Pettit Lake, Idaho

On your way through the Sawtooth Valley, there are several small lakes just a few miles off the main road, Idaho Rte. 75 -- Alturas Lake, Pettit Lake, and Yellow Belly Lake -- all of which lie at the foot of the Sawtooth Mountain Range. (There's also Redfish Lake, a much larger body of water, a few miles down the road. We'll visit that one on the next page.) Each of these lakes is peaceful and beautiful, and you should take a few minutes to detour over to at least one of them.


	Pettit Lake (as well as Arturas and Yellow Belly) are located just a few miles west of Idaho Rte. 75. The road to Pettit Lake was well-maintained dirt, and I expect the others are the same.

I chose Pettit Lake, the middle of the three lakes I listed above. Once you emerge from the trees, there's a serene, clear lake waiting for you, surrounded by mountain peaks.

Unfortunately, given the cloudy skies and choppy waters, everything looks a bit more grey than it should. I'd love to return here on a sunny, blue-sky day, when the water is perfectly still, and reflecting the nearby mountains.

This is the view from the boat-ramp area, which opens onto a small inlet on the lake's eastern side.


	I've read that there is an 18 mile trail that encircles Pettit Lake, although I can't imagine the views get any better than those on the lake's eastern edge.

I stopped for this picture along the road to Pettit Lake. This is the area where the foothills meet the valley floor.

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I grew up on that lake. My family used to have a cabin on it. You are correct about the view on the Eastern edge. Our cabin was one of the last on the other side.

--- Anonymous

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