Leave No Trace in the Sawtooths
Pack it In, Pack it Out
Most of our trailheads do not have trash facilities. Please be prepared to pack out all your trash from the trail and the trailhead.
Stay on the Trail
Please don’t cut switchbacks! It causes erosion, destroys vegetation, and ruins the trail. Switchbacks are designed to make your hike easier and minimize erosion by reducing the grade (or slope) you hike.
Poop
Human and pet waste are becoming an issue in the Sawtooths. If you are going out for a hike, the best practice is to 'go' before you go. If nature calls while you are on the trail, or camping, you must dispose of it properly.
If a restroom or outhouse is not near by, human waste must be buried in the ground 6-8 inches deep. Learn how to dig a cathole like a pro. All toilet paper, wipes, and feminine products must be packed out! Why? In our high alpine ecosystems toilet paper will not decompose quickly and is often dug up by critters, yuck!
In some areas, due to the high use and lack of natural soil, packing out human waste is strongly recommended. Help protect our water quality and fragile alpine ecosystems by using WAG bags. WAG bags are a nifty waste disposal system that makes packing out your waste a breeze. You can purchase them at the Redfish Visitor Center, Stanley Ranger Station, North Fork Visitor Center or online. Check out restop.com for some options.
Dog poop can be packed out or buried 6-8 inches deep away from water, just like our poop.
More Resources: pooping outdoors and
how to dig a cat hole.
Fire
The Sawtooths have some important rules regarding campfires. Check fire restrictions before you head out!
In many areas campfires are never allowed regardless of the season. There are many reasons why campfires are prohibited. High alpine ecosystems do not produce much firewood. The slow growth of plants and trees at higher elevations makes dead and down trees you would use as firewood rare and important to the ecosystem. Some popular lakes have too many people visiting to provide enough fuel for everyone’s fire without removing those nutrients from the ecosystem. Additionally, many areas have only one trail in or out and a wildfire started by a campfire could trap other hikers and campers. Help protect the beautiful and fragile ecosystems of the Sawtooths and respect other visitors by knowing the campfire regulations.
If a campfire is allowed in the Sawtooth Wilderness, the fire must be built on a fire blanket or in a fire pan. In many areas campfires are never allowed. If you see a rock fire ring on the ground, it is illegal, please don’t use it. Wilderness Rangers and volunteers clean up hundreds of campfire rings each season from the Wilderness. Consider bringing a camp stove to prepare food you were planning to cook.
How to use a fire pan and fire blanket.
Access
Some of our trails have become so popular access to the trail can be challenging an issue. Trailhead parking lots are often small. Be ready with a back-up plan if you cannot find a parking spot. Some trailheads have overflow parking, others do not. Please do not park in the sagebrush or trees on the side of the road, it destroys the delicate alpine habitat.
Bikes
There are some trails that bikes are allowed on in the area. There are several loops popular with mountain bikers. Mountain bikes are allowed on many hiking trails but they are never allowed in the Wilderness. Keep in mind most hiking trails are not designed for bikes and can make for a challenging ride. Ride responsibly! There are hikers and horses on the trails as well. Bikes should yield to both hikers and riders.
E-Bikes: A few trails allow e-bikes but most don't. E-bikes are classified as a motorized vehicle by the U.S. Forest Service. Pick up a Motor Vehicle Use Map from a ranger station or check out one online to determine if e-bikes can be used on the trail.
Motor Vehicle Use Map
Bears
The Sawtooths are home to black bears. New regulations in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area require bear attractants, like food, sunscreen, toothpaste, pet food, and trash, to be stored in a hard-sided vehicle, a building, or a bear-proof container. There are many ways to safely store your food while recreating in the Sawtooths. A fed bear IS a dead bear. Please help keep our wildlife wild!
Bear Resources:
bear resistant certified containers,
how to make a bear hang, and
bears in the Sawtooths
Stock
Stock are considered horses, mules, goats, llamas and any other pack animals. Stock use is allowed in most of the Sawtooth National Recreation Area, however, there are some locations where stock are not allowed, and others where specifically pack goats are not allowed. This is to help protect our water resources, wildlife, and your animals.
Yield
Hikers and bikers must yield to stock. Step off the trail where it is safe to do so. Greet the riders or leaders. The stock know what a person sounds like, so say hi to make the animals aware of your presence. For everyone's safety, keep dogs on a leash and under control, especially around stock.
Wilderness
The Sawtooth National Recreation Area includes three Wildernesses. The Sawtooth Wilderness, Cecil D. Andrus White Cloud Wilderness and the Hemingway Boulder Wilderness. Aren't we lucky!
What is wilderness? Wilderness areas are lands designated by an Act of Congress. The Wilderness Act of 1964 defines wilderness as, “an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain.” The Act’s purpose is to preserve and protect the natural ecosystems and wild areas. It also provides opportunities for solitude, retrospection and undeveloped recreation. Our wilderness areas have regulations to help protect them and to help provide everyone with a true wilderness experience.
Sawtooth Wilderness
A permit is required. Don’t worry, these permits are free. You can pick one up at a permit box at the trailhead. If there isn’t a permit box at the trailhead one will be located near where the trail enters wilderness. Please fill the permit out completely. The tan copy will stay with you during your trip. You will need to deposit the white copy in the permit box. Be sure to read the back of your permit, it has the wilderness regulations you are agreeing to uphold. Permits are used to track use of the area and ensure visitors know the wilderness regulations.
Group Size: May 1- November 30 group size is limited to 12 people and 14 head of stock. December 1 to April 30 group size limit is 20 people and 14 head of stock. Any group of with 8 or more people requires a group permit issued from a Forest Service Office or partner. You can pick up a group permit at the Stanley Ranger Station, Redfish Visitor Center, or North Fork Visitor Center. Oversized groups must remain separated by a day or drainage. Learn more about group options here.
Dogs: Dogs must be on a physical leash when on trail July 1 through Labor Day. Loose dogs can harass wildlife and stock, and disturb other visitors. Dogs are not allowed in the Goat Creek drainage.
Fires: When allowed all campfires must be on a fire pan or fire blanket. Use of gas stoves is highly recommended. If you must build a fire, use only use dead and down wood. Fires damage vegetation, sterilize soil and scar the land. Rock fire rings are never allowed in the Sawtooth Wilderness. Campfires are not allowed more than a quarter of a mile off-trail from July 1st through Labor Day and are not allowed in the following drainages: Alice/Twin Lakes, Toxaway/Farley Lakes, Goat Creek (tributary of the South Fork of the Payette River), or Alpine Creek. Campfires are not allowed within 200 yards of Sawtooth Lake, Goat Lake and Alpine Lake near Iron Creek, Alpine and Saddleback Lakes in the Redfish drainage, and Scenic Lakes. Check fire restrictions before heading out.
Camp: Camp at least 100 feet from water and trails. Avoid camping on vegetation when possible. Most lakes have impacted sites please camp in these sites to minimize resource damage. Do not camp in meadows; they are fragile and easily impacted.
Stock: Overnight stock use requires a permit issued from a Forest Service Office. Use proper stock containment methods. If you must tie to live trees limit it to periods of less than one hour. Stock are not to be tethered within 100 feet of springs, lakes and streams, nor grazed within 200 yards of lake shores to keep bacteria out of water sources and protect fragile lake and stream shores. Grazing of equine stock is not allowed in the Salmon River drainage (east side of the wilderness). Feed is very limited. Carry weed free pelletized feed. Packing in loose hay or straw is prohibited to prevent introduction of weeds. No stock are allowed in the Goat Creek drainage (tributary of the South Fork of the Payette) or Alpine Creek drainage (near Alturas Lake). Equine stock are not allowed overnight at Edith Lake. Help protect the wilderness and fragile areas.
Poop: Burry poop 6 to 8 inches deep in a ‘cat hole’ at least 100 feet away from water sources and campsites. Cat holes need to be covered with soil not rocks. Toilet paper, wipes, etc. must be packed out. In some high use areas wag bags are highly recommended.
Trash and Sanitation: Pack out all trash including food scraps. Wash at least 150 feet way from water sources as even ‘biodegradable’ soap pollutes.
Bears: It is highly recommended that you store your food, trash, and any bear attractants in a bear-proof method. A bear hang, bear canister, or bear-proof bag is acceptable. Storing your food properly will also help prevent the squirrels from getting it.
Cecil D Andrus - White Cloud Wilderness
A permit is not required in the White Cloud Wilderness. Please sign in at the trailhead registers.
Camp: Camp at least 100 feet from water and trails. Avoid camping on vegetation when possible. Most lakes have impacted sites please camp in these sites to minimize resource damage. Do not camp in meadows; they are fragile and easily impacted.
Poop: Burry poop 6 to 8 inches deep in a ‘cat hole’ at least 100 feet away from water sources and campsites. Cat holes need to be covered with dirt not rocks. Toilet paper, wipes, etc. must be packed out. Biodegradable wipes etc. must still be packed out!
Trash and Sanitation: Pack out all trash including food scraps. Wash at least 150 feet way from water sources as even ‘biodegradable’ soap pollutes.
Fire: Use of gas stoves is highly recommended. If you must build a fire, use only use dead and down wood. Fires damage vegetation, sterilize soil and scar the land. Campfires are not allowed above 8800 feet in elevation (wood is limited in these areas) except for within 200 yards of Walker Lake, Island Lake, Upper and Lower Chamberlain Lakes (9477 and 9197 feet) and Born Lakes (9555 feet).
Stock: Use proper stock containment methods. If you must tie to live trees limit it to periods of less than one hour. Stock are not to be tethered or grazed within 200 feet of water to help keep bacteria out of water sources and protect fragile lake and stream shores. Weed free feed is required on all National Forest land to prevent introduction of weeds. Stock are only allowed in campsites when loading and unloading. Recreational equine stock use is prohibited within the following drainages: above Quiet Lake, above Lodgepole Lake in the Boulder Chain Lakes, Gunsight Creek, Bighorn Creek, and Big Boulder Lakes, excluding Walker and Island Lakes. Pack goats are limited to 3 pack goats per person and a maximum of 9 pack goats per group. All pack goats must be on lead on trails, with leads attached either to collars or halters. Pack goats must be tethered within 30 feet of humans at night to prevent the transmission of disease from domestic goats to bighorn sheep. Pack goats are not allowed within 100 yards of bighorn sheep. Pack goats are not allowed in the pack goat exclusion area, where bighorn sheep populations are high.
Bears: It is highly recommended that you store your food, trash, and any bear attractants in a bear-proof method. A bear hang, bear canister, or bear-proof bag is acceptable. Storing your food properly will also help prevent the squirrels from getting it.
Hemingway - Boulder Wilderness
A permit is not required in the White Cloud Wilderness. Please sign in at the trailhead registers.
Camp: Camp at least 100 feet from water and trails. Avoid camping on vegetation when possible. Most lakes have impacted sites please camp in these sites to minimize resource damage. Do not camp in meadows; they are fragile and easily impacted.
Poop: Burry poop 6 to 8 inches deep in a ‘cat hole’ at least 100 feet away from water sources and campsites. Cat holes need to be covered with dirt not rocks. Toilet paper, wipes, etc. must be packed out.
Trash and Sanitation: Pack out all trash including food scraps. Wash at least 150 feet way from water sources as even ‘biodegradable’ soap pollutes.
Fire: Use of gas stoves is highly recommended. If you must build a fire, use only use dead and down wood. Fires damage vegetation, sterilize soil and scar the land. Campfires are not allowed above 8800 feet in elevation (wood is limited in these areas) except for within 200 yards of Walker Lake, Island Lake, Upper and Lower Chamberlain Lakes (9477 and 9197 feet) and Born Lakes (9555 feet).
Stock: Use proper stock containment methods. If you must tie to live trees limit it to periods of less than one hour. Stock are not to be tethered or grazed within 200 feet of water to help keep bacteria out of water sources and protect fragile lake and stream shores. Weed free feed is required on all National Forest land to prevent introduction of weeds. Stock are only allowed in campsites when loading and unloading. Pack goats are limited to 3 pack goats per person and a maximum of 9 pack goats per group. All pack goats must be on lead on trails, with leads attached either to collars or halters. Pack goats must be tethered within 30 feet of humans at night to prevent the transmission of disease from domestic goats to bighorn sheep. Pack goats are not allowed within 100 yards of bighorn sheep.
Bears: It is highly recommended that you store your food, trash, and any bear attractants in a bear-proof method. A bear hang, bear canister, or bear-proof bag is acceptable. Storing your food properly will also help prevent the squirrels from getting it.
