I just had a great experience in the Sawtooths and want to recommend the loop to others.
I started at the Grandjean trailhead, kind of a backdoor to the Sawtooths, ideally bypassing some Redfish Lake crowds. I went up Baron Creek, crossed the pass over and continued past Alpine lake. I spent one night at the largest of the Cramer lakes, nestled under, Decker, the arrowhead and Finger of Fate. Can you say alpenglow! Returned via the SF Payette trail which is straight, downhill and kinda boring (except for glimpses of the SF and epic cascades).
My GE calculations put it at about 35 miles all the way around ( ).
The route featured countless alpine lakes, cascades, craggy granite peaks, massive piles of bear sh**, etc. The Sawtooths have got to be one of the most accessible yet rugged areas in the country. Plan a trip! I have been missing out. Anyway, some photos:
