Redfish Lake

Redfish Lake
Grand Mogul at Redfish Lake
Location	Custer County, Idaho
Coordinates
Type	Glacial
Primary inflows	Redfish Lake Creek
Primary outflows	Redfish Lake Creek to Salmon River
Basin countries	United States
Max. length	4.5 mi (7.2 km)
Max. width	.72 mi (1.16 km)
Max. depth	387 ft (118 m)
Shore length1	11 mi (18 km)
Surface elevation	6,547 ft (1,996 m)
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Redfish
Lake

location of Redfish Lake,
near Stanley

Redfish Lake is an alpine lake in central Idaho, United States, located in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area, at the base of the Sawtooth Mountains in Custer County.

It is named for the brilliant sockeye salmon that once returned from the Pacific Ocean in such massive quantities that the lake shimmered red during spawning season. However, only a small number of wild sockeye make it back to the lake to spawn so they may not be targeted while fishing and if caught must immediately be released. The north end of Redfish Lake hosts many developed recreation opportunities, including the Redfish Lake Lodge (restaurant, cabin and boat rentals) and Forest Service campgrounds, boat launch, day-use areas and a visitor center. Redfish Lake is about a mile upstream of the smaller but equally picturesque Little Redfish Lake. The easiest way to reach the highest peak in the Sawtooths, Thompson Peak, is from the Redfish Lake Trailhead.

The surface elevation of Redfish Lake is 6,547 feet (1,996 m) above sea level. The lake is 4.5 miles (7.2 km) long and 0.72 miles (1.2 km) wide, with a maximum depth of 387 feet (118 m), and 11 miles (18 km) of shoreline. The actual trail around the lake is 17.5 miles (28 km) in length.

The average temperature of the lake ranges from freezing (32 °F, 0 °C) to a high of around 62 °F (16 °C) in late July & early August. In the winter the lake freezes over, with ice 30-36" (75–90 cm) thick.

The peaks which frame the lake at its south end are

• Mount Heyburn at 10,229 ft (3,118 m) to the west
• Grand Mogul at 9,733 feet (2,967 m).

Redfish Lake is approximately five miles (8 km) south of Stanley; a paved access road from State Highway 75 delivers motorists to the visitor area at the north shore of the lake.

Redfish Lake