Crater Lake, Custer County, Idaho

Jennie Lake, Boise County, Idaho

Getting there from Idaho City:
     -Go North on Idaho Highway 21 for 18 miles
     -Turn right on the Crooked River Road (NF-384) and drive for 6 miles
     -Turn left on NF-348 and drive for 7.5 miles
     -Turn left on NF-372
     -The trail head is just 0.1 miles

Trail Details:
     -The trail is 4.5 miles one way
     -Travel time is suggested at 2-2.5 hours (one-way)
     -The trail gains 1950 feet in elevation
     -Jennie Lake is at 7850 feet
     -The trail is generally in season from mid-June to late September
     -There are several primitive camping spots around the lake
     -Also check out http://www.justhiking.com/hikes/2001/10-08jenlk/jenlk.htm

Maps:

Google Map

justhiking.com 2D map

justhiking.com 3D map

My Story:

Michelle and I hiked to Jennie Lake on August 15, 2014.  This was Michelle's first backpacking trip ever. She is such a great wife; she loved the idea of celebrating our 12th anniversary on a backpacking trip!

We left Boise around 4pm and arrived at the trail head around 6pm.  There was some road construction on Highway 21 that slowed us down a bit.

I was quite irritated when we got to the trail head and found that the below sign had been vandalized. It's unfortunate that people do this kind of thing...

Trail head sign

I had not realized that the trail was so long, so we started the 4.5 mile trip with a bit of urgency. On the way, I spotted these Huckleberry bushes and we were able to find just a few berries to eat! I think they are normally in season in July.

Huckelberry Bush

The sagebrush meadow was one of my favorite locations along the trail.

Trail at beginning of Sagebrush Meadow

Aaron and Michelle

I didn't know that it would take us as long as it did, but we made it to the lake just before dark. It was probably just before 9pm so the trip took us 2.5-3 hours. As soon as we got there, Michelle set up her camera with a long exposure and captured this picture of the lake.  Notice the stars in the sky and toward the top right you can also see a meteor that she caught!

Jennie Lake

 In the morning I spent a couple hours fishing at the lake. I caught a few small Cutbows (Cutthroat/Rainbow Trout hybrid). I caught one with a yellow/red spotted panther martin (and I had some more bites, but missed them), one with a zebra midge and another with a three egg pattern (pictured below).

Cutbow Trout

References:
     http://www.justhiking.com/hikes/2001/10-08jenlk/jenlk.htm

Blog Purpose

The purpose of this Blog is to document my adventures in hiking to high mountain lakes in Idaho so that others can experience these beautiful Lakes.  My purpose of going to these lakes is to find fun fishing opportunities.

If there's a lake in Idaho that you've been dreaming of going to but just haven't made it, leave a comment on the blog and I'll do my best to go there and document it.