Bench Lakes
Per the excellent description from PeakVisor: With over 2 million acres (800,000 ha) of land covering 10 mountain ranges and 115 named peaks, the Sawtooth National Forest is an epic hiking destination located in the south-central part of the US state of Idaho. The tallest and most prominent peak in the national forest is Hyndman Peak (12,008 ft/3,660 m).
The Sawtooth National Forest covers a massive area in the mountainous heart of south-central Idaho. It’s part of the largest contiguous tract of national forest land in the lower 48 US states, a 30 million-acre (12 million ha) area of federally protected land that covers over 60 percent of Idaho.
The Sawtooth National Forest sits between the Boise and Salmon-Challis national forests, with several smaller non-contiguous sections along the Utah/Idaho border about 100 miles south of the main forest area. About 4 percent of the Sawtooth National Forest is located in northern Utah.
The national forest covers a total area of 2,110,408 acres (854,052 ha) and includes the Sawtooth National Recreation Area, Sawtooth Wilderness, and two other wilderness areas, all of which are managed by the US Forest Service.
There are over 1,000 lakes, 3,500 miles (5,600 km) of rivers and streams, and 10 mountain ranges in the area. These include the Albion, Black Pine, Boulder, Pioneer, Raft River, Smoky, Soldier, Sublett, White Cloud ranges, and, of course, the Sawtooth Mountains.
The national forest is mostly mountainous terrain, with areas of spruce-fir forests, alpine tundra, and sagebrush steppe. In the springtime, hundreds of wildflowers bloom on the mountain slopes, some of which are unique species only found in the area.
PeakVisor also has good descriptions of the main hiking areas.
If you are looking for more trails in the Sawtooth National Forest, then I recommend taking a look at USFS: Day hikes in Sawtooth National Forest and compare those hikes with this Alltrails link. Zoom into the area you are most interested in, choose a hike that meets your criteria, and then do a quick internet search on it to see if others think the same.
Here is my 4-stars and above AllTrails link for the area described in this document.
❤️❤️❤️ - Love it! Would do it again just because it is such a good trail.
❤️❤️ - Like it. Good Trail and Hike. Would do it again with a friend who has never done it or perhaps at a different time of year.
❤️ - Glad we did it but would not do it again.
Rodrod Trailheads Map
There are lots of camping opportunities in the Sawtooth’s. You can use this US Forest Service interactive map to get a good start. Make sure to zoom into the area you want to search.
This is a beautiful area of the country. It has it all: desert, mountains, colorful rock formations, geology, canyons, forests, wide open areas, waterways, petroglyphs, fossils, and reasonably good beer 😊, all with incredible hiking and backpacking opportunities. Just Google It!
Petroglyphs abound in this area. Please be respectful of our past and don’t disrupt archeological sites and for goodness sake, please DON'T DRAW OVER THE EXISTING PETROGLYPS AND DON'T ADD YOUR OWN! Take only pictures and leave only footsteps.
It gets hot in the summer and very cold in the winter. Water & layers are essential.
In addition to layers, if you are going to places like The Vortex, where you will be hiking over some steep rock, wear boots with good Vibram soles. They adhere to the rock face where tennis shoes don’t.
Rattlesnakes are abundant in Utah. I have had at least one encounter with a rattler in Utah (jumped directly over it at the last moment while it was basking in the trail). So, just in case you happen to get bit, here is a list of do's and do not's from healthline.com.
Note that in Utah rattlesnakes are protected under Utah law, making it illegal to harass or kill one. The only exception to this is if you are threatened and defending yourself; otherwise, it is a class B misdemeanor to kill a rattlesnake.
For more information regarding rattlesnakes, to include what to do if bitten, read here.
Cougars (Mountain Lions): Yep, there are cougars in Utah. I have seen one there “way over on the other side of the valley,” which was just fine.
For more information regarding cougars and what to do if you encounter one, read here.
Bears: Bears in southern Utah are rare, but not unheard of. Black bears are the only type of bear in Utah. Black bears usually avoid contact with people but encounters in Utah’s woods and mountains are not uncommon.
For more information regarding bears and what to do if you encounter one, read here.
Animals of the Area: List of Common Animals in the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve & Utah Lowlands
Plants of the Area: List of Common Plants in the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve & Utah Lowlands
Following is a list of resources I have found most helpful for planning a trip to St. George and the surrounding areas: