About Redfish Lake Recreation Complex
Redfish Lake is at the headwaters of the Salmon River, whose waters flow north to meet the Snake River and continue to the Columbia River and the Pacific Ocean. As late as the 1950's, more than 4,000 sockeye salmon made the annual 900-mile (1,440-km) pilgrimage from the ocean to their spawning grounds in the Sawtooth Valley. However, in recent years only between 2-20 have returned each year. In an effort to save the endangered fish, whose bright red color gave Redfish Lake its name, the National Marine Fisheries Service established a local hatchery. Since 1999, the lake has been stocked with sockeye salmon. Bull trout, steelhead and Chinook salmon can also be spotted in the area. There is a visitor center and Redfish Lake Lodge. Between Little Redfish Lake and Redfish Lake there are commercially operated showers, a gas station with propane, a dump station and horse rentals. Little…
- Fees: [Sawtooth NRA Camping Fees and Information](http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd1097846.pdf)
- Managed by: USFS - Sawtooth National Forest
- Where: 6 mi south of Stanley, ID · 44.11961, -114.92931
Things to do:
Official page for this camp (fees, closures, booking)
Weather by month
Typical daily highs and lows (°F), 1991–2020 NOAA normals. Best months: Jun–Sep (comfortable days, mild nights, little rain). Nights below freezing: Oct–May.
Fly over it in 3D, check today's weather and fire news, plan the drive and print a trip plan.
Trails near camp
| Trail | Open to | From camp | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Redfish Creek - Baron Creek | Horse | 0.5 mi | 21.1 mi |
| Bench Lakes | Horse | 0.7 mi | 0.9 mi |
| Grand Mogul | Hiking | 0.9 mi | 7.4 mi |
| Redfish Ridge | Dirt bike | 1.0 mi | 3.1 mi |
| Orion | Hiking | 1.8 mi | 0.1 mi |
| N Shore Picnic Area | ATV road | 1.8 mi | 0.1 mi |
Straight-line distance from camp, from Forest Service, BLM, state and OpenStreetMap trail data.
Good to know
No signal at camp
From the carriers' FCC coverage maps, which tend to be generous.The Milky Way casts shadows and the sky is crowded with stars.
Class 1 of 9, from NASA/NOAA night-light data.Dump station: 9.5 mi
Nearest of each within 25 miles, straight-line.Camps nearby
- Sockeye Campground 1 mi
- Point Campground 1.1 mi
- Mt. Heyburn Campground 1.2 mi
- Outlet Campground 1.7 mi
- North Shore Picnic Area 1.8 mi
- Redfish Inlet Campground 1.8 mi