Redfish Lake

So beautiful and worth the drive. The water is a gorgeous shade of blue/green. The boat tour was fun! John was a great guide. Definitely recommend checking this place out!

This place is absolutely gorgeous! The water in some of the areas along the coast is stunning. I was on a dog friendly breach with some friends and we had some paddle boards and we had a lovely time. The water was quite cold but refreshing. The only unfortunate thing about this lake is how busy it is. We spent a good 30 minutes or so trying to find decent parking. Everything was packed and made it frustrating.

Redfish Lake is a magical lake in the Sawtooth Valley, Stanley Idaho. The lake is nestled at the base of the jagged peaks of the Sawtooth Mountains and was formed by glaciers years ago. It has been a travel destination for years due to the hundreds of mountain lakes, trails, hiking, backpacking, camping, rock climbing, fishing, and spectacular scenery. The lake got its name from the Sockeye Salmon that would come to spawn and were so plentiful that it made the lake look red. The lake is almost 400' deep at its southern end and 5 miles long. It is used by scuba divers for training because of the unique terrain of the shoreline that drops off dramatically. There are two popular areas for scuba diving. One of the areas off the beach is Schoolhouse Rock, a 14' in diameter, 20' tall rock that rises up from the bottom to within 20' of the surface. The other is on the southern end, where trees that were uprooted from a landslide were deposited upside down at a depth of 80'. Since the lake is so clear, you can actually see them from the surface of the water. The water is a cool 64 degrees in the summer, so you can swim on a warm day. The lake has a gravel bottom lending to its clarity. As always, leave it better than you found it and enjoy 😉

I was not lucky with the weather when I visited but it still ended up being a memorable and lively experience. A ton to do in this area with hikes, horseback riding and more. It was not overly crowded when I visited in early Sept but still the campgrounds were all full.

Crowded its a beautiful lake but far to many tourist i am a local and try to enjoy it

very beautiful view

I’ve been coming here since 1981. It’s classic Idaho. Gorgeous views, hiking, swimming, camping, cabins. But it gets so crowded! Avoid the weekends if you can! Also, smoke, ugh. Super sad to feel the impact of all the wildfires.

Redfish lake is gorgeous! The blue-green water was almost reminiscent of Caribbean waters! It is very busy though! Too many people and not enough parking! There is a concession stand near the lake. Many families and groups come here for picnics and to enjoy the lake during the weekends! So, plan to come early if you want to park by the lake.