripe, and still ripening. Bring gun, bear spray, water, snacks. Roughly 2.25 miles into the hike there is a fork in the trail. The Lake: View 259 homes for sale in McCall, ID at a median listing price of $379,000. - good mix of steep and flat, sunny and It is an old forest service road barely wide enough for our Jeep Wrangler. Also, the length of the trail is actual 4mi out and back, which I tracked it on my Fitbit. I would not recommend taking small children on this trail. A 4wd vehicle was required. Will return in July. At 6,500 feet above sea level, the lake has turquoise blue, glacier-fed water and sandy shores. The colors where only beginning to turn while we were there. Length 2.8 miElevation gain 656 ftRoute type Out & back From Boulder Lake, the trail system offers longer hiking opportunities including Louie, Summit, Rapid, Vics, Fogg and Anderson lakes. lower than 71% of other locations on record. Trail is still covered in snow. Getting to the lake is quite a drive though We came from the north off of the freeway. lower than 65% of other locations on record. Crystal Mountain is a 6,929 ft / 2,112 m mountain peak near McCall, Idaho, United States. Cons: - narrow trail Getting There: From McCall, drive south about two miles on ID 55 and turn left on Elo Road. I took my son who is 7 because it sounded like this trail was relatively easy and with little elevation gain, but this is not the case. The trail was challenging in parts, but overall very doable, there was one area we got a little lost because it totally looked like the trail continues one way but you’re supposed to go up the rocks instead, but we got back on track easy enough. Over all this was a very fun and beautiful experience and highly recommend it. Anyone who is interested in visiting Crystal Lake can print the free topographic map and street map using the link above. McCall, Idaho is one of the best small mountain towns in the West. lower than 85% of other locations on record. a few places to drink on the way Below are weather averages from 1971 to 2000 according to data gathered from the nearest Don't show this message again This location's average precipitation levels are Help. topographic maps of the U.S. called US Topo that are separated into lost at the same spot, too. Dogs are also able to use this trail. We have a YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuqAytrT-U1vlphR3WWujJw that goes over various of Trails we go on. We would rate this more on the difficult side of a moderate trail. The drive is very narrow, but doable. and down the rocks- stay upwards- I took my 9 year old son and his friend. If you’ve been to an alpine lake before, you pretty much know what to expect here. We followed the directions in Marchant's book for Lake Rock Lake. Overall the trail is fun with beautiful views and interesting terrain. Clicking anywhere within a quandrant will display an info window with the map name, as It is actually 1.6 miles each way but the distance isnt the challenge, it's the vertical accents and descents. Mount Coeur d'Alene via Caribou Ridge Trail, Caribou Ridge, Trail 258, and Trail 257 Loop, Lower Caribou Ridge to Beauty Creek Road Loop. We got to the trailhead from the Rochatt Rd direction. There are camp sites at the lake you can backpack into. Below in this image is Lake Payette … intended to be printed at 22.75"x29" or larger. If you’re afraid of heights- the view might bother you. Dogs are also able to use this trail. On the South end of the lake is a small peninsula great for camping away from day hikers. The USGS (U.S. Geological Survey) publishes a set of the most commonly used It's about 1.5 mile and 1100' to the lake. - the trail was so easy to follow except Well worth it! Check flight prices and hotel availability for your visit. It’s not a flat trail by any means. very steep terrain. Additionally, other things I did not particularly enjoy about this hike is that there is no trail that goes around the lake for being able to explore and that most of the camping sites are all right next to each other so no way to avoid other people if you are not the only campers there. Because the nearest station and this geographic feature may … Here is the link to this hike https://youtu.be/ewAGLt7TSK4. Remember to adjust these times based on … - not one mosquito Still to much snow to get to the trail head so just went as far as we could and got some miles in. - OnX app tracked: 1.46 one way, 45 m. Crystal Lake Trail is a 4.5 kilometer lightly trafficked out and back trail located near Saint Maries, Idaho that features a lake and is rated as moderate. The city itself is located on the shore of shimmering Payette Lake.There are numerous other lakes like Lake Cascade and rivers like the Payette River within one hour of town. The road to get there was... questionable and at times down right scary. Long story short, this is a HEAVILY trafficked area so if you are looking for a quiet day you won’t get it here. The trailhead does have a bathroom. There were about 6 or 7 of us fishing, plenty of space. The trail has arying terrain, most of it being a single track. There are several very steep areas on the trail and about a third of this trail has rock slides with one in particular that is very long. This trail was absolutely beautiful all the way up and plenty of shade and photo opportunities. Kids around 5 or older should be able to hike the trail with little to no assistance. However has a large amount of large rocks (size of a water bottle and slightly larger) all over it. The road from the freeway is dirt / gravel and the last 15 Miles gets pretty rough and rocky, low clearance vehicles will get beat to snot on this drive. Clear waters, good fish, some little campsites which looked nice for those backpacking in. Crystal Lake is a lake in Idaho and has an elevation of 8114 feet. Now that we know what to expect we are considering hiking in super early and securing the spot on the south side so we don’t have to deal with the traffic of the day hikers. Would highly recommend low clearance vehicles DO NOT attempt driving on this road. I went the route from St. Marie’s. There was still snow on the road about 1 Mile before the trailhead. Looking at the directions on how to get there we chose the road out of St. Maries. There are about 4 or 5 sites around the lake to camp at with rock circle fire pits. I passed 2 vehicles and we had to make way for each other. differences in elevation and topography, the historic weather at the two separate locations Earth Healing at Crystal Mountain by Bergdorf Hot Springs above McCall, Idaho . On July 22nd My husband, 10 month old, red heeler and I made our way up to the trailhead to camp. Not much unique about this one. it’s just after the shady forest grove may be different as well. These maps are seperated into rectangular quadrants that are It was about a 45 minute - 1 hour drive in the mountains, and the road was pretty torn up at times. Pretty little lake nestled in the mountains. I explored half the lake, from entry to the left, which had a trail wrapping near the waters edge. The Crystal Beach condos are located on Payette Lake with seasonal outdoor pool, lake & beach access during the summer. Crystal Lake is close to Monument Peak. The nearest weather station for both precipitation and There are two ways to get to the trailhead. The lake is beautiful and very cold! This is a 20 mile trek on a dusty, dirt road. Photos provided by Flickr are under the copyright of their owners. Despite this it is still a fairly good entry level hike for an alpine lake. Now to the hike.... we are 50ish and not very experienced but the description is not accurate. Legal. If you want to overnight camp DO NOT set up at the first site you come to, either trek to the south side, or if that is taken, there is a secluded spot to the left of the main area.